Raised bed perennial suggestions

peteski2011

Hi all,

I have just built a raised bed in my garden. It measures approx 2m x 1.3m. It gets sun through the spring/summer months early morning through to about 10am then again from about 11-1pm. I'm stuck with ideas for plants to grow in the space that will look cheery and return for a few years. My list at the moment looks a bit weak...

Salvia

Allium

Foxglove

Cordyline

Astilbe

I'd appreciate some suggestions for plants to nicely fill the space and give us something nice to look out onto. Something along these lines would be nice......

Thanks!

Fairygirl

Astilbes tend to like wetter, shadier conditions than Alliums, Cordylines and Salvias, so a raised bed is more tricky for them unless you get the soil medium right. 
As it's generally a shadier site, look at things like Heucheras and Tiarellas, which will work with the Foxgloves and Astilbes, but again, they need reasonable moisture to do well. Hardy geraniums will also be fine and there are loads of those to choose from.  Liatris are good for a bit of height too, and Campanulas and Aquilegias will do that job as well.  Dicentras also like a bit of shade. I think they have a new name now, but you'll still find them under Dicentra. For low growing plants, Lamiums are good, as are Brunneras.  Many of the Saxifrages are fine with some shade too.
Spring bulbs  like snowdrops, daffs, and crocus are good among perennials, as the dying foliage gets hidden by the emerging perennials.
I doubt that Salvias and Alliums will do well in the aspect you have, although chives will be fine. 
 
If the bed is made of timber, you can line the bed with plastic/polythene,  that will help with moisture retention. You need to fill it with mostly soil, so that it's less likely to dry out quickly. Add plenty of organic matter each year too- well rotted manure is excellent and helps retain moisture. There are plants which do well in drier shade, but there's generally less choice than ones which like damper soil. 
I'm assuming your bed is open to the ground though. If it isn't - ie if it's a raised construction, it'll need to have enough depth for plants to thrive well, and you'll need to be attentive with watering. 

bullfinch

The one with pale pink flowers at the bottom is a sedum (I think it's changed it's name now tho). They flower in Autumn, and are good for butterflies. Lavender would look nice, it's evergreen and you can get various sizes to suit the height that you want.

peteski2011

Fairygirl said:

Astilbes tend to like wetter, shadier conditions than Alliums, Cordylines and Salvias, so a raised bed is more tricky for them unless you get the soil medium right. 
As it's generally a shadier site, look at things like Heucheras and Tiarellas, which will work with the Foxgloves and Astilbes, but again, they need reasonable moisture to do well. Hardy geraniums will also be fine and there are loads of those to choose from.  Liatris are good for a bit of height too, and Campanulas and Aquilegias will do that job as well.  Dicentras also like a bit of shade. I think they have a new name now, but you'll still find them under Dicentra. For low growing plants, Lamiums are good, as are Brunneras.  Many of the Saxifrages are fine with some shade too.
Spring bulbs  like snowdrops, daffs, and crocus are good among perennials, as the dying foliage gets hidden by the emerging perennials.
I doubt that Salvias and Alliums will do well in the aspect you have, although chives will be fine. 
 
If the bed is made of timber, you can line the bed with plastic/polythene,  that will help with moisture retention. You need to fill it with mostly soil, so that it's less likely to dry out quickly. Add plenty of organic matter each year too- well rotted manure is excellent and helps retain moisture. There are plants which do well in drier shade, but there's generally less choice than ones which like damper soil. 
I'm assuming your bed is open to the ground though. If it isn't - ie if it's a raised construction, it'll need to have enough depth for plants to thrive well, and you'll need to be attentive with watering. 

Thank you this is exactly the sort of knowledge I totally lack! Some really great suggestions here. The bed is sat on the ground and plastic lined timber sleepers. I'll be sure to make sure there's plenty of organic matter turned into the soil. 

peteski2011

bullfinch said:

The one with pale pink flowers at the bottom is a sedum (I think it's changed it's name now tho). They flower in Autumn, and are good for butterflies. Lavender would look nice, it's evergreen and you can get various sizes to suit the height that you want.

Does Sedum do well in limited sun?

Fairygirl

That should be fine then @peteski2011. There will be other plants that will suit you too. You could try looking at a site called Long Acre which specialises in plants for shade. It's very useful  https://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/ .  I also buy from a nursery in Ireland called Ballyrobert-  https://www.ballyrobertgardens.com/collections/a-b . Have a look at both of those for some more ideas   
You'll also find the soil level will drop every year, so adding some homemade compost or leaf mould [if you have it] each autumn is useful, or even just bought in compost or manure. That all helps to keep the bed in good shape. I do that with all my raised beds. 

Loxley

Straight off the bat I'd recommend Eurybia x herveyi and Eurybia divaricata, two very free flowering late season asters that tolerate dry shade. They would work extremely well with Brunneras and Pulmonarias which would add spring interest in the same space. There are many hardy geraniums, and the old favourite Alchemilla mollis, which could work during the main summer season. And ferns for year round texture.

Realistically you're not going to have kaleidoscopic colour as per the photo, it will be more subtle, and lean on attractive foliage a bit more.

peteski2011

Loxley said:

Straight off the bat I'd recommend Eurybia x herveyi and Eurybia divaricata, two very free flowering late season asters that tolerate dry shade. They would work extremely well with Brunneras and Pulmonarias which would add spring interest in the same space. There are many hardy geraniums, and the old favourite Alchemilla mollis, which could work during the main summer season. And ferns for year round texture.

Realistically you're not going to have kaleidoscopic colour as per the photo, it will be more subtle, and lean on attractive foliage a bit more.

Lovely suggestions thank you!

peteski2011

Fairygirl said:

That should be fine then @peteski2011. There will be other plants that will suit you too. You could try looking at a site called Long Acre which specialises in plants for shade. It's very useful  https://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/ .  I also buy from a nursery in Ireland called Ballyrobert-  https://www.ballyrobertgardens.com/collections/a-b . Have a look at both of those for some more ideas   
You'll also find the soil level will drop every year, so adding some homemade compost or leaf mould [if you have it] each autumn is useful, or even just bought in compost or manure. That all helps to keep the bed in good shape. I do that with all my raised beds. 

Thanks very much I'll be sure to take a look at these sites! With the plants in can I just add soil around the plants when the level drops??

Nanny Beach

Fairy has nailed it,nuff said

JennyJ

The only thing I can add is that, to my eye at least, Cordylines don't really "go" with the other plants mentioned - they're more architectural in style than cottagey (plus, they like sun).