Designing a flowerbed (shrubs) for front garden (no dig)

[AntiqueBooks]

Hello

At the moment, my front garden is just a rectangle of grass, about 4m x 3m.

I'm thinking of putting in a flower bed next year. Possibly via the no dig method so just putting down cardboard and compost and planting directly into it.

As well as the lawn, I have a load of pots of lavender, roses etc at the front. So the flowerbed could be evergreen/flowering shrubs rather than flowers.

But what to choose?! I'd like something that will last forever and look good all year round. Should I stick to 1 plant or more than one? So far on my list I just have: HOLLY I don't want anything that will get too tall as it will block light to my window.

Hope this makes sense, thanks for any ideas or advice!

Choisya (aka Mexican orange blossom) is a great shrub, it's evergreen, flowers throughout the year and has a lovely subtle scent.

Hebes are another great option for evergreen that flowers occasionally.

I also love a hellebore for winter flowering and interesting foliage.

Thanks @Goldpanther I have a hebe in a pot out the back which has grown lots this year (my first year of having a garden!)

I think I want red/orange as that's the colours of my pride & joy - my antique fireplace, which you can see from the front garden. So almost to have an official colour for my wee house, if that makes sense!

(I have lots of other colours out the back)

What is you soil like? How sunny is the site? How cold does it get where you are?

I don't want anything that will get too tall as it will block light to my window.

This is interesting because I have deliberately planted a deciduous tree in my west facing front garden to reduce the light coming into the house in the summer because the rooms at the front of the house get so hot.

I think my soil is ok. I'm east coast of Scotland. the front garden is south facing.

The above, and which way is it facing? How many hours of light? Is it so close to the house that you'll have to consider the rain shadow?

Holly can get very tall - you will have to prune it. Evergreen clematis has white flowers with yellow centres. Pyracantha can have berries ranging from sunny yellow to orange to red.

I would do a few different plants so there's something different throughout the year - seasonal interest. To me, only holly year round would bore me and be a waste of space.

I'd also consider planting out some of the many pots. They'll grow and it's usually easier to look after big plants - less watering and feeding and cosseting.

OK, so the house getting too hot isn't an issue 😁. When you say east coast are you very close to the actual coast because if so the salt will affect what you can grow. Also, I'm in the NE of England and find that what the RHS says about maximum height is usually higher than I achieve in my garden, apparently they use the sizes achieved in Wisley down south.

Look at your neighbour's gardens and see what looks good year round. Depends what you like, everygreens like the holly that look the same year round (unless someone decides to use your holly for a Christmas wreath!) or a selection of plants (mix of shrubs, perennials, bulbs and annuals) that look good at different times. Personally I try and have some things in flower all year round but even evergreen foliage will change a bit across the year. Agree with the PP I'd put the roses and lavender in the ground, they will be much happier, and you can put annuals in the pots. And think about the colours of your flowers, do you want a riot of colour or a more restrained colour palette?

Red robin (photinia) is often paired with choisya as a garden shrub. It's that one with the red leaves at the tips. The ordinary one can grow quite tall, but there are more compact varieties, in different shades of red.

Berberis are gorgeous and come in all kinds of colours. (I managed to kill the one I bought, but that was through planting it in the wrong place.) They are thorny though.

If you love firey colours then I would definitely try to include a couple of things which do amazing autumn colour. There are some beautiful cotinus which are bronze in summer and then go bright red in autumn.
Euphoria fireglow is a good thing to fill in between stuff. It's a herbaceous perrenial and so dies back in winter but has reddy orange flowers and similar foliage.
You could get an orange or red rose?
Maybe an Acer?
Then for spring daffodils and tulips(but you will have to plant the tulips on a bed of gravel I think because it will be too wet otherwise).
A forsythia would give you yellow flowers in winter/early spring.

Tbh the tulips would probably be better in your pots.

None of these would get too tall apart from maybe the acer but choose a small slow growing variety and you will be fine. Cotinus might need a prune once a year when it gets bigger too.

Oh. You could put a candensis forest pansy in. It's a small tree with burgandy heart shaped leaves and it has deep pink flowers from the stems before the leaves in spring. It's one of my favourite trees.

I’d recommend a winter flowering honeysuckle for near your front door, the smell is so lovely in the winter dreichness.

If you’re just getting started with gardening, it really helps to sort out spacing before you buy anything. Think about how many shrubs of each size will fit once they’re fully grown, and how you want to layer them.. taller at the back, smaller toward the front is the usual approach.
Using a 13 ft-wide by 10 ft-deep bed (4m x3m) as an example:

• Back row (nearest the house): Medium shrubs that grow to about 3 ft tall. Plant them roughly 2 ft from the house and garden edge, and about 3 ft apart. This gives room for around three medium shrubs.
• Middle row: Smaller shrubs, around 1.5-2 ft tall, planted about 3 ft in front of the back row and staggered between the larger ones. You’ll fit four or five here.
• Front row: Very small shrubs, perennials, or bulbs. You can usually fit six or seven along the front edge.

