Hello, All. It's been a long time since I've looked at this newgroup - I
vaguely recall all kinds of shennanigans a while ago - but I'm back with a
question, actually 2 questions:

I want to revamp my mixed border to make it less mixed and more perennial
flowers. As a novice, I planted shrubs never believing they'd grow as big
as they have, so my small garden is now swamped with viburnum tinus,
lonicera nitida, rhododendron, hydrangea, ribes, weigela, and the like. The
shrubs are lovely, but there's no room for flowers as my border is only
about 3 or 4 feet deep at the most.

So, my first question - could I prune the shrubs right down to the ground,
which will give me a few years "breathing space" to grow flowers, or is it
best to simply dig them up completely and get rid of them?

Second question - whatever I do, is it best to do now or in the spring? I'd
like to tackle it now, but I'd be looking at a bare garden all winter.

Many thanks in anticipation of replies.

On 10/10/08 22:08, in article , "Mel"
wrote:

Hello, All. It's been a long time since I've looked at this newgroup - I
vaguely recall all kinds of shennanigans a while ago - but I'm back with a
question, actually 2 questions:

I want to revamp my mixed border to make it less mixed and more perennial
flowers. As a novice, I planted shrubs never believing they'd grow as big
as they have, so my small garden is now swamped with viburnum tinus,
lonicera nitida, rhododendron, hydrangea, ribes, weigela, and the like. The
shrubs are lovely, but there's no room for flowers as my border is only
about 3 or 4 feet deep at the most.

So, my first question - could I prune the shrubs right down to the ground,
which will give me a few years "breathing space" to grow flowers, or is it
best to simply dig them up completely and get rid of them?

Second question - whatever I do, is it best to do now or in the spring? I'd
like to tackle it now, but I'd be looking at a bare garden all winter.

Many thanks in anticipation of replies.





If your borders are that size you're going to be pushed to find enough room
to let herbaceous perennials grow, too. Could you make e.g. an island bed
for those or grow them in pots? Or mimic the shape of your shrub borders
within the lawn and cut a square or oval bed in which you can put the
flowers but leave paths through it into a patch of grass which can be mown
or otherwise be planted with some low growing herbs, like thyme or a clump
of rosemary, or have a small fountain and tub in the centre? It sounds as
if you've got some nice shrubs there and if you can, take off their lower
branches and plant spring and autumn flowering bulbs underneath them. Keith
Wiley who used to run The Garden House called this "lifting their skirts"!

Or......you could have a square of paving with a water feature in it and
pots around the edges with flowers in them, all of differing heights so that
you create a little garden within a garden and so forth.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)

"Mel" wrote
I want to revamp my mixed border to make it less mixed and more perennial
flowers. ...

"Sacha" replied
If your borders are that size you're going to be pushed to find enough
room
to let herbaceous perennials grow, too. Could you make e.g. an island bed
for those or grow them in pots? It sounds as
if you've got some nice shrubs there and if you can, take off their lower
branches and plant spring and autumn flowering bulbs underneath them.
Keith
Wiley who used to run The Garden House called this "lifting their skirts"!

Hi, Sacha. Many thanks for your reply. My garden is very challenging --
it's quite small, it's on a steep slope, it's very shallow and it's on the
north side of the house! Maybe I should move !! I think I'll try your
suggestion and "lift the skirts" of some of the shrubs and underplant with
bulbs I've just bought.

Thanks again.

On 11/10/08 20:34, in article , "Mel"
wrote:

"Mel" wrote
I want to revamp my mixed border to make it less mixed and more perennial
flowers. ...

"Sacha" replied
If your borders are that size you're going to be pushed to find enough
room
to let herbaceous perennials grow, too. Could you make e.g. an island bed
for those or grow them in pots? It sounds as
if you've got some nice shrubs there and if you can, take off their lower
branches and plant spring and autumn flowering bulbs underneath them.
Keith
Wiley who used to run The Garden House called this "lifting their skirts"!

Hi, Sacha. Many thanks for your reply. My garden is very challenging --
it's quite small, it's on a steep slope, it's very shallow and it's on the
north side of the house! Maybe I should move !! I think I'll try your
suggestion and "lift the skirts" of some of the shrubs and underplant with
bulbs I've just bought.

Thanks again.



Slopes are interesting. Make an artificial rill and pond with a pump that
pumps the water back up to the top. Have a 'virtual' stream of a meandering
bed of gravel or Alchemilla mollis etc. etc. ending in a 'pond' of rosemary
or Geranium Jolly Bee. Go mad. ;-)

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)