Thanks, I love to see before and after photos too, it’s great to see how things develop. Looking good already, will be fabulous when ‘finished’... Although not sure any border is ever finished, there always seem to be tweaks required! I think that’s called gardening
The rainbow border I recall was a long, wide border...no help really...
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
The red end, lots of space to fill. The red-leaved acer (in front of the elder) came with the house and was in the opposite, north-facing border, where it never looked right, so I too a chance and transplanted it. It hasn't leafed up too well, but it looks more "in the right place", and I think it will be OK with some TLC.
Under the greenwood tree, not a lot going on yet. The antirrhinums are all self-seeded, a lot of pinky-red ones in the orange zone, which I'll hoick out when I've collected the seed. But this white one has parked itself just right. I have some Narniaesque tree stumps I'm going to put round the base of the butt.
There are actually quite a lot of blue and purple plants in here but hidden by the fuchsia and geranium. I shall re-locate the geranium once I've rooted plenty of cuttings from it. I'm reluctant to try and move the fuchsia, it's so well established. And the corollas are purple. That stump on the left was a lovely healthy-looking laburnum but my tree man advise me to get rid as the heartwood had rotten and the trunk was hollow. The hole is at least a foot deep, so I filled it with soil and compost and planted ivy and a fern in it. To the right of the stump is a little hebe which I layered from the big one in the back garden. Hidden by the fuchsia there are two clumps of agapanthus and some Erysimum Bowles' mauve.
I've run into a problem at the blue/purple end. It's too shaded. One side is my two-storey house, opposite side, at the back of the border, is the neighbours' garage. Side three is a 6ft fence which closes the end of the border. Opposite that, in the border, is a beech tree which I couldn't bear to part with.
The border occupies all the south-facing side of my front garden; the house front faces west. The red end, nearest the street, is sun-drenched, then comes the elder tree, which casts some shade over the orange/yellow zone, then the green zone around the beech, and beyond that, the blue/purple zone.
So: suggestions please for shade-tolerate plants with blue and purple flowers.
So far, I've planted a wisteria to grow against next-door's garage, and Mr Next-door keeps saying he'll fix some support for it. I've planted V. bonariensis but it didn't appear this year. There are native bluebells, they are OK being woodland plants. A hebe which I grew by layering the big one in the back garden. Erysimum Bowles Mauve, which has done very poorly compared to the red-flowered ones the other end which have been resplendent. A forum member gave me two blue-flowered hardy geraniums but they are only just getting going. Oh and two clumps of agapanthus which do all right but not exactly flourishing. I've planted some rooted cuttings of lavender along the front edge, they seem comfortable but are growing very long and spindly as you'd expect. I'm hoping I can prune them into a bit of bushiness.
Heuchera 'Forever Purple' and lavender flowered Hosta of your choice, won't mind the shade, as long as it's not too dry for the hosta. Brunnera and pulmonaria for spring time blues, and Honesty too.
Blue corydalis has stunning little flowers in spring so long as it doesn’t get too dry. You could also try the blue flowered ajugas for ground cover but they could take over!
For your purple tones, Poleminium Caeruleum and Tradescantia x Andersoniana are tough plants and should do fine in clay or dry soils. If you have moist soil with partial shade, Viola Cornuta, a summer flowering Viola will also do well.
Posts
The rainbow border I recall was a long, wide border...no help really...
The red end, lots of space to fill. The red-leaved acer (in front of the elder) came with the house and was in the opposite, north-facing border, where it never looked right, so I too a chance and transplanted it. It hasn't leafed up too well, but it looks more "in the right place", and I think it will be OK with some TLC.
Under the greenwood tree, not a lot going on yet. The antirrhinums are all self-seeded, a lot of pinky-red ones in the orange zone, which I'll hoick out when I've collected the seed. But this white one has parked itself just right. I have some Narniaesque tree stumps I'm going to put round the base of the butt.
There are actually quite a lot of blue and purple plants in here but hidden by the fuchsia and geranium. I shall re-locate the geranium once I've rooted plenty of cuttings from it. I'm reluctant to try and move the fuchsia, it's so well established. And the corollas are purple. That stump on the left was a lovely healthy-looking laburnum but my tree man advise me to get rid as the heartwood had rotten and the trunk was hollow. The hole is at least a foot deep, so I filled it with soil and compost and planted ivy and a fern in it. To the right of the stump is a little hebe which I layered from the big one in the back garden. Hidden by the fuchsia there are two clumps of agapanthus and some Erysimum Bowles' mauve.
The border occupies all the south-facing side of my front garden; the house front faces west. The red end, nearest the street, is sun-drenched, then comes the elder tree, which casts some shade over the orange/yellow zone, then the green zone around the beech, and beyond that, the blue/purple zone.
So: suggestions please for shade-tolerate plants with blue and purple flowers.
So far, I've planted a wisteria to grow against next-door's garage, and Mr Next-door keeps saying he'll fix some support for it. I've planted V. bonariensis but it didn't appear this year. There are native bluebells, they are OK being woodland plants. A hebe which I grew by layering the big one in the back garden. Erysimum Bowles Mauve, which has done very poorly compared to the red-flowered ones the other end which have been resplendent. A forum member gave me two blue-flowered hardy geraniums but they are only just getting going. Oh and two clumps of agapanthus which do all right but not exactly flourishing. I've planted some rooted cuttings of lavender along the front edge, they seem comfortable but are growing very long and spindly as you'd expect. I'm hoping I can prune them into a bit of bushiness.