Garden patch very crammed!

[Maggiethecat]

I bought a number of bare root plants last year to put in a shaded patch at the end of the garden. The soil had been covered with membrane on top of which there was a trampoline for many years
and looked quite poor.

I’m pleased that the plants have thrived in just one year and there are even things like the foxgloves which I didn’t plant.

However, there are some things like the bergenia and hostas that have been crowded out by things like the alchemilla mollis which I didn’t expect to grow so big.

Do I need to re-organise and re-jig this space so the plants can show themselves better?

Looks beautiful to me! I'd just enjoy it the way it is and give myself a pat on the back 😊

You can cut back the alchemilla (it's lovely with a rose in a vase) and it'll grow again. That will have the benefit of not letting it seed and taking over even more.

I think it looks great though, the fuller it is the less room there is for weeds.

Less weeding.

Double Posted.

Thank you! I suppose it’s because there are things that I really like, eg the bergenia, that I can hardly see.

But yes, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they’ve done because there was all sorts of left over building rubble in that spot and the soil looked rubbish.

I will have to learn to space things better in future.

That’s the other thing…I am tentative about cutting things back but it makes sense on a number of levels.

For sure. I was forever weeding that patch last year when stuff were just planted. Now I can’t tell what is weed 😂

Plants want to grow, you might lose flowers for a season if you do it at the wrong time but the plant will more often than not carry on doing its own thing.

There will be some that won't be happy if you cut into woody stems rather than the greenery but in general, if they're happy in their location, they'll keep going. Ask me how often I've had to cut back the new growth on an oak I had cut down three years ago 😬

There's the Chelsea chop which for many herbaceous perennials will make them flower a bit later but more prolific.

If you're ever unsure, just ask, there's always someone around, unless we're in the garden 😍🌸

Did the Chelsea chop on my salvias and nepeta and they are doing v well.

It felt very strange doing it though!

Just clock it for the autumn and when the plants go dormant you can move the ones that were overcrowded.

I was just thinking that I’ll need to move things round in the autumn because they’ll only get bigger.

I don’t have much space in other parts of the garden so may have to give stuff away.

Unless I consider widening/ creating beds 😉

Widening and creating new beds is an absolutely necessary part of gardening.

Every bed wants to be deeper, and every patch of lawn is secretly yearning to become a flower bed.

Every part of my lawn is underplanted woodland in waiting 👌

Oh how I agree!!

One day…..

The way to avoid this without it looking like each plant is floating in space is to plant atleast 3 of each in a triangle. The middle of the triangle is then protected and shows properly. So if you were to do it again you would plant 3 hosta at the front. Then it’s full without gaps but each thing reads individually. Hopefully that’s makes sense.

I think it looks great though. Welldone

Sort of. I bought 3 of most things (that’s kind of how I work out what’s not weed 😂)

I think the problem is that I underestimated how much each would grow and that it’s not a huge space - it only looked big when empty 😳

I have an Astrantia in another bed that is about 20cm high after 3 years but these Astrantia Shaggy are huge so it has thrown me.

I’m not afraid of moving things around though.

Don’t move them now they will die.

Move them in autumn and then cut back straight after. Mulch heavily and they will be grand 😊

I’ve got my leaf mould at the ready!🤩

It looks lovely and I'm very jealous of your in the ground hosta, all mine are in pots.

Thank you.

It’s been weird, despite all of the rain there seem to be few slugs this year (touch my head). So my hostas have done well, not shredded to bits.

Thanks for your suggestion @InveterateBigot. I’ve used a bit of the alchemilla with some sweet smelling roses and the vase is lovely in the hallway!

(The roses have gone a bit droopy but their fragrance is still giving me joy)