If I just planted 4 things in new flowerbed....

[Farawayfromhere]

Complete novice, and have 4 kids and a dog. I would like to make the garden look prettier and we have an overgrown flower bed full of ugly 1990s shrubs which I am going to remove.

Could I do something like: verbena, lavender, grasses and some of those big daisies? Maybe some mint?

And then in addition just sprinkle some wildflower seeds and hope they grow?!

I would really like something low maintenance as I work 4 days a week and am busy with kids the rest of the time.

We also have a veg patch and I have previously grown beans & courgettes successfully.

Please can you give me any useful tips for a pretty, low maintenance flowerbed (or if necessary tell me that this is impossible)? What should I prioritise?

Its a sunny flowerbed with some shady bits. Oh and of course we want to encourage bees!

What shrubs have you got? Could you lose a few but trim up the remaining?

i like a hebe, good all year and there’s one for every compass point, and soil type. Lots flower for bees etc

I’ve got Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve'
wallflower. Bees and butterflies love it. I’ve had to replace it this year as it flowered itself to death.
its paired with a green euphorbia (just watch the sap). It looks great. Lavender , rosemary, Mallow, hollyhocks, creeping thyme. Few allium bulbs complete the border. It looks great and the wildlife love it.

cranesbill, achemillia mollis, lychis, seum. and as PP, mallow ( though they can get leggy) rosemary, lavender

geum. sorry, fat fingers!

what About some climbing clematis or honeysuckle?
just make sure you go single flowered for the wildlife not double.

if the bed hasn’t been worked for a while I’d mulch it with a lot of manure. I follow the no dig method, so, cardboard, and a shed load of compost or manure. It works a treat at surprising the weeds and feeds the plants. So it’s a win win

im mainly just bumping for more knowledgable people to come along.

Hi, I think you made pretty good choices for a low maintenance flowerbed as the lavender, verbena and daisies will come back every year. I wouldn’t plant mint in there though as it will spread like wildfire. I would add in some annual bedding plants like cosmos. You just need to be sure there’s no chance of frost as they will not withstand it (I usually wait till May) You could also add in a peony but don’t expect blooms before next year.

Good luck !

Salvias and penstemons are very pretty plus have enormous flower power, mine flower for months plus come back every year.

I have a south facing bed with white good soil. Some of the plants I have that you might like include wall flowers, lavender, achillea, aquilegia, verbena, bronze fennel and scabiosa for structure (as well as clematis and honeysuckle climbers). Then sprinkle seeds every year - night scented stock and amni. Survival of the fittest

Thanks that is all really helpful. Honeysuckle against the fence is a good idea too. Off to Google some of the plants I haven’t heard of. And interesting about mint spreading everywhere, I didn’t realise that.

thanks!

Place marking!

Cosmos is lovely that’s a very good suggestion.

What are the existing shrubs? Given a severe chop down to about knee- (or even ankle-) height, they might just surprise you...

Agree you've suggested some good shrubs OP... lavender especially which I love and you'll have drink bee's a plenty in high summer which is lovely.

Don't make the mistake I did when I was a novice and go mad with bedding plants ... expensive, only last one season and I find I never plant enough for them to really stand out and look good.

Have fun and enjoy how a little effort csn make your garden look wonderful 😊

Or even drunk 🐝!

Think about the heights of things, verbena and ox eye daisies are very tall - lavender is likely to be swamped and/or shaded by them. . Don't put mint in, it's a thug and will be everywhere, I think fennel also self seeds everywhere. Mallow is tall and unlike a lot of wild flowers has grown successfully from seed even in my heavy clay so I think would be a good option, plus I love the flowers (I've also managed ox eye daisies too).

Check out thalictrum (meadow rue), I love them and the spread nicely but easy to get rid of if come up in the wrong place. They are tall so would probably work with the daisies and verbena. Alliums also are wonderful and would fit in nicely too.

Cosmos is beautiful and one of my favourite flowers but is an annual, it might self seed (doubtful in my heavy clay but yours may be different) otherwise you'd have to replant every year. Salvias also don't like my heavy clay.

The thing about shrubs is that they will provide a good barrier to things like balls, frisbees, falling bodies etc which will help to protect more vunerable plants. They will also give some protection against wind , frost and snow as well as adding a visual structure to your garden, especially in winter when most of the plants you mention will look pretty sorry for themselves. As others have said, some judicious thinning and trimming could be a better solution than rooting them out.

I've grown cat nip from plugs and the bees go CRAZY over the flowers. Can grow into biggish plants but responds well to being cut back

Like the suggestions. I'm doing sweet peas up canes, could plant 3 or 4 around a cone trellis for a tall part at the back of the border. Apparently can also do from seed in May.

These are all excellent suggestions! Love the idea of some cosmos and I love alliums so will add those to the list.

Re bedding plants: good tip. Will remember not to do that!

Have planted a couple of sweet pea plugs alongside the veg so hopefully those will do ok too.

When it's autumn, stick some spring bulbs in - that early colour is so important. And once they are there, you don't need to fo anything.

What's the cardboard manure thing please?

Definitely Erysimum. They are easy to grow, and produce abundant, fragrant flowers nearly all year round.

Second the salvias. If you cut them back in time you get a second flush of flowers. Lots of variaties available. Lots of bees!

A nice list of garden plants at:
www.rhs.org.uk/science/conservation-biodiversity/wildlife/plants-for-pollinators

If your children and their toys are likely to end up in the flower bed then you need to avoid tall brittle plants .

Be wary of using a wildflower mix in a bed. Most of them have a lot of grasses in and they’ll just swamp your other plants. A cottage garden mix might be better.

Weed the flower bed, put membrane down to cover the area, then use portable flower boxes and just place them how you want,