Garden Ideas 3

C, at present, will remain largely unplanted. There is already a cream clematis (approx. where the letter C is on the plan), and the burgundy clematis will be moved to join it. I'm also hoping to have another minarette fruit tree, probably a plum, in the corner where C & D meet. C is quite narrow and mostly obscured from the house by the planting in B, so is the area reserved for planting some of the taller annuals but I'll let you in on my choices later in the post.

I mentioned yesterday that in A, B, and D there will be a selection of bulbs and perennials, all mixed higgledy-piggledy. These will be of contrasting heights, leaf shape and colour, and a mixture of clump forming and airy floaty flowers. The predominant group of clump forming plants will be a variety of daisies - I already have this one in the garden and want this and another type of daisy (or two) to feature in every bed.

Mexican Fleabane
© Copyright Forest Wanderer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

I have ideas for the airy floaty flowers, again of varying heights and leaf shape but the open structure of the flowers will give the affect I'm hoping for. I've linked to Google searches if you want to look at images. The majority are just a list of ideas as there won't be room for everything but the definites are ...

heuchera, not necessarily this variety but chosen as much for the interesting foliage as for the flower

spider lilies
(many thanks to Lady Ella for allowing me to use one of her photos)

source
summer snowflakes

Other plants on the list are:

• alliums 
• poppies
• white agapanthus
• sugar plum fairy aquilegia
• daffodils
• crocus
• tulips
• delphiniums
• salvias
• gypsophila
• bunny's tail grass
• Japanese blood grass
• crocosmia

I have loads more ideas but I think this list give you a sense of what I'm aiming for, and what it could look like. 

This planting will be in A, B, and D, but can also continued in some of the pots. In addition I'd like to have one, maybe two, peonies - I don't have a big enough garden to spare bedding space for a plant that has such a short flowering period but I do want to try peonies with the compromise that they will have to be grown in pots. 

The annuals are easy to describe ... these will be in C and in numerous pots around the garden and will consist of cosmos and sweet peas. I love both plants and will fit in as many as I can!

The only thing I haven't covered is the hanging baskets (eight of them) and the vegetables. The hanging baskets will be seasonal planting, some floral and some for fruits. Part of the scheme for winter is to plant up a couple of hanging baskets nearest the house to provide some interest - this was Danielle's idea but I can't remember the names of the plants she mentioned. For the summer months some of the hanging baskets will have fuchsia, some dwarf sweet peas, and the remainder will have trailing tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

There will be space to grow a few vegetables if I want, but it will all be in containers or grow bags. Outside the kitchen/dining room French doors there will be room for container grown tomatoes and courgettes, and the grow bags will fit at the end of the garage, giving room for runner beans, carrots, and more tomatoes.  On the back wall of the house I'd eventually like some wall mounted vertical planters to grow cut and come again salad leaves, radishes and spring onions.  

So now I just need to run it past Danielle. Fingers are crossed that the conditions in my garden are suitable for the plants I've set my heart on!