You don’t have to follow a strict layered layout, but this kind of rough plan makes it much easier to judge spacing and how many plants you actually need.

Also think about weed control. Weeding an area 13ft x 10 ft by hand once you can no longer mow it can be a tiresome task. You could start off with a row of larger shrubs nearest the house, leaving the rest of the lawn intact until these have become established. See how you get on with the management of them; then add another layer of smaller shrubs at a later stage.

Following on from my previous post about spacing, here's some planting suggestions -with a warm colour pallet in full sun, with moderately acidic soil, and most having year round interest.

-Roses - red, yellow and orange or apricot. Choose the more open petalled varieties for winter hips in red or orange.
-Dwarf Camellias - such as Camellia Yuletide with bright crimson flowers crowned with central golden stamens in the centre. As the name suggests, it flowers over the winter months.,
-Dwarf Rhododendron - Scarlet Wonder (red), and Wren or Princess Anne (both yellow flowers) - evergreen.
-Thuja Occidentalis 'Rheingold' - a broad pyramid dwarf conifer with attractive rusty red colour foliage.
You could contrast the hot colours with french lavender, in white or purple - though some varieties have crimson red flowers.
-Choysia Ternata Sundance - brightens the garden year-round with its striking, golden-yellow foliage. Another evergreen shrub that is easily trimmed to size.
-Nandida Domestica Firepower - known as heavenly bamboo, it's not actually a bamboo. It starts out yellow in the spring before greening in the summer, then changes to orange in autumn and finally a deep red in the winter.
-California Poppy - a self seeding annual with bright yellow and orange flowers throughout the summer.

A bed with ornamental grasses might work
we also have one with wildflowers

We’ve used crocosmia lucifer to add some colour

The dwarf azaleas come in many colors and are evergreen. Don't get above 50-60cm high and 40-50cm wide. Dwarf rhododendron also come in a multitude of colours and don't get too tall (some up to 1m but just check carefully), also evergreen and have a long lifespan.

Pyracantha might work for you. You can chose red, orange or yellow berries. Very tough and evergreen. They would grow taller if you let them but will tolerate hard pruning.

Sarcococca would be a good plant to mix in with them. Evergreen with a dark berry and the sweetest scented little white flowers in winter.

Pittosporum Tom Thumb is a great small shrub with a lovely coloured leaf. Evergreen, forms a tight little ball.

Crocosmia, achillea, Geums, Helleniums and red hot pokers would all work with your colour scheme and come back year after year. Some firey tulips in pots by your front door and it would be a wonderful garden to come home to at any time of year.

Hello all! I can't thank you enough for such a lot of detailed suggestions! I will have a very happy time google-imaging all of these!

To answer: I'm a mile from the coast so don't think salt will be an issue.
I'm not too sure yet on the question of how much colour.

Azaleas and rhododendron need ericaceous soil, same as camelias, they are best potted or as the only plants in a bed with the correct soil. They might be okay for a year in different soil, but they will die off, or just become a bit lack lustre.

Blood red/green grass...urg cant remember the name.

Robin shrubs are easily maintained.

OP is located near the east coast of Scotland - an area of typically acidic soil type. These plants would likely be suitable for the garden.

Thanks again everyone, this is brilliant! Having google imaged, you have understood the assignment!

Not that I want to wish my life away but I''m SO excited for next year. This was just the practice year in my garden!

I've got azaleas and rhondodendron in the back garden and they seem ok so far. But yes, it wasn't until watching Monty Don this year that I realised that you can dig plants up and move them or replace them with other things (either cos they are not doing well or cos you just fancy a change)! I thought once you planted a plant that was it!

Hello all,

My thought process is developing...I've been walking around my local area noseying at my neighbours' front gardens.

Skimmia (various varieties) seem to be very popular and look good.

I do fancy some holly, hebes and some roses as well.

Going to ask advice also from the gardener who will be installing for me as obviously he knows the soil and conditions round here (he lives close by).

OK, the gardener has dug the flowerbed today. Seems to be quite stony soil. He's going to put down compost etc.

I've given him a list of plant ideas from you guys and he's going to go off and see what he can source and what he thinks will work - got to be drought tolerant and get big enough to fill the space.

In case you're wondering what's in the pots - mediterranean herbs mostly. But also an olive tree, roses and sempervivum.