PROBLEMS SOLVED
Plant evergreens and grasses in this part-shady border, says Ian Hodgson. But give them more space to shine
Q How can I give my border amore colourful look?
This shrubby border (see below) really has tonnes of potential, but just at the the moment it lacks cohesion and falls a bit short on perennial colour. The purple-leaved hazel in the middle is a good start, but the other shrubs and perennials don’t really relate to it and there are no flowers, save for a few random kniphofia sitting right at the back.
There are lots of stylistic options here: I’d go for a more thematic approach, perhaps choosing just silver-leaved seaside plants, or grasses and daisies for a relaxed prairie-style scheme. The boardwalk suggests the seaside to me, so I’d start by taking out the willow and gorse plants, then prune back the scrappy-looking perovskia. Its late-summer flowers will help to introduce a new purple-blue colour scheme perfectly.
For height, instead of the willow, I’d opt for a more transparent plant, so you can see through it to the planting beyond. At H: 2m with see-through stems, Verbena bonariensis is a good candidate, topped with long-lasting flower clusters from June-September.
For architecture, you could choose a suitably spiky Yucca filamentosa or elegant astelia ‘Silver Shadow’ – both would need a sunny, sheltered spot, well-drained soil and fleece protection in a cold winter. For something hardier, go for a green-blue phormium or herbaceous cardoon, Cynara cardunculus.
To counteract all the spikes, drift through soft, tactile grasses, such as Pennisteum alopecuroides or Stipa tenuissima, adding taller and more upright forms such as Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’ (H: 2m) or Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (H: 1.8m). Next, introduce some passionate purples for summer colour: Eryngium zabelii ‘Jos Eijking’, lavender ‘Hidcote’, Salvia sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ or smaller S. nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Echinops ritro ‘Baby Globes’ (or taller ‘Veitch’s Blue’) and a few purple opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). Wispy oenothera (gaura) and hardy geranium ‘Rozanne’ would also work, helping to soften the edges.
Finish off by laying a gravel mulch if desired – this will create a shingly setting that visually holds the plants together in a more exciting way than the Ajuga reptans used ab
