"Martin Brown" wrote in message news
On 16/07/2018 23:12, Andy Parker wrote:
I have a project to plant up a "border" 70 metres long and about a metre
wide in an area of a public park that our Society lease. It faces East or
ENE and is backed by a 3 foot retaining wall and railings above that.
Soil is due to be tipped there shortly but it looks more like clay to me.

Nothing wrong with clay it can be a very fertile soil. Mine is.

I find a border only 1m wide a PITA if there is a grass edging.

Ideally the border will be at least partially evergreen, under 3 metres
tall, low maintenance and look OK next July when we have a big anniversary
event.

Low maintainence, evergreen and looking OK this time next year from
planting now is quite a tall order at a sensible price.

I'm no gardener although I aspire to improve.
I envisage mainly shrubs and hardy annuals with herbacious perennials for
colour?
As usual with these things the budget is two thirds of sod all so ideas
for stuff I can bring on at home from cuttings etc. and plant out in
Autumn or Spring as appropriate would be ideal.

Sun flowers, sweet peas, foxgloves and castor oil plants will give you
big impressive plants from seed (assuming you have a greenhouse). Some
of them are rather poisonous so you might want to consider that.

Perennial perpetual sweet pea is quite good at climbing up fences and
can take care of itself reasonably well. Teasels will also be statuesque
but might be thuggish if they like the conditions.

Hydrangeas will do OK if it is damp enough. Ferns are also not bad for
the maintenance free bit. Junipers and the like but be careful you don't
end up with any conifers that grow excessively big.

I'm in Cumbria almost at sea level.
I will put in Forsythia because I have fond childhood memories of it,
dwarf rhododendron 'cos I have some. There is a nice cotoneaster already
but they are quite slow growing I suspect. The park has a lot of Berberis
but that is vicious and I'd rather avoid it since it is probably going to
be mainly me maintaining this.

Suggestions please.

Andy Parker

70m is a lot of border. I hope you get some help for your project!

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

I thought it may be a tall order, thanks for the suggestions, I hope I get
some help as well! Have to make sure there's a brew facility on the works
trains.
Andy