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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Please come and talk to me about ideas for planting

41 replies

isthatporridgeinyourhair · 31/03/2010 17:16

Inspiration needed please! I have a raised area (approx 6m x 15m) - which falls away to a meadow beyond. I have planted up the area with stipa tenuissima interplanted with allium spheracephalon, I have also planted box to provide a contrast with the stipa. I had in my head that this would reflect the meadow - but obviously be a cultivated area. Do you think that the planting will provide enough interest or do I need a third plant - perhaps a scabious?

Views welcomed!

OP posts:
GrendelsMum · 31/03/2010 17:52

Sounds absolutely gorgeous!

I wonder if a third plant would make it too bitty, especially something like a scabious. As it is, the interest's going to be about the form and texture of the plant, and a scabious is rather floppy and unexciting texture wise, I feel. (Not the flower itself, but the actual plant). On the other hand, it does need to be informal enough to flow into a meadow, rather than to look as if it's supposed to be the courtyard of a hotel. The allium fits in really well with this idea of form and texture, and I think adds a bit of informality, floating above the other plants. How about using other kinds of bulbs to keep the season going? It's quite different, but I can see large but well spaced out clumps of eremurus working, or clumps of daffodils.

isthatporridgeinyourhair · 31/03/2010 18:46

Hello GM. I was hoping you'd turn up . Like the idea of bulbs - eremurus would be good (I can never grow himalaicus well - only bungei which might be too orange)or I wonder about galtonia?

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GrendelsMum · 31/03/2010 18:56

And hello to you, porridge.

Galtonia sounds absolutely lovely - what a good idea.

I have to admit that I've never even tried eremurus on our clay soil, but I look at them with envy.

There are some interesting species / varieties reviewed here:

www.cgf.net/plants.php?genus=EREMURUS

I wonder if eremurus robustus would suit?

Have to say I think I'd be tempted to go for something a bit more showy than the galtonia, just for my own fun, BUT that might not look right against a meadow background.

p.s. lucky you for having so much space.

Pannacotta · 31/03/2010 19:49

Wow, sounds like a lovely border and loads of room!
How about adding Persicaria to your mix? Have seen photos of it planted with Stipa tenuissima and it looks very good, like here
www.marynewstead.co.uk/portfolio-planting2.htm

I lovel scabies but I agree its a bit scrappy looking.
Knautia macedonica is another option, also a bit floppy but I think its longer flowering than scabies so perhaps better value.

Verbena bonariensis or hastata would also look good scattered through the border.

Or Sanguisorba
www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/perennials/sanguisorba-menziesii-/itemno.PL30001149/

There are some amazing plant combinations here
www.blackpitts.co.uk/plants/plants.html

isthatporridgeinyourhair · 31/03/2010 21:10

Thank you GM and Pannacotta - what interesting and clever ideas.

I have clay here too GM and have bungei growing happily so robustus is a possibility. I think you can sit the corms on grit to avoid rotting. Your comment about having fun reminds me of Christopher Lloyd, when he chucked out his roses and created the exotic garden at Dixter. He was having fun when he put all those delightfully clashing colours together there and it was absolutely wonderful and inspiring.

I like the idea of sanguisorba too and have menziesii in my stock beds. That combination reminds me of a Piet Oudolf planting I saw at Pensthorpe which I liked very much.

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GrendelsMum · 01/04/2010 08:47

Actually, I can really see that Persicaria working - the picture is lovely! Might pop that in to my own garden. Beautiful links to planting ideas, Pannacotta - I shall really enjoy looking at them.

I think that verbena bonariensis, lovely as it is (yes, I've got it in my garden, and it's smashing), is starting to look a bit overdone, and might come across as a bit trendy in that setting? i.e. combination of three trendy plants together, plus meadow garden = bit naff? I read a very funny piece by Robin Lane-Fox in the FT once about his visit to a trendy garden, and it has influenced my choices since - I suppose that it was the way that he talked about that garden having no real response to either the setting it was in or the character of the people who lived there, so that it gave the impression of having been cut and pasted onto the . It's like Pope says:

Consult the genius of the place in all;
That tells the waters or to rise, or fall;
Or helps th' ambitious hill the heav'ns to scale,
Or scoops in circling theatres the vale;
Calls in the country, catches opening glades,
Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades,
Now breaks, or now directs, th' intending lines;
Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs.

