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Lavender and north facing border

ameadamead Posts: 3
in Problem solving

Hello,

I've cleared my 3.5metre by 1/2 metre north east facing  border along the back wall of my home  with a view of planting a row of lavender - soil is good but had mint and alliums grew successfully in it previously, is it likely lavender will grow? I would like s defined one plant only border. Any advice gratefully received.

Posts

  • jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434

    i don't think they will be very happy. i have lavender in 4 hours of full sun but it's very leggy and i think i will move it next year to full sun. Maybe consider nepeta instead?

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,652

    Or you might get away with perovskia, which is a bit more resilient to shade than lavender - it'll cope with east facing. anyway. Not sure about north east. Possibly festuca glauca?

    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • ameadamead Posts: 3

    Thanks raisingirl for your reply, i looked up both your suggestions in my RHS encyclopedia and unfortunately both also need full sun. 

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    I have a narrow border of francoa (possibly appendiculata, pink flowers) along the back of my house. It is evergreen and although not as fulsome as francoa grown in full light, it is still good and still flowers for a long time. 

    Alchemilla mollis would also do, as would vinca, epimedium, pulmonaria, heucherella - all would be more or less evergreen. 

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,652
    amead says:

    Thanks raisingirl for your reply, i looked up both your suggestions in my RHS encyclopedia and unfortunately both also need full sun. 

    See original post

    I've got perovskia facing east (so no sun after about 11am) it does OK. I'm trying to think of things that are lavender-ish and most of them are sun lovers. Is there a reason you don't want to stick with the mint and alliums? Sounds like an ideal combo for that aspect? If it's evergreen you're after you could replace the mint with heucheras, maybe and keep the alliums for height

    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,699

    I think Hyssopus Officinalis would do well there. Many publications will say full sun for many plants that actually do fine in semi-shaded positions. Make the soil loose and add in lots of grit and you'll be surprised at quite a few so-called sun loving plants can be happy there. The flowering may not be as abundant, but some plants, this actually prolongs the flowering time.

    Last edited: 29 July 2017 19:06:08

  • ameadamead Posts: 3

    Many thanks Borderline, I will investigate further.

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