My garden did not look like this before I went away!

Allyblueeyes

Why oh why do I go away?  I’ve been to Cornwall for 6 days and left my garden in the capable hands of my dear old dad.  He came to water once!!!  When I questioned why he said because it had been raining 😩Bless him. When I left last Sunday it looked beautiful!

Anyway, I’ve lost hanging baskets, in as much as a good soaking won’t revive them, sweet peas (sown from seed last October 😢) and possibly through no fault of my dads, the borders looked awful.  Perennials such as geranium, Astrantia, geum, nepeta etc. looked messy and straggly. I’ve cut everything back this afternoon and whilst it looks a little tidier, there are obvious gaps.

Can anyone recommend any good, (preferably) pollinator friendly, fillers that will last through to late autumn/first frosts?  I’m not the biggest fan of rudbeckia and echinacea.  They don’t have to be perennials, just something to brighten everything (including me) up a bit.  They’ll be in full sun and I prefer pastels to bright colours but that’s not that important.

Thanks in advance everyone 👍🏻

K67

Helenium are lovely but bright and penstemon keep going till frosts as do dahlias and crysanthemums.  

AnniD

This is the trouble with going away when you're a gardener ! Bless your old dad, it's an easy mistake to make.
What about shrubby salvias ? Leucanthemum daises perhaps? 
Few more ideas here
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/give-borders-an-autumn-boost/

Obelixx

I'd just go and see what the GCs, supermarkets and DIYs have on offer and use those as fillers for this year.   Next year, set up an automatic watering system - sprinkler on a timer? - and make sure the hanging baskets get put in its path or else give Dad instructions for daily visits.

Allyblueeyes

K67 said:

Helenium are lovely but bright and penstemon keep going till frosts as do dahlias and crysanthemums.  

Thank you K67, I do love a chrysanthemum but have never grown them.  Perhaps now is the time to try. 👍🏻 

Allyblueeyes

AnniD said:

This is the trouble with going away when you're a gardener ! Bless your old dad, it's an easy mistake to make.
What about shrubby salvias ? Leucanthemum daises perhaps? 
Few more ideas here
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/give-borders-an-autumn-boost/

Thank you AnniD ... I will have a good look at this link 👍🏻

Allyblueeyes

Obelixx said:

I'd just go and see what the GCs, supermarkets and DIYs have on offer and use those as fillers for this year.   Next year, set up an automatic watering system - sprinkler on a timer? - and make sure the hanging baskets get put in its path or else give Dad instructions for daily visits.

Thank you Obelixx.  We have an automatic watering system in place but dear old dad insisted as he thought it would save me money 🙄... I won’t make that mistake again.  

Fairygirl

I'd second Heleniums, and although they are at the brighter end of the colour spectrum, they provide a good contrast if you have paler colours in your border. Some are quite a rusty orange, so not too 'in your face'.  If you add a few whites - the Leucanthemums that @AnniD mentions, and Asters for example - that will create quite a subtle look, and they'll carry on from now, into autumn. 

Take a look at bulbs too, as it's coming up to the time for buying autumn planted ones. There are a few which will flower later in the year, and will give height. Peter Nyssen's site is a great one to start with 

Allyblueeyes

Fairygirl said:

I'd second Heleniums, and although they are at the brighter end of the colour spectrum, they provide a good contrast if you have paler colours in your border. Some are quite a rusty orange, so not too 'in your face'.  If you add a few whites - the Leucanthemums that @AnniD mentions, and Asters for example - that will create quite a subtle look, and they'll carry on from now, into autumn. 

Take a look at bulbs too, as it's coming up to the time for buying autumn planted ones. There are a few which will flower later in the year, and will give height. Peter Nyssen's site is a great one to start with 

Thank you Fairygirl, I hadn’t thought of bulbs but will definitely check out the Peter Nyssen site.  Maybe helenium are the way to go and I do like the idea of mixing with some white Michaelmas daisy ... just seen one called ‘snowsprite’ which the bees will love 😊

B3

A neighbour will water my patio plants for me but I don't expect them to water the whole garden.
I am trying to look on it as an opportunity to buy new plants when I get back😕

Allyblueeyes

B3 said:

A neighbour will water my patio plants for me but I don't expect them to water the whole garden.
I am trying to look on it as an opportunity to buy new plants when I get back😕

Naughty B3, but clever nonetheless!