Advice for a plant killer

jos28

Looking for some advice from you experts for planting up a flower bed. I am a useless and very reluctant 'gardener'. The photo shows a raised flower bed which is 2ft wide by 24ft long and I need to fill it with something. I need plants that won't need replacing every year. The house is old and I think the cottage garden look would suit. I was thinking of taller plants at the back, with smaller ones at the front. I like the idea of some plants hanging over the front of the wall. Hope I am making sense here. I would like colour and don't like grasses or boring things like that. Laugh as you will, but I would like to plant the flower bed, perhaps weed it and thin out the plants occasionally but that is the extent of my gardening ability. The garden is south facing and that particular wall gets the sun from early morning until about 5pm

padi89

Cottage style and reluctant gardening are complete opposites.If you want low maintenance you could always plant up herbs and some "boring grasses".

jos28

Thanks Padi,
I think the reason I hate gardening is that most of my work involved cutting box hedges ! I was always too knackered after wrestling with hedge trimmers and bringing all the stuff to the green waste depot to engage in any 'nice' gardening. The offending hedge has now been contained by my new fence. Although I don't know my Begonias from my Antirrinums, perhaps it's time to have a go. The area is 24ft x 2ft, surely that couldn't be too difficult to maintain. I suppose I really just want a bit of colour and love the idea of growing something edible, like the herbs you suggested. I have some heathers and fuschia in pots and was thinking of transferring them and taking it from there.

Tabitharose

one of my neighbours has planted lavender, all along both sides of the path up to their front door, I think it looks beautiful, I suck at gardening, and have managed to keep my lavender alive for years, so I think it's pretty low maintenance & a lovely burst of colour

jos28

Thanks Tabitha, sounds ideal. I will definitely add lavender to my list.