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Old 16-02-2005, 01:03 PM
Ornata Ornata is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Nov 2004
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My garden has the same aspect. For winter/early spring interest, how about some bergenias? Go for a variety where the leaves turn plum-purple in cold weather. Lots of plants will be happy in part-shade. Tricyrtis formosana (toad lilies - purple spotted) and Aconitum (monkshood - deep blue) provide flowers from late summer to early autumn. Both can be ordered from J Parker (I'm guessing you're thinking of ordering from there, as they misspelled the dicentra peregrina). As you say the site is a bit windy, how about some grasses? And don't forget ferns - the evergreen ones provide useful colour in the winter months. Athyrium nipponicum pictum is deciduous, but it does have beautiful silvery fronds. Dryopteris erythrosora (the autumn fern) is evergreen and has lovely coppery new fronds. Also, add to your stock of spring bulbs. Crocuses have the annoying habit of only opening up their flowers in full sun, but they and most other bulbs are happy in part shade. And fuchsias, of course, like shade and are fairly wind-resistant (often planted as hedging in coastal districts).

Aquilegias will flower from May to July. The great thing with them is that they hybridise freely, so each year your stock will increase, with hopefully some interesting new colours.

A useful, if slightly quirky book about gardening in less than sunny conditions is "Gardening in the Shade" by Margery Fish. As it was written well before global warming started playing havoc with our gardening calendar and our ideas about plant hardiness, her selections should be suitable for a more exposed site.

Hope this helps.
Ornata
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynda Thornton
Hello all

We have a large north-north-west facing lawned garden with high beech
hedges and woodland shrubs around and I would like to add some colour
and variety with a long perennial border running along a wooden picket
3ft fence we recently put up. I have already removed 2ft of the turf
and am about to prepare the soil by digging in some organic matter and
adding some more topsoil as much of it went with the grass.

I have been thinking about plants which would be OK in this situation.
It isn't shady and does get sun but it can get windy and cold too. It
gets some sun first thing and then a bit more in late afternoon, from
the other side. I would like some taller plants for added interest and
hopefully the fence will provide some shelter and support. I have
already ordered some plants from Thompson&Morgan below:

2 hybrid tea roses, 3-4ft max
acanthus mollis
asiatic lilies
verbena bonariensis

Some plants I am still thinking about a

lilium regale
primula vialli
phlox paniculata
bell flowers (like canterbury bells I think)
aquilegia mixed
monarda mixed
hellebores
verbascum phoeniculum
dicentra pregrina alba (only grows 30-40cm).

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions and are any of these plants
completely wrong for the situation? I am not super keen on orange or
bright yellow so have avoided those colours mostly.

Any other ideas would be welcome - I am really looking forward to
sitting in the garden this summer with a view of a colourful flower
border hopefully!!

Thanks
Lynda