(love the idea of a spirit of the garden helping you work!)

isthatporridgeinyourhair · 01/04/2010 14:04

Do like a bit of Pope. I can see where RLF is coming from. I wonder what the "in" plant at Chelsea will be this year?

I TRY to emulate the wonderful Beth Chatto - have either of you been to her gardens? They contain the most wonderful naturalistic plantings.

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Pannacotta · 03/04/2010 09:57

Porridge I have been to her garden but I was very small at the time and cant remember.
Have read some of her books and she is great, I agree.

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 03/04/2010 10:03

"Dear Friend and Gardener" - letters between Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd are great.

Pannacotta · 03/04/2010 10:05

Yes must get that though Christopher Lloyd was a bit bonkers and not sure I share his taste in plants...
I have her diary which I've really enjoyed.

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 03/04/2010 10:12

Met him once at Dixter and he was absolutely great - eccentric and totally wonderful. Dixter was so full of exhuberance and life - the combination of colours and textures is sublime. Sounds really poncey, I know!

Pannacotta · 03/04/2010 10:15

Perhaps I should go.
I have read some of his books and while I do think he was an amazing gardener, I think his style is quite high maintenance and more extrovert than I would want in my own garden.

GrendelsMum · 03/04/2010 10:18

I'm ashamed to say that although I've read a lot of their books I've never been to either Great Dixter or Beth Chatto's garden. They're on my 'to do' list for this year!

So if either of you fancies a day out...

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 03/04/2010 10:20

God, yes - the exotic garden is a huge amount of work but the other areas are more "traditional" - as far as he could be termed traditional . He has several lovely meadow areas. Maybe a venue for an MN garden visit?!

GrendelsMum · 04/04/2010 17:17

I'm up for an MN garden visit to Great Dixter (and Beth Chatto, of course) - anyone else?

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 04/04/2010 17:36

Ooh yes - count me in.

traumaqueen · 04/04/2010 18:07

I saw www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/perennials/classid.2654/ dianthus carthunianorum planted through grasses at Bury Court; looked gorgeous. I had some at my last house, very obliging self-seeder so may be worth investing in a couple from Crocus and keeping the seed for next year.

TrowelAndError · 04/04/2010 18:48

They're not especially rare, but how about rodgersia or thalictrum (delavayi is my favourite) for height and contrasting form? I do love galtonia (although all mine here has died, curses) but don't feel it's different enough when alongside the allium.

Your gardens sound lovely - can you post photos?

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 04/04/2010 19:30

Thanks traumaqueen - I had that dianthus and loved it but it would never grow well for me, even on my previous light soil. I have clay now (frustrated emoticon) but you have reminded me of how much I liked it so might try to find somewhere better drained for it -what conditions did you have for it to grow successfully?

Trowel - mmm thalictrum is lovely. That could be well worth a go. I also thought about dierama as well. You've all come up with some cracking ideas - so thank you. I think that I will have a little experiment this year with your suggestions.

Dirtgirl · 04/04/2010 20:31

At Hampton Court FS last year there were lots of Achillea planted with Stipa tenuissima, looked gorgeous.

CatherineEarnshaw · 04/04/2010 21:49

not talented with names like you lot although i adore my garden and am learning

i love the allium you refer to and found this which i think looks amazing in contrast of texture form and colour....

unfortunately i have no idea what it is so maybe you wise ones can help!

CatherineEarnshaw · 04/04/2010 21:51

ooh ooh ooh I have been to Beth Chatto!

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 04/04/2010 21:54

Thanks Dirtgirl - were the achillea a pale lemon colour? I ask because I did try the planting with a manky strain of achillea grown from seed called "Summer Pastels" but they were too tall and overwhelmed the stipa. I used to have a lovely smaller achillea which was pale lemon and had slightly silvery leaf. I think it was called "Moonshine", which would have been far better.

TrowelAndError · 04/04/2010 21:58

Can't see very well (adjusts bifocals) but I think that's an achillea with the allium sphaerocephalon.

isthatporridgeinyourzone · 04/04/2010 21:59

Hi Catherine - that allium is spheracephalon. It is lovely. Did you like Beth Chatto's garden?