Help to design a cottage garden border please

Fairweathered

Is anyone able to help me plan my garden borders – I moved in autumn 2016 and waited to see what would grow – pretty much nothing, I have removed the dated and dingy conifers and pyracatha and so have a bklank canvas to plant.  Eventually I’d like to change the lawn to a circular one,  - to detract from the very stark view of the fence(it’s a wide but shallow garden).  I am eeping the patio, decking, shed and path where they are due to cost.

 

I am aiming for a modern cottage garden – mainly white, but some pale pinks, deep blues and mauves.

 

The only plant worth keeping was the pinkish lilac in the main bed.

 

The main priority is the main border

 

45 lily of the valley pips

White bleeding heart root(may/aug)

 

1 white peony lactifolia root(flowers june/july)

 

25 iris blue magic bulbs (deep blue)

40 brodiae queen fabolia (deep blue)

25 peacock orchids (white) (flower aug/October)

 

 

Mock orange stem

Deutzia stem

Honeysuckle lonerica stem

 

David Austin iceberg climbing rose 9white)

 

David Austin spirit of freedom  - pink bush rose

 

Annuals – night scented stock, 10 week stocks, cornflowers, pots of lobelia

 

White lillies

Climbers – 7 small common jasmine, one pink jasmine, one pink honeysuckle, will add a variety of commin white clematis too

 

Will buy some more climbing roses – mainly white and cheap obnes as the david aust9on ones have let me down

 

White alliums – will buy in pots in the summer

 

Wisteria

 

I am trying to plan for year long interest, nice scents, not too high maintenance..

Fairweathered

Photos!

Borderline

There may be other things to consider when placing your plants in the borders, the aspect of the borders and the type of soil. With both, your list may need updating again. And it will help others recommend plants suitable for your garden.

I also notice on your list, you mention seven common Jasmines and one pink Jasmine. Not sure which Jasmines they are but it's unlikely you will need that many Jasmines since they should grow like most climbers do, once reaching to a decent height, they spread themselves eventually.

Last edited: 21 February 2018 17:13:46

Fairweathered

Thanks - the jasmines I bought 7 common white jasmines because they were in the bargain section at Homebase's reduced from £4 each to £1.35 each and I couldn't help myself! ( there were 20 so i left some for other shoppers), they are on 20 cm hoops but maybe I should give some away..,

thanks borderline ...I will buy a soil test kit..it's heavy clay soil, I'm in the West Midlands but on the edge of town so cold and exposed. Supposedly south facing ..

Borderline

Were these Jasmine plants trained into small hoops and are they possibly in flower now? I think the Jasmine plants you bought are not the hardy varieties that are seen growing outdoors all year round. I think you may have bought Jasminum Polyanthum. If so, they are more conservatory plants and not hardy enough to be kept outdoors all year round, and they don't get too big either. Nice Jasmine plants, but not ideal for longterm outdoors planting. They need to be bought inside in the colder months.

Fairweathered

thanks borderline. Yes they are trained on hoops and just past flowering which was why they were reduced from £4 to £1.35 in Homebase. I bought 7 thinking I'd got a bargain..but clearly not! I also put them out for the first time today and we had frost so they are probably dead! 

Thanks borderline. 

Fairweathered

is there any chance the jasmines may flower again soon or should I just give up on them? Thank you so much..i would have planted them outside!

is there any chance the jasminesIs

Borderline

I take it there were no labels with your plants, just "Common Jasmine"? It was the fact that you mentioned hoop and the price which made me suspicious they would not be the hardier types. Put it this way, I seldom see Jasmines sold even at £4.00 let alone £1.35 each.

If you have not planted them out, I suggest you keep them in a cool conservatory area. They will be nice plants so long as no frost hits them. You can bring them back out in late spring. They do flower in the winter time through to spring, and with some careful pruning back, may also produce sporadic flowers into late spring.

If you want the hardier type jasmine plants, it's better to buy online or go to a garden centre. There are winter flowering and summer flowering types available.

Fairweathered

Thanks Borderline - the £4 ones were full of buds in homebase and smelt amazing - I was just being a cheapskate buying the half dead ones in the hope I could nurse them back to life.  They wer just labelled "Jasmin"

I'll buy a proper summer flowering jasmine from the garden centre for outside and use these as house plants, thank again