Alternative to lavender border?

[Zitouna]

I have a lavender border between my path and lawn. It’s never been very successful - over zealous pruning in year 1 I think, plus heavy London clay soil (despite adding grit) meant some plants a bit straggly - tho some have flourished. It’s patchy and looks quite messy. I was thinking of giving it one more year - but might actually give in and change it this year. Any ideas on what a good alternative would be? It’s only a narrow (30cm) border, and I’d like some gaps between plants for kids to go between path and lawn....

Nepeta (catmint), ours flowered from spring to late autumn and it will take some bashing about.

Rosemary? They'll need replacing if they get too big as they sort of split and look a bit messy. Very drought tolerant and bees love the flowers. I have some planted along my garden path as an alternative to lavender.

If you go for rosemary, you might want to consider a prostrate form as common rosemary can get quite high if it likes the position. However, like lavender, it can get woody and straggly after a few years and will need replacing. I had to replace dome of my lavender last year so it's all looking uneven at the moment. But I'll keep growing it ' cutting back the lavender in autumn is one of my favourite jobs.

I've always had the same issue with lavender, even with severe pruning.

Had you thought about box plants? Can plant or train in a variety of shapes - squares, rectangle, low hedge or sphere. I find them quite hardy and the little ones are cheap to buy.

Nepeta looks similar to lavender and much more tolerant.
Rosemary also though as PP said, without regular pruning it will go leggy aswell and super tall.

I came on to say nepeta too, after having given up on lavender.

Oh interesting, thanks all! With nepeta, will I have lots of cats (and associated poo...)? We have lots of cats around and I love them visiting but don’t like the gifts they leave. The fear has put me off nepeta before!

Ohhh, I don't know. I have cats myself so don't get neighbour cats. Even my own cats dont take much notice - sometimes the kids tease them with strands of it and then they get interested. But they wouldn't be ordinarily drawn to it.

It might attract some cats, only one of our nearby cats really goes for it, and mine hasn't been that fussed. I think its presence reduced the pooing in that area if anything.

If you would like something evergreen how about small leaves hebes? The flowers come in similar colours to lavender & they are very hardy

I've read that cats won't poo around nepeta because they like it. This may be bunkum.

How about erigeron?

We have a stunning hebe called midnight sky. Very dark leaves, it looks quite glorious with the sun on it. You could have different hebe varieties.

www.thompson-morgan.com/p/hebe-midnight-sky/WKB5070TM?source=google-prodex&gclid=CjwKCAiAsaOBBhA4EiwAo0_AnAEzVNjinmowWP1DG60wsI8-sKYG7tEMGm_2_BhsKQeiWf-0XwQ13xoC93gQAvD_BwE

Oooh, we were just thinking of putting in a lavender border, despite knowing it would probably be difficult. So those who are recommending Nepteta - could I ask:1

1. How long does it flower for?
2. How 'neat' is it - does it get straggly?

TIA!

My nepeta Walkers Low (a small cultivar) hardly got going as my cats spent hours writhing all over it, it has just started sprouting from the base and they are at it again! So you might do better with a larger cultivar!

The cats seem to prefer it to the actual catnip I grew them. Bastards.

@Zippyzoppy

Oooh, we were just thinking of putting in a lavender border, despite knowing it would probably be difficult. So those who are recommending Nepteta - could I ask:1

1. How long does it flower for?
2. How 'neat' is it - does it get straggly?

TIA!

Mine flowered from May and still had flowers in late November (when it was chopped back).

It's perhaps not as neat as a well pruned lavender but neater than I expected.

^and less temperamental and less effort than lavender!

Six Hills Giant is taller.

You can absolutely hack it back brutally mid season when the first flush of flowers fades and you a whole second lot.

It's tough, pretty and low maintenance

Researching hebes and nepeta - thanks everyone!

Erigeron is an idea though, I have it elsewhere in the garden and it would probably fit quite well, just not what I was envisaging...will ponder!

I vote hebes, so many different colours and they are cheap. I never had much success with lavender! Need to give up on it really.

What about heuchera? I’ve had some absolutely lovely ones over the last year. Some have been bought because they’re long flowering, others only for the foliage.

Heucheraholics is an excellent specialist website. I’ve also bought some from secret gardening club and they’ve been excellent too.

Yes I have a nice heuchera from secret gardening club too.
I forget the name, it’s a lovely orange bronze

If it's too clay-ey for lavender it won't suit rosemary, which is inclined to pack up in a few years if it's too damp over winter. I have one of these hollow walls that they go for in our part of Yorks, with lavender and rosemary at the base. The lavender is fine, but I'm having to replace the rosemary at the base by a prostrate form in the more freely draining soil in the wall.

Had you thought about box plants? Box is currently being afflicted by blight and I think a caterpillar. The RHS has been running trials for suitable alternatives.

I think it depends on the look you want, lavender is fairly formal looking so Hebes would mirror that. Catmint is similar colour to lavender but more loose.
Another option might be something like Salvia "caradonna" or similar? Although like with the nepeta you lose winter structure.

Golden marjoram? Golden leaves all through the year, purple flowers through the second half of the summer.