No success with plants for front garden flower beds

[AlenaMacc]

Hi there,

We redid our garden last summer and I spent a lot of time reading about gardening, plants etc as we were complete newbies. I then decided on a colour scheme (purples, whites and greens), I measured the flower beds, chose plants according to the garden shade in each area and we planted those. Fast forward to now, 3 of my 6 flower beds are doing great, and the others - not at all. My main issue is the area which you see first when getting into the garden.

I believe I wrongly thought that this is a full sun area when in fact it doesn't get much sun at all. I have tried planting lavenders, hydrangeas, jasmines, russian sage and they have all died (except for the jasmines, but compared to the ones located in the sunny part of the garden, these ones are definitely not doing great...)

This is how the area looks now. I am looking for something low maintenance (we have a small child so time for gardening is very limited), that fits my colour scheme of purples and whites, and that will create impact as this area is the most prominent one when entertaining in the garden. Ideally I would like it to cover as much ground as possible... Thank you in advance!

Hi OP. I’m no gardening expert but I’ve learned over the years..

Lavender likes dry conditions, it does like sun but not too much water.

Hydrangea need loads of water.

I’d never put those side by side because they lavender likes barely any attention. It also
looks rubbish at this time of year. I cut mine back and it comes back in spring… but it does not like to be in “good” soil.

Hydrangea are difficult because they looks completely bare in winter too and it’s hard to tell if they are alive or not.

What part of the day does the area get sun?
Is it in a direct wind?
If it’s a cool spot you need shady plants - ferns some ornamental grasses..

There are lots of purple shades out there on plants like www.theenglishgarden.co.uk/plants/top-10-plants-for-shade/

But if it gets sun in summer then it’s not a shady spot and everything will get crisped to death!

I would look for really unfussy plants that tolerate a range of conditions.

Roses often do well in shade or sun, I have some in a very shady spot and also some in the hottest part of the garden. Kew Gardens is a variety of white rose that has barely any thorns and might suit your area.

Structure can be found through evergreens. Things like Euronymous or Aucuba don't tend to be fussy.

Maybe think about some bulbs? I have a green and white border in my garden where I have evergreens for year round interest and then a variety of white flowering bulbs (white daffodils followed by tulips then white alliums).

I second not putting hydrangeas next to a lavender. I don’t ever water my lavender. I added some small stones with it as it likes bad soil and then basically left it alone. It is in the hottest part of my garden and is now beautiful.

hydrageas seem to like morning sun but not afternoon. Though I do have some that are in full sun but soon perk up with water.

your best bet is to really clock where the sun is at what time of day. Take that info to a good family run nursery and ask for their help. I regularly do that and the family run one round here love helping others.

Absolutely no justification but I feel like using some hart's tongue fern there would help green it up as some ground cover with minimal effort.
Also worth checking what type of soil you have as well as the amount of sun, clay will make the lavender and russian sage look manky/die even with the best care.

I have no useful advice but want to say I love your colour scheme idea, very suffragette.

it is a difficult time of year for plants and a lot of things look bad in Feb / March. Some of the best plants take 2-3 years to get established.

I recommend
Daphne - lovely scent and looks good all year
Foxgloves - buy lots now and you'll have great white/purple flower spikes all summer
Salvia - very robust and there are nice purple versions

If it gets no sun you will struggle to grow anything like what you want. Ferns like shade, or things like Solomon’s seal or hostas. Or even some tough as old boots bushes like viburnum. You probably aren’t going to persuade anything to flower there except hellebores or snowdrops.

You could go for something with purple leaves, like a heuchera, which will do well in shade. Other things that are easy and would look well with your colour scheme are japanese anemones (white ones) or periwinkles (choose vinca minor, much less invasive).

For climbers some roses will do well in shade, as will boston ivy.

For some real punch you could add a japanese maple (you could choose a purple leaved one too).

While your plant choice might not have been perfect for the level of sun there's more to making a plant happy or sad than that, so it's odd that everything has died. Is there something different about the soil there - is it shallower, or were there trees there before or something? What's all that brown - is it mulch of some sort?

Hebes come in loads of colours and are pretty indestructible. Ditto cranesbills, japanese anemones, roses. Ferns if it's shady enough. But I think there's a lot more to this than the wrong amount of sunshine.

