Formal border suggestions

[EezyOozy]

Hello all,

Here is the garden at the front of our house , we moved in a few months ago. We are going to put some small gravel down on the path, and I would to make a formal border leading to the planters at the end.

I initially thought lavender but I haven't had much luck with it in the past and I wondered I I should consider other options.

Just looking for nice bright flowers, maybe 2-3 things mixed together that flower at different times / or look great together.

I wondered what others might do here.
Thank you :)

Our house is red sandstone if that helps ):

Which way does it face?

I’d look for something evergreen at least as part of the planting, so it looks good year round. You could do a small clipped hedge of box or one of the less pest ridden alternatives (ilex crenata or germander), with various flowers in front (bulbs for spring and then something summer flowering, lots of options). That’s possibly a but high maintenance though. Or how about

Thank you so much, it is south facing, imagine leaving that crucial piece of information out 🙈

I have two young children so low to moderate maintenance is good! Thank you

What's the soil like? If its south facing and reasonably well draining lavender should be possible. Agree with previous poster, for a formal look clipped box or one of the small leaved ilexes, or hebes for a slightly less clipped look? with some flowers for interest at different times. - bulbs for spring (daffodils or snowdrops for early colour, then tulips and then alliums, lots of other choices too now), hardy geraniums for later summer, a repeat flowering small growing rose? Or three (or more) obaliscs down each side for height with sweet peas or roses or clematis growing up, something nicely scented.

Oh wow @Newyearnewyearnew what fantastic and creative suggestions thank you 🙏

The top soil is lovely and dark brown crumbly , perfect soil really.

Ok so for lower maintenance you could avoid the clipped hedge look and instead have some evergreen shrubs that grow naturally compact and rounded as pp says.
eg Hebe topiaria or Pittosporum Golf Ball. Then in between or in front, whatever flowers you fancy. (I would probably not have too much of a mix to keep the formal look).

Lavender ought to work in S facing, perhaps a hardier variety? Or look at Convulvulus cneorum if you are s facing, low growing, lovely silver leaves and lots of flowers.

The urns are crying out for something too!

Thank you so much @minipie , I'll have to Google some of those. The urns seem to have small bits of phlox in so looking forward to seeing what the flowers are like.. although I feel maybe the urns need something large and dramatic... although they're pretty shallow so not much root space!

I should have said : the urns are not nearly as deep as they look, sadly

I'd put sedums in the urns....they'll do well and just look nice against the other stuff.

Don't use box (box blight) but rounded pitistporum or hebe is a good shout. Lavender would work well - but you do need to cut it down once a year (a lovely job as the smell is amazing).

Box blight isn't everywhere, nor is it insurmountable if you catch it early. There are, of course, alternatives for a similar look too.
Lavender does need a bit of care with pruning to prevent it going woody and also not kill it completely. But this is a new house, don't rule it out....
You could add an arch with a climbing rose.
Any border should probably have decent edging like everedge to keep the sharp edge with the lawn. Verbena bonariensis all the way along might look awesome. Or a real mix of perennials. What sort of sandstone house is it?

It's a Georgian house with sort of terracotta coloured stone. Very symmetrical frontage ! Thank you for the suggestions :) some really good ones

It sounds a lovely house op, I am very envious of your front garden, it is so nice ! What is the tree ?
I think a lavender lined path would be beautiful.
Personally I would rotate what is in the urns, eg snowdrops now, then planting up the snowdrops elsewhere and putting in a new flower, so you always have colour.
You could put Hellebores at at the very front just inside the hedge.
And crocuses into the lawn, around the base of the tree.

Thanks @SirVixofVixHall , good ideas I hadn't thought of there. Cant wait to get on with it now. The tree is a red Acer x

Hebe is a great shout. Hebe Midnight Sky is absolutely gorgeous, the leaves are purple-black and glisten all winter, it goes greener and flowers purple in the summer. We have one, but I want another nearer the house so I can enjoy it more. Would look great with a pittosporum like golf ball, I think.

If you're quite new to gardening, I would have a fairly limited range of plants to start with, to help it look deliberate.

Please note, I have never managed to follow this advice.