Companions for Lavender
 

I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We have a
huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to plant
plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.

Thanks,

Jo

Companions for Lavender
 

"Jo" wrote in message
...
I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We have
a huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to
plant plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.

Thanks,

Jo
Apologies for spelling mistakes....cat sitting on lap, padding frantically
whilst I was typing! Only now she's got off have I realised the errors she
caused me to make!!!

Companions for Lavender
 

"Jo" wrote in message
...
I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We have
a huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to
plant plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.


Lavender should cover that all by itself once it establishes.
Are you asking for annuals to fill the gaps until the lavender is
established?
Anything else is likely to be crowded out in a couple of years.

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Companions for Lavender
 

On 26/04/2012 22:20, Jo wrote:
I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We have a
huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to plant
plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.

You don't say what part of the country you are in, but assuming it's one
where lavender grows well, you could go for similar plants such as
rosemary and salvia. It depends on where you are as to which salvias
would be hardy enough to survive well all year round.
Other options include the lower-growing grevilleas and hebes. Most
berberis will be too vigorous (although there are some dwarf ones. Just
remember that there are no evergreen berberis which have non-green
leaves, if you want all-year round cover). Sarcococca might be clash a
bit with lavender, and are a bit on the slow side, but you would be able
to get a nicely-scented plant during winter, which is always a bonus.

--

Jeff

Companions for Lavender
 

In article , David WE Roberts
writes
Lavender should cover that all by itself once it establishes.
Are you asking for annuals to fill the gaps until the lavender is
established?
Anything else is likely to be crowded out in a couple of years.


Someone I know is inter planting with Heuchera if that helps?
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Companions for Lavender
 

"Jo" wrote in message
...
I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We have
a huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to
plant plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.

Thanks,

Jo
Thanks everyone. I'm in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. I always forget to add
that!

rosemary likes the same conditions and flowers earlier in the year. But it looks very similar in leaf, though green rather than grey, so you might like something with a more contrasting leaf shape.

Companions for Lavender
 

On 26/04/2012 22:20, Jo wrote:
I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We have a
huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to plant
plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.

Thanks,

Jo





Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' would work well in that situation, and starts
flowering before lavender. Your cat would thank you for some Nepeta
(catmint). Allium 'Purple Sensation' and A. christophii would also look
good. Look at some of the hardier Cistus varieties, which will give you
pink or white flowers. Plants with larger leaves would give good
foliage contrast, such as Bergenia (flowers white or rosy pink),
Heuchera, Francoa and Brunnera (esp. if you have a shadier end).

At the back of the bed and trained against the wall, you could try
Cotoneaster horizontalis and Chaenomeles (red, white or peachy tones).
These flower early and will give you (and insects) some spring interest.

If you have enough room, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens is a low,
mounding evergreen shrub with masses of blue flowers in late spring.
You could always let a clematis scramble over it for later flower
interest, if you want to.

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

Companions for Lavender
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 26/04/2012 22:20, Jo wrote:
I am about to plant up a bare bed, around 10' x 3', against the front
wall
of our house with some lavender. It's a fairly large bed and I'd like
some
ideas as to what grow well with lavender in this west-facing bed. We
have a
huge plinth on the front wall, around 18" high or more, so I'd like to
plant
plants which grow high enought to cover this ugly black area!

Any ideas will be gratefull received.

Thanks,

Jo





Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' would work well in that situation, and starts
flowering before lavender. Your cat would thank you for some Nepeta
(catmint). Allium 'Purple Sensation' and A. christophii would also look
good. Look at some of the hardier Cistus varieties, which will give you
pink or white flowers. Plants with larger leaves would give good foliage
contrast, such as Bergenia (flowers white or rosy pink), Heuchera, Francoa
and Brunnera (esp. if you have a shadier end).

At the back of the bed and trained against the wall, you could try
Cotoneaster horizontalis and Chaenomeles (red, white or peachy tones).
These flower early and will give you (and insects) some spring interest.

If you have enough room, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens is a low, mounding
evergreen shrub with masses of blue flowers in late spring. You could
always let a clematis scramble over it for later flower interest, if you
want to.

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

Thanks Spider. I love the idea of Cistus sp. I think I now have my bed
fully planned!