Planning a new planter help please.

[Paranoidandroidmarvin]

Next year I plan on starting my front driveway.

It is totally make of brick and to take that up and change it into a flower bed just isn’t on the budget for a few years yet.
So I plan on creating a long planter boarder along the edge of the driveway. It’s just a bit longer than the length of my husbands estate car.

My husband is making the wooden planters for me. But as I’m new to gardening I just wondered if anyone can point me in the correct direction or have any ideas of what to do.
Im still learning and don’t want to make costly mistakes which I have done in our backgarden this year.

It is in full sun all day till about 3.30 in the afternoon. I’m still learning about heights etc. but am going round in circles about which plants are best together in terms of soil.

I really would like English Lavender out there at the front which I think it would get enough sun for that. But what could I plant with that to make it look nice with that kind of soil mix.

Would Mexican fleabane be okay planted next to it? I have visions of that and the lavender flowing over the top of the planter. But then that made be a stupid idea.

Me too, I'm doing just the same thing. I've got as far as adding in echinacea with the lavender. I've been doing a Pinterest page as people put in the most lovely combinations imaginable and you can build up a visual of what you like. I'm not sure from your post what you mean about soil mix?

Mexican Fleabane will self sow amongst the brick pavers. I have this and personally like the effect. I have Hollyhocks growing randomly at the edge of the pavers, they like dry poor soil as do poppies.
id also think about where I could pop in repeat flowering, scented roses. They go very well with Lavender, especially a pink variety like Gertrude Jekyll.

My husband is making the wooden planters for me.
Think about practicalities. Is there enough width for car and planter and plants. Can the driver see the planters or are they likely to scratch the paintwork on them?
It's tempting to set off your lavender with another flowering plant but you shouldn't just think in terms of summer - you need winter interest, too.

Think about putting some bulbs in there, too.

No worries about getting the cars on. We only have two cars and there are enough room for four cars. It is really wide. So I’m happy to take off a part of it. Live down an quiet road so no worries about parking on the road for other people either.

www.sarahraven.com/inspiration/spring-flowering-pots

sarah raven has good inspiration for planting containers.

Fill it up with a good compost and add in some fish, blood and bone meal as a long lasting fertiliser.
Also, there's a saying, 'it doesn't rain on pots,' meaning that they dry out faster than the ground so need lots of watering.
Daffodil bulbs, crocus and dwarf tulips for spring, then some bedding such as geraniums, lobelia, petunias for the summer.

Perhaps a few inches of gravel in the bottom so when you water the soil doesn't get sour where the water is sitting.

Something trailing to soften the edges?

I've seen beds where spaces have been left for pots to swap out for seasonal interest.

@Clutterbugsmum thanks for the tip.

Planters should have holes in the bottom anyway, so you don't really need a drainage layer.

Since these planters will be down the side of the drive, have you checked your measurements and made sure that the planters won't get in the way of opening the car doors?

@hotfroth yew. I live in a bungalow and it goes across. So the driveway is absolutely huge. At the moment u can get four cars on it easily and we only have two. Don’t plan on moving. So we can take off space and still not have to park anywhere near it.

If it gets a bit of sun and is on brick drive I’m guessing it might get quite hot so maybe Google Mediterranean and drought tolerant plants and see if any take your fancy. Lavender should work well and maybe some salvia? Verbena bonaresis (def spelled that wrong!) might be nice for some height. You could put in Trailing annuals like lobelia and petunia but you’ll need to water them quite a bit. For trailing perennials maybe a trailing rosemary or aubrieta? With pots o always think it’s nice to have some things for height and some that trail so that you get a nice full effect rather than lots of plants at the same height.