Advice on plants for a sunny driveway bed....

[boredwithfoodprob]

Hi I really need some advice for a quite a large flower bed that sits alongside the driveway to our house. It's around 6/7 metres long, max 2 m wide at its widest point. It's a South facing drive and the soil is very clay and quite lumpy. We have just had the bed cleared of wildflowers that I planted from seed during covid and just went crazy but not in a good way! I need to plant soon so something suitable for autumn planting. It would be nice to have a mix of a few different plants that are low maintenance and look nice all year round. Flowering in Spring/Summer would be nice but not essential. I've attached a photo. Thank you!

I would bung one or two evergreen shrubs in to add interest in winter. Maybe a camelia (although they don't love full sun) and a euonymous. What colours do you like?

The things that have been happy in my full sun driveway are lavender, rosemary, forsythia and bay. But I would not plant bay again - it's a total bully! I have a hebe too that's been ok but not taken off massively.

I would go for mediterranean plants. They are usually evergreen, have good structure and will do well in a sunny raised bed. They don't like clay but will likely be OK given it's raised and will have good drainage.

Things like lamb's ears, bellota, santolina, as well as the more obvious rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme. Add some bulbs for spring and summer interest.

Thanks all! Some brilliant advice here. Looking forward to some plant buying and planting 💚

For a minute I thought your drive was flat and the bed was at a wild angle. LOL

If it were mine I'd plant salvias, lavender, roses, wallflowers and a Christmas rose.

I'd also stick loads of bulbs in now for a lovely spring display.

I have a similar border which I am just starting on. I am planning to put in a couple of jasmines, some honeysuckle, lavender all the way along the front edge as the main plants and then plant up seasonal bulbs and things like wallflowers.