Topic: New Project! HELP required (if you have the time!)

[KevB]

Can anyone suggest a planting plan for my "new" centre piece in the front garden? Its actually a pond surround which I picked up cheap thinking it will make a great centre piece!! Built it and now am sat scratching my head as to what to plant, as besides annuals I would like year round colour / interest!! If anyone has some spare time to ponder it for me, their time will be rewarded in Heaven!! Oh and I’ll post the pics as well!! Please see below, it measures 65" across the flats.
Thanks all
Kevb

[sarah]

How about a small tree tree like er... um... maybe a small red maple or mabbe a camelia for early colour or even a lovely magnolia. bulbs around the base and annuals later in the season.  Thats just the sort of thing i like. Hope youget lots of other ideas too, as it looks super. sarah.

[sandersj89]

Yes, my first thought was an acer so you have nice foligae in the summer, great autumn colour and then interesting bark/outline in the winter.

Under planting with a selection of bulbs for early spring colour would OK as well.

Or if you what to be a bit more showy how about a nice standard rose or fuschia combined again with spring bulbs and some annuals. Some hardy geraniums such as Mrs Simpson or Johnsons Blue are nice, one blue the other red/pink.

Something that tumbles out over the sides would be nice like some of the prostrate rosemaries, they flower over a long period too and easy to care for. Both white and blue.

HTH

Jerry

[glow777]

Hi S

A small acer was my first though too. Possibly a Japanese red one would look nice and complement all the yellow in the pic

[KevB]

What perenials could I include which wouldn't takeover??
thanks for the help so far!
Kevb

[fluffygrue]

Wow, 65" is quite big! I first thought an Acer, but they can be a bit fussy if it's not very sheltered, so that depends on the conditions. How about a twisted hazel? We have one and it looks gorgeous all year, especially about now-ish as it's covered in yellow catkins. A pretty tough plant, too. Or a big topiarised ball of shrub - Lonicera, maybe. Or if you have acid soil a nice Rhodedendron. Or a wigwam of sweet peas.

Perennial-wise, I'd reckon some hardy geraniums or maybe bedding plants. Depends on how much effort you want to make.

Melanie

[Susie Snowdrop]

What about a raised rock garden.  You could raise the soil level higher in the middle and place a few large rocks.  You could then plant alpines to grow over and around the rocks and some to tumble down over the edges.  Make sure your soil mix is compatible though, alpines like quite a poor soil  with good drainage.
Hope this adds to your confusion!
Susie  ;)

[littlegem]

why don't you do it like they do in the parks? mound it up then do circles of flowers in different colours, under bedded with bulbs for a symetrical spring look. some kind of tallish tree/palm in the middle and the corners with mind your own business that can be trimmed

[lancelotment]

As the pond is set in gravel I wouldn't want to use anythig deciduous and would want something that is fairly tidy and not shed too many leaves.  How about sarcococca (one of my favourites), an evergreen winter scented shrub, along with clipped box or yew to give you and evergreen, architectural base.  Maybe a corkscrew hazel instead (Japanese theme?).  How about Dierama (Angel’s fishing Rods), quite appropriate for a pond in summer or Crocosmia that can be cut right back in winter when they have finished flowering but will give you colour and some movement in the front garden around the pond.  Lance

[KevB]

Thanks one and all! I knew I could rely upon you!! It will end up a bit of this and that but i will post pics as and when!!
Thanks again for your efforts
Kevb
p.s. I had some "manure" delivered at weekend for the centre!! i must have ordered a bale of hay!! they only got half their money as i only got half my poo!
not often you find the words crap n sh-t following each other in a sentence!! would be funnier but i waited for it to be delivered!!! AAAGGHH!!!
:'( :'( :'(

[ChrisH]

Well, I first thought about a centre piece using a conifer, but then looked at the rest of garden and you already have some.  ::)

So, what about a centre piece using a phormium and underplant with bulbs(optional) and summer bedding.

Also a Fern (does not have to be a tree fern either), again underplanting with bulbs(optional).

Finally, how about a mixture of different grasses

[Trixiebelle]

Sedum is lovely - nice and green in Summer and the heads turn a beautiful red in Autumn.

If you want something 'tall' then Golden Rod flowers quite late (yellow)

One of my favourite early flowering bushes is flowering redcurrant (pink) but it can grow to gigantic proportions. In fact I'm looking at mine now and it appears to be eating next door's shed!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Golden rod is fine if you've got loads of space but I remember it constantly trying to take over our small garden when I was a kid.

[KevB]

Sedum is lovely - nice and green in Summer and the heads turn a beautiful red in Autumn.

If you want something 'tall' then Golden Rod flowers quite late (yellow)

One of my favourite early flowering bushes is flowering redcurrant (pink) but it can grow to gigantic proportions. In fact I'm looking at mine now and it appears to be eating next door's shed!

I had to laugh at the thought of your redcurrant "Eating" next doors shed!! the mental image!!  :) :) :)
Kevb

[jennym]

I think you will probably have to move some of that gravel if you want to plant direct into the soil, but you've probably thought of that.
Around and close to my pond I have perennials like Dicentra spectabilis (bleeding heart) which you can get in white as well as pink, which flowers in spring. This has lovely ferny sort of leaves that look good near water. It dies down about May in the heat, which is when my Gunnera manicata starts to show its leaves off.
And before you get worried about the size of Gunnera, you can restrict its roots by putting it in a large pot in the ground, or placing plastic under it, this helps to hold the moisture in too, and does look spectacular. If in a pot, you could replace it with an evergreen or conifer in a pot for the winer period.
One evergreen shrub that if left unclipped forms arching sprays of branches is Lonicera nitida, this is also available as a yellow leafed form, Lonicera nitida 'Baggesens Gold', and will be ok in a large pot near the pond, and takes hard pruning if you want to control its size.

[KevB]

Hi Jenny
It's not a pond!! it's the surrounds of a pond which are now filled with manure / compost / soil! I will post the pics shortly.
Truly thanks for your help though, it is appreciatted!!!
Cheers Kevb