Which plants for a border?

[Swissbarry]

Between my house wall and the lane is a narrow border about 60 cm. wide by 7 m. long.  It's South-facing, and I want it to look good all year.  I had thought to plant lines of daffodil bulbs at the front and dahlias at the back, so as to give interest in Spring and Autumn.  Can anyone please suggest what, if anything, I could squeeze in between these for colour in the Summer - preferably something not too demanding of water.

Or, if my idea isn't sound, how else could I set about planting this long, narrow area?

[Pierre ZFP]

You don't say where you are so I don't know if you have hard frosts but in any location I would recommend geraniums (pelagoniums) and/or fuchias.  Both are fairly undemanding, of both time and water and will love south-facing for lots of flowers all summer.  I was really pleased with mine and I'm way 'Ooop North' in Pas de Calais.  If I can grow them, anyone can.

[dragonrouge]

How about and for height some Alliums.  Baumes Graine (is that correct) are listing them.

[andyh4]

The Dahlias will almost certainly need to be lifted for winter, which could disturb any other bulbs.

Pelargonium (aka geranium - but strictly speaking they are not) is a good suggestion for summer, but same comment applies about lifting unless you grow fresh every year.

Fuchsia IMHO require rather a lot of watering if you are further South than the Belgian border.  So if minimal watering really is a must I would park that idea.  Also need liifting.

 

I would look at Salvia (sage) - it is a very wide genus with lots of different coloured flowers and many are very hardy indeed - not all necessarily edible, but many very drought resistant.  This could even give you winter foliage.

 

Also look  at proper geranium - again many species and with many having scented leaves - not all are pleasant to my mind, but ines that I find are:

orange scented

lemon scented

chocolate

mint and

pineapple

 

Some are frost hardy, many are not.

[Gardengirl]

How about some lavender plants, if you aren't on v damp soil.? They do v well in the mid to south of France, and don't need a lot of watering, and do very well in my south-facing but a bit soggy south of England garden, giving foliage all year round, lovely when in flower and beautiful scent. However, they need a trim back in the autumn/winter, or get too leggy. I tend to replace mine evry few years.

I'm also keen on salvias; I have some beautiful evergreen mauvey ones of various heights (I used to think they were just the red bedding plants I'd seen all over the place).

Veronicas come in all sizes, and have pleasant flowers; tough as old boots. Osteospermums are pretty, but can get a bit leggy; depending on position in my garden, some die off after 1 year if in damp shady areas (like lots of my garden), or last for years if it's a bit drier and sunny.

I also  like euonymous shrubs; no flowers, but lovely variegated leaves all year round. If they start to get a bit tall, they can just be hacked back. I have them all around my UK garden, as I've been cutting back on veg patch and borders, due to more aches and pains, plus spending more time in France. You could even have your daffs planted aroundthem, and then the dying leaves would be a bit hidden.

I've also got some of those evergreenish shrubs -can't remember the name (loss of memory comes with the aches and pains!); v small leaves, with red berries in autumn and last in to winter, unless the birds get really going! The stems grow in a fish tail-ish shape. So you'd have green most of the year, lovely autumn colour, and/or birds to see coming to eat the berries - entertainment as well!

Hope this is some help,

Jo

[lavorgere]

Very obvious but what about hollyhocks at the back and perhaps Bergenias ( for Winter interest ) at the front ? Or a perennial geranium like Johnson's Blue for Summer colour ?

[Gardengirl]

I think the plant I couldn't remember earlier is pyracantha.

Jo

[Swissbarry]

Sorry - careless of me not to have said where I live.  It's St. Mathieu, near the border of Dordogne and Haute Vienne.  So winters can be very cold, and summers very hot.  Thanks so far for the suggestions; I'm rather spoiled for choice.  Aren't people nice!!

 

[Russethouse]

What about a cotoneaster horizontalis with other planting - it would give a nice backing, berries in winter, flowers in spring, evergreen.

[Gardengirl]

Cotoneaster, that's the one I meant, not pyracantha, although that's also very nice, but has rather more wayward branches, not the attractive fish taily ones of cotoneaster!

[odile]

I love pulmonaria for the dappled leaves and the very early flowers- and sedum for the very late flowers. That way bees and butterflies get nectar at the extremes of seasons.

[Chrissie]

How about penstemmons?

Chrissie (81)