Vinca minor - ground cover, purple or white flowers, happy in partial shade.
Are you sure the hydrangea is dead? I’d wait and see if it puts out any leaves in spring. They like shade.
Japanese anemones are lovely, maybe get just one of the tall white ones for the back and more next year if it does well. It’s probably all going to be trial and error…

I am a gardener by profession and one of the services I offer is to go to a house, test the soil, assess the position and provide a list of plants that will work in each place. I charge for my time and in the end, it can save a fortune on wasted plants.
Is this an option? Find a local gardener who knows the area and local conditions etc. and get their advice.
Most of us gardeners love a good gab about plants and nothing makes us happier than helping someone create a lovely garden.
Good luck with it.

it is a difficult time of year for plants and a lot of things look bad in Feb / March which is why we have spring bulbs. Crocuses, iris for purple, white flowered varieties of Scilla and grape hyacinth for example.

Anything you planted last year may have needed watering through the summer while it settled in - could this have been the problem? Agree with PP that a mistake over the aspect would not have killed off everything. Hydrangea copes well in the shade, one of mine is on the north wall of the house, the other is under a fig tree.

why did you think it was sunny? What light does it actually get?

when I was very young I moved into a little terraced house and tried to grow something in the tiny beds out front. No success. Discovered there was no soil depth and there was concrete underneath.

I have also heard of builders on new estates not putting topsoil back into the garden when they complete.

Its more likely the really good reasons other posters have suggested, but I just thought I’d mention it.

I’d start with testing the soil, YouTube videos show you how. That will let you know how much water is retained and the type of nutrients that are in it. From that information you can improve the condition of the soil, if needed and use it as a guide to what plants will do best.
Also, I’d plot the movement of the sun during the day, it’s more accurate that just saying Mortg or East facing.
I have a North facing garden, but it’s very long and not overshadowed, so a part of the garden is always in sunshine at different times of the day. There’s no deep shade, so I don’t grow plants that like deep shade.

North *

Vinca Minor, also known as periwinkle, as mentioned above, very hardy, doesn't need looking after and just starting to flower now, good ground cover

You’ve been very unlucky with the weather, for new planting. Last summer was scorching hot with weeks of drought, followed by a winter that got exceptionally cold very quickly, and stayed very cold for a prolonged period. Lots of plants that would normally be fine have given up the ghost over the past 12 months, even well established ones. I’ve lost all sorts in my own garden and those of clients, which really shouldn’t have expired but just couldn’t cope with those extremes. Anything newly planted has really had a rough ride.

Don’t lose heart. For now, wait to see what comes back. Some things might not be dead. Then work out how much sun the border actually gets, so that you can choose new plants accordingly. For the first two years, water water water. Even drought resistant plants like lavender need to be well watered in until they’ve established.

How well did your water your new plants? A good soak once a week is better than more regular light sprinklings. Make sure the moisture has got down to the roots. Stick your fingers in - you might be surprised how much water is needed to percolate down to the roots. If it’s still dry an inch down - more water.

Mulching around new planting makes a world of difference. It helps retain moisture in the soil, stops weeds germinating and improves the soil, so definitely do that too.

For ground cover go for ajuga reptans (bugle), it has mauve flowers and spreads widthways. Pulmonaria would also be good ground cover, and you can get different colours, including white flowers.

Pulmonaria likes moist but well drained soil, Ajuga likes damper soils

A buddleia will grow anywhere - not the most attractive shrub, to my eye, but the flowers are purple and bees/butterflies love them.

Liriope muscari have flourished in some dark and unfertile parts of my garden. They don't flower until late summer/early autumn, but the spikes are purple and the strap-leaves look nice throughout the year. Zero maintenance required other than occasional water during hot dry spells.

Red valerian is purplish (well, more red, but it still looks pretty) and basically bombproof. It's self-spreading, one of those weeds that's actually quite nice and useful.

Red valerian is purplish (well, more red, but it still looks pretty) It comes in three colours, the most usual is a pale purplish red,there’s also a more red colour (as in the linked article) and pure white. Centranthus ruber, not to be confused with Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, with pale pink flowers.

In the main , though, you need to know whether you have sun or shade or both, what type of soil-clay or sand or mix, and whether the soil is acid or alkaline. Line up plants to that, help then a bit to get established, and you really will be fine.

*them

I'd find out what soil you have, and decide whether the area gets sun or not, and every time you go to a garden centre, find a plan that likes the same pH and the sun or shade and buy it. It will soon build up a volume of bed.