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Help with plant placement and garden design ideas

zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
in Garden design
Hi all.

New to the forum and would love some ideas. I started gardening 7 years ago. Most of my plants are grown from plugs.
Id really like the the wow factor when walking in to my front garden. Hopefully you can help. 

I really like the cottage garden look, but im not great at plant placement and design.




TIA
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Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 17,351
    It looks like bringing in some really great soil / manure / organic soil conditioning would open up your possibilities.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,924
    Going by how well those sedums and thrifts are thriving I'm guessing you have fairly dry soil and plenty of sun? Have you done much to improve the soil or do you want to stick with similar plants?

    There's certainly a lot of the hylotelephium sedums that would enjoy it there. The flowers would give late colour but there a plenty of good foliage forms to fill out the space earlier in the year.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    You have some tall wide plants like your shrubs and little flat plants like your thrift etc. You really need some in between plants and some tall spires to give you some variety. In fact some cottage garden perennials! Start researching now what plants will suit your soil and sun aspect. You will need plants with a variety of colour or colour co-ordinated if that is your thing, ranging from about a foot high*think geraniums, aquilegias, penstemons etc) to tall & skinny 3-5 ft high (think lupins or delphiniums). There is a good book that everyone recommends for cottage gardens but I can't remember the name of it. You will be able to buy small perennial plants in the spring after you have done your research so fill in your spaces now with some annuals. There is still time to sow - night scented stock, marigolds, poppies etc etc. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
    Fire said:
    It looks like bringing in some really great soil / manure / organic soil conditioning would open up your possibilities.
    Thanks for your reply. Believe it or not I have spent years adding to the soil! I also have compost to add that I haven't got round to yet. X
  • zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
    wild edges said:
    Going by how well those sedums and thrifts are thriving I'm guessing you have fairly dry soil and plenty of sun? Have you done much to improve the soil or do you want to stick with similar plants?

    There's certainly a lot of the hylotelephium sedums that would enjoy it there. The flowers would give late colour but there a plenty of good foliage forms to fill out the space earlier in the year.
    Thanks for your reply. Yes it dries out very quickly. Its heavy clay of Essex. Its a south facing garden. Has the sun from sunrise to around 4-5pm. I have added lots to improve the soil over the years and have compost to add. 

    I love the hibiscus, armerias, sedums, mock orange, anemone. I did love the hydrangeas which i have grown from plugs but they are just not at there best where they are. 


  • zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
    hogweed said:
    You have some tall wide plants like your shrubs and little flat plants like your thrift etc. You really need some in between plants and some tall spires to give you some variety. In fact some cottage garden perennials! Start researching now what plants will suit your soil and sun aspect. You will need plants with a variety of colour or colour co-ordinated if that is your thing, ranging from about a foot high*think geraniums, aquilegias, penstemons etc) to tall & skinny 3-5 ft high (think lupins or delphiniums). There is a good book that everyone recommends for cottage gardens but I can't remember the name of it. You will be able to buy small perennial plants in the spring after you have done your research so fill in your spaces now with some annuals. There is still time to sow - night scented stock, marigolds, poppies etc etc. 
    Thanks for your reply. 
    I would prefer to keep with certain colours. Pinks, blues, purples, white and yellow. 

    I have another 15 armerias on they way. I will look up them plants. 
  • zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
    Would anyone move or change anything? X
  • zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
    Can anyone id these for me please?

    Bought as an armeria?







  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,924
    The top one certainly looks like some kind of armeria cultivar. The blue flower is lithodora.

    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • zoeb2912zoeb2912 Posts: 14
    To add I have coming,
    Pratia Pedunculata
    Campanula (tall blue)
    2 x geranium purple haze
    15 x armeria 

    I could also take some plants from my back garden. I have lots out there but i feel its mismatched so will be redoing it. 

    I would have to take pics as i dont know what half of them are called. 
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