Hi. I'm new to GardenBanter and pretty new to gardening - and need help.

I am throwing open house and garden at Easter for loads of family and friends and desperately want the garden to look special. But the end of April is too early for my normal bedding plants. Not too worried about by my one border. I just want to fill all my pots and window boxes with colour. I like a colour theme, like yellow/orange, red/orange, different blue hues - anything like that. Or even just foliage, as long as it looks good. But I don't like multi mixed colours.

And to make matters worse, I've already spent my bedding plant budget, so it has to be on the cheap! And has to be a display that is either short-lived, or won't mind being moved later to make room for my already ordered and carefully planned bedding plants. Pity I didn't plan for Easter earlier!

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas how to solve this problem? Thank you to anyone who takes the time to think about it!

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:06:50 +0000, jambella
wrote:


Hi. I'm new to GardenBanter and pretty new to gardening - and need
help.

I am throwing open house and garden at Easter for loads of family and
friends and desperately want the garden to look special. But the end of
April is too early for my normal bedding plants. Not too worried about
by my one border. I just want to fill all my pots and window boxes with
colour. I like a colour theme, like yellow/orange, red/orange,
different blue hues - anything like that. Or even just foliage, as long
as it looks good. But I don't like multi mixed colours.

And to make matters worse, I've already spent my bedding plant budget,
so it has to be on the cheap! And has to be a display that is either
short-lived, or won't mind being moved later to make room for my already
ordered and carefully planned bedding plants. Pity I didn't plan for
Easter earlier!

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas how to solve this problem? Thank
you to anyone who takes the time to think about it!

(I'm reading and posting in uk.rec.gardening.)

Best to get used to the idea that you simply can't have "special" this
year. I'd just hie me down to the garden centres (and Aldi, Lidl, and
Wilkinson's) and see what's cheapest, and to hell with colour schemes.
I really wouldn't be fussy on a short-notice occasion like that: good
plants will look good, regardless of what colour mix you have. These
days they always sell plants in flower, which is a bad idea in
general, but suits your purpose well.

--
Mike.

On Feb 18, 11:56*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-02-18 18:06:50 +0000, jambella
said:







Hi. *I'm new to GardenBanter and pretty new to gardening - and need
help.

I am throwing open house and garden at Easter for loads of family and
friends and desperately want the garden to look special. *But the end of
April is too early for my normal bedding plants. *Not too worried about
by my one border. *I just want to fill all my pots and window boxes with
colour. *I like a colour theme, like yellow/orange, red/orange,
different blue hues - anything like that. *Or even just foliage, as long
as it looks good. *But I don't like multi mixed colours.

And to make matters worse, I've already spent my bedding plant budget,
so it has to be on the cheap! *And has to be a display that is either
short-lived, or won't mind being moved later to make room for my already
ordered and carefully planned bedding plants. *Pity I didn't plan for
Easter earlier!

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas how to solve this problem? *Thank
you to anyone who takes the time to think about it!

To be honest, I think you're asking the impossible, especially as
you're demanding a colour theme, too. * Find what you can and be glad
for it, would be my advice, this late in the day.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Was at B&Q yesterday and they had loads of Pansy and viols as well as
polyanthus reduced.
Also on offer is their multi pourpous compost 20 litr bags for £1.00
thats 5p a litre, offer ends Monday

Thank you! B&Q tomorrow! Looks like that might be the answer.

Wickes today, 4 x 75 ltr multi purpose compost.....£13.

On 20/02/2011 10:50, rabc wrote:
Thinking of planting out some lavender in containers in the front
garden, trouble is it only gets the full sun from around 1.00pm onwards,
will i still get some display of colour etc or am i wasting my
time.......thanks






I have French lavender in a similar position and it does well, even
though it's less hardy and probably needs more sun than English lavender
to ripen its stems. I think it's worth a go.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 02/20/2011 06:51 PM, Spider wrote:
On 20/02/2011 10:50, rabc wrote:
Thinking of planting out some lavender in containers in the front
garden, trouble is it only gets the full sun from around 1.00pm onwards,
will i still get some display of colour etc or am i wasting my
time.......thanks






I have French lavender in a similar position and it does well, even
though it's less hardy and probably needs more sun than English lavender
to ripen its stems. I think it's worth a go.


I have some English Lavender (here in France) that gets only morning
sun, but still flowers pretty well. If a bit gangly.

-E