PLanning to replace plants I hate in small bed

morganlefay

We have just moved to a 'new' house which has a biggish, triangular bed up against the wall by the front door (north facing but very open, so gets lots of light) which is full of things I HATE. Lots of dark leaved evergreens, a vast mahonia in need of a big prune, a lot of sedum (which I loathe) and a lot of badly-pruned shrubs. I want to rip most of this out, improve the soil somewhat and then put in things which will give me some winter coverage but also colour, scent and flowers for the rest of the year. Can anyone recommend a book which would help me plan this, or any other resource I could use ? What I really need is something which tells me accurately when things are in flower as well as height, whether shade tolerant, type of soil they like etc etc. Wish I could be lazy and get a garden designer. I hope to have some nice grasses, roses, honeysuckles, maybe some annuals like sweet peas, for the sumemr months, but with a background of a few evergreens for the winter (though NO sedum) I have prowled round the bookshop at Wisley but not found any book which was suitable (except one costing £25 - too much). HELP !

Sambucus_Nigra

Ok - the best way to do this is to remove what you hate.

Then look at the space you have.

Then go into proper nurseries at the time of year that you want colour - or go to some RHS gardens at the time you want colour - see what's in season and the size and colour that you want, then research it on the RHS website - then see what looks best for your plot - see who does it at the best prices and go buy it.

Most of my best buys have been seen in 'real' gardens, researched online and bought for a song in sales online or in end of season nursery clearances.

There is a book that has loads of ideas, and the pages are split into 3 so that you can choose low, medium and tall plants and have them up against each other in the book - we have it but I rarely use it. I like to see the thing and then go and look at how I am going to achieve it.

lostinrates

I do exactly what sambucus recommends, but I also like crocus for browsing for ideas via location/use/flowering season. I have never, ever bought from crocus, but their search facility is really, really good (plants are expensive there but easily sourced elsewhere.)

Edit. I detest sedum too.

One small caveat is that apart from removing what you know you absolutely can not live with (in my case its forsythia and pyracantha, which have not yet been removed because they are so huge I need a digger, but I cut them almost to the ground so that they are less offensive to me) it's good to watch the garden for a full year. Your sping planting might clash with someting you have not yet seen, but that you also love, and as the garden hits it's colour peaks in summer this might especially be an issue.

We knew there was no 'garden' here, but a wonderful surpris was the bank covered in snowdrops.

morganlefay

I do love MSE - there's always someone sensible and helpful on here. I will do exactly as Sambucus and lostinrates suggest - both approaches I hadn't thought about. I hadn't heard of crocus and it seems a good place do do researches (tho cheaper to buy elsewhere) Thank you both very much. :beer:

Davesnave

Another vote for visiting gardens at different times of year, as long as they have stuff properly labelled so that you can take 'photo-notes.'

Hmmm....it looks like I've mis-timed my journey past (via) Rosemoor today, unless this weather lifts by lunchtime.

+ 1 for sedum (and another few thousand from the bees and other insects. :p)

Nan_Dingle

Can anyone recommend a book which would help me plan this, or any other resource I could use

http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/vid.76/vid.167/vid.186/numitems.0/sort.0/

Mojisola

morganlefay wrote: »

We have just moved to a 'new' house which has a biggish, triangular bed up against the wall by the front door (north facing but very open, so gets lots of light) which is full of things I HATE. Lots of dark leaved evergreens, a vast mahonia in need of a big prune, a lot of sedum (which I loathe) and a lot of badly-pruned shrubs.

Try offering the plants you don't want on Freegle - other people may love them. You can also ask for plants you do like to start filling your bed.

As lostinrates says - either take your time or ask neighbours about the flower bed. I remember the tale of the woman who spent days planting hundreds of daffodils around ornamental trees in her new (big) garden. She was sitting back on her heels, imaging what it would look like in Spring when a neighbour called round and said "If you think the garden looks lovely now, wait til the Spring - daffodils everywhere!"

morganlefay

Sorry sedum lovers, but honestly it's all gone mouldy and black (there's masses of it) and no bee or butterfly could possibly like it now. And I have lots of insect friendly stuff in the nice back garden (buddleia covered in butterflies in summer, and bees everywhere on all sorts of plants I don't recognise)

blossomhill_2

Mojisola wrote: »

Try offering the plants you don't want on Freegle - other people may love them

Please do! If I saw an ad for free sedum I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven!

morganlefay

Blossomhill, if you feel you are able, PM me because if you're anywhere near me you can have LOTS of free sedum ! And I will Freegle them, which I wouldn't have thought of, so thanks !