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Flowering bed....what to do with it?

aj9648
aj9648 Posts: 1,372
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Hi

As a first time garden owner I have been clearing the garden out over the last few weeks. At The front of the garden I now have a 20m flowering bed which I want to spruce up for next year. I'm assuming I need to start planning now for it. So been trawling through the net and some people say bulbs and others say seeds. I know I want some perennials in there so any help in where to start would be much appreciated

Thanks

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  • tanith
    tanith Posts: 8,091
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    If you are quick there is time to put bulbs in for the Spring and its a good time to put in some perennials before it gets too cold this is a good sight to sort out some you like the look of

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/perennials
    #6 of the SKI-ers Club :j

    "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
  • aj9648
    aj9648 Posts: 1,372
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    any recommendations of where to get bulbs from - reputable / online - never bought plants from the internet - :mad:
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    Most bulbs will only give you colour early in the year, and some, like hybrid tulips, may not flower again.

    I think we need more info about this 'flowering bed,' such as what it has in it now. Are there any large plants/shrubs, or have you cleared it completely?

    Advice for an empty 60' bed (how wide?) will be different from that given for one full of shrubs and other plants. From your comments about getting perennials, it sounds more empty than full at present.

    If the bed was tarted-up with annuals to sell the property, then a more long term planting scheme will, eventually, save work.
  • aj9648
    aj9648 Posts: 1,372
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    Hi

    There is nothing in it at the moment. Just put soil and compost in it so far. Apart from that nothing is in
  • I_have_spoken
    I_have_spoken Posts: 5,051 Forumite
    edited 26 October 2014 at 12:43PM
    crocus.co.uk are selling off spring bulbs at the moment, I got 40% discount on average. All delivered last Friday and look excellent quality, none squidgy

    But a 20m bed would repay some serious planning with a mixture of shrubs, grasses, perennials, bulbs, annuals. Useful books are very cheap 2nd hand on Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Borders-Tony-Lord/dp/0711208115
  • REEN
    REEN Posts: 547
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    Friends and neighbours will often contribute cuttings if you let them know what you are planning. Drop hints for garden gift tokens for Christmas! Get a notebook and write down the names of whatever takes your fancy, then have a look round the garden centres in Spring.

    I set aside a small patch of garden to grow things on until they were big enough to go in permanent spots. There are lots of lovely annuals you can sow directly into the ground to give colour until then.

    I like Parkers bulbs but often buy slightly smaller ones from Home Bargains. They catch up by next year.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    I agree with IHS that a border that large needs a bit of planning.

    Basically, you need a backbone of shrubs to avoid the wasteland effect in the winter and various perennials to fill it out in the spring/summer/autumn.

    Easy to say, but difficult, because stuff grows upwards to varying heights and everything multiples widthways too! There's also paying for it all; hence ideas for finding cheap plants.

    To begin with, cheap and easy seed-raised annuals can fill in some of the spare growing room you'll have.

    Accept that you will make mistakes. We all do, but most things can be moved, even after a year's growth.

    Plants are very forgiving. I have just ripped out 30' of border to get a digger in and lay a pipe. By next June/July I bet no one will be able to tell!
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