What would you plant with Phlomis russeliana?

LG_

I'm planning a bed along the front of my house (suburban semi), across the bay window. It will be just 60cm deep, and about 3-4m in length, in full sun, and I want to fill it with Phlomis russeliana - primarily for the autumn/winter stems. I was just wondering whether to put anything else with them, perhaps for a bit of spring interest, but I know they form quite a dense base and am not sure if anything else could compete in the same space. One end of the bed will move into a slightly larger area with (probably) a Pittosporum and other small shrubs, but the rest will be surrounded by hard landscaping. Any suggestions or experiences, or should I just stick to Phlomis on its own?

Fairygirl

I wonder if you could use some spring bulbs @LG_ - daffs mainly, as they would colour co ordinate. They would give a succession and would be hidden when dieing down. 
I think it's quite a tight space - especially once the Phlomis are at full strength.

Perhaps some pots in front of the bed would be the answer if it's hard standing there. You could ring the changes depending on the season.

Obelixx

Daffs for me too as they'll be showing their flowers and foliage just after you need to be tidying up the tatty, winter worn foliage from the phlomis and removing their old flower stalks.  The clump I had in the Belgian garden took no prisoners once it started to spread and only the lysimachia clethroides alba was equal to it.

LG_

Thanks @Fairygirl. Yes, the more I think about it, bulbs seem like the only option. I can't have pots in front of it as that is the car parking space (not that we want a car parking space, but if we sold the house it would probably be sensible to have one so we're keeping it). There won't be a car there 95% of the time so a bit of leaf overflow will be fine - but not pots that could get knocked over. I agree that it seems a bit squashed but I've got a bit of a thing about P. russ. in winter and don't have a lot of sunny spots for it. Am hoping that free rein in a longish, thinnish bed might work.  

LG_

I had heard that, @Obelixx! Hence putting it somewhere where it should hopefully have a bit of room to spread (albeit only in one direction) rather than it completely swamping out the other plants in the other little pockets of sun I have elsewhere. 

This all hypothetical at the moment as I've only just started marking out the new design and we probably won't even get the hard landscaping done until January. But I'm fixated on having P. russ in the front garden!

Nollie

I have just dug one up, it was a rampant spreader, about 2m wide and nearly as tall,  but perhaps it is better behaved in the UK!

pansyface

No, she’s a big girl even in rainy Derbyshire.😁

LG_

Do you think I should abandon the idea, or give it a chance? The height would be fine, though it's given as 'up to 1m' by the RHS. 

pansyface

She really needs a corset to keep her from overflowing everywhere.😁

If you can rig up some sort of unobtrusive system to hold her up, she’ll be much happier.

fidgetbones

I would plant some purple rain alliums to go around it.

LG_

Corsetry I can probably manage, @pansyface
And I do love an allium, @fidgetbones, so that's music to my ears - though I think they would flower at around the same time (in complementary colours, of course).

One more question for those who have grown them - do they take a while to get going? After first planting, I mean.