West facing border ideas

standbyme40

Hi everyone

I have two small west facing borders, as you can see from the photos. I have well established jasmine and clematis in them, as well as drumstick alliums, which always do well. However, everything else is a struggle! I recently planted some ajuga reptans - low growing, spring-flowering ground cover and wonder if I am best to just fill the remaining gaps with this. Or, are there any other plants that would grow well here. I want to avoid having so much bare soil. Even in midsummer there are lots of patches. Any suggestions welcome, apart from geraniums - I've got plenty of them elsewhere!

standbyme40

I should have said that I've got several culver's root in there, which has flowered well in its first year. However, they are not bushy plants and so don't cover the soil. Instead, they grow vertically.

Fairygirl

There isn't a lot of room in there, so your options are a bit limited. The clematis will need a lot of water, so anything else in there will also have to cope with regular watering, unless you put in a physical barrier of some sort. It also depends on what your soil is like.

I'm under the impression Jasmine likes well drained soil and sun to do well, so the two climbers are slightly different in their needs, but someone else will have more experience of it  - it doesn't grow well here in our conditions. I can't see the plants well enough in the photos to see how well they're growing or not.

You could try some of the smaller evergreen grasses/sedges, hellebores - many of which have evergreen foliage, even things like chives, which are happy with being regularly watered. Alchemilla mollis- as long as you deadhead to prevent it taking over. Many of the Heucheras/Heucherellas/Tiarellas will be fine if they're not too dry. Smaller hostas. 

You could even grow some salad crops - lettuce for instance, as they like a bit of moisture and not too much sun, and plenty of early spring bulbs like snowdrops and crocus for early cover and colour. 

Borderline

I agree with Fairygirl's comments about your Jasmine. They like warm free draining soils. It does seem like you have a variety of plants that like different kind of soils. Do you know your soil type? Is it damp and heavy? Or is it dry and dusty? In the photos, it's hard to tell. It looks like  mini rasied bed with topsoil?

For a bed that size, I believe less is more. It's impossible to cram in what you have mentioned and then think it's still full of space in between. The reason is, they may have not filled out yet, or have withered away. 

If it is ground coverage, I think you should not go for more than 2 types, otherwise your climbers will suffer.

Last edited: 19 September 2017 18:44:05

standbyme40

Yes it is raised beds with top soil and the soil on this side does get quite dry. Less is more works for me! i know there's too much going on here. The climbers are both doing well and both flowered well this year so that's strange! I think one type of ground cover would work and the ajuga reptans  quite happy so far!

Fairygirl

I'd keep it simple s'byme. I think my post might have been a bit misleading as I didn't mean you should plant all of those suggestions - but pick one or two  

If it's quite dry there, you may find the ajuga doesn't thrive so well long term, as it usually likes a good bit of moisture, but you'll just need to experiment a little.   If you can add a good bit of well rotted manure into the bed over winter, that will help with moisture retention, but also helps drainage. Ideal for lots of plants. A good mulch after winter, when the ground is still damp, will also help prevent too much water loss. That will benefit the clematis, in particular  

You could always add some small bulbs for a bit of winter/spring  interest, which will help with a succession of flowers, and some extra colour. 

Loxley

I've got a similar small, dry raised bed with shallow soil. Geranium 'Ann Thompson' does well there, and gradually fills the space without totally smothering everything else (there's also saxifrage growing around the edge of the bed). Magenta flowers from late spring to mid autumn, the plant spreads from a small crown.

Loxley

Mid May

Late June

Mid September (after cutting back a few weeks ago).

Borderline

Good suggestions there by others and I think it's more about choosing plants that form mounds or neat clumps that create some vertical height like chives and Geraniums. I think Armeria, the Sea Thrift can work too. There are many types ranging from small alpine size leaves/clumps with low lollipop flower heads that can repeat if you dead-head. Their roots don't go down too far and most importantly, evergeeen dark leaves that help to cover up the soil areas. There is an Alchemilla Mollis Alpina that has very decorative foliage and small lime flowers. The leaves without the flowers can make an attractive ground cover.