New cottage border, ideas for year round colour?

pwurple

Planting advice/ideas please.

I've just prepped a bed about 1 m wide that run between a stone wall and a driveway. It's 20m long, west facing, fairly sheltered. Planning a cottagey looking border. Blue/pink/purples.

So, planting time is here. There are a few bits already existing... 3 or 4 Roses, couple of paeonies and some evergreen shrubs.

List so far is this, repeated a few times down the length, but I think I'm missing some colour, as tulips can be a bit fleeting?
Structural/texture:
Alchemilla mollis
Stipa gigantica
Fennel

Colour:
Pink tulips
Allium
Campanula (the low one)


Any ideas?

looksee

I like alchemilla mollis, but you have to be prepared to be ruthless about pulling up seedlings or it will take over.

Tulips are not really a long term proposition, they tend to disappear rather than multiply

For colour:

Winter pink/purple - winter heathers; Kaffir lily, Viscountess Byng (pink), small cyclamen - all shades of red, pink, purple, white

Summer - perennial geraniums, pink arabis (very easy and not rampant), aquilegia (again ruthlessly weed out seedlings), foxgloves.

Sonnenblumen

There is such an abundance of choice, but beware of invasive species, here are some of my favourites (not complete list) which are reliable performers, troublefree and easy to grow Herbaceous Perennials:

Leucanthemum Broadway Lights
Echinacea Magnus
Echinacea Whit Swan
Rudbeckia Goldsturm
Scabiosa Pink Delights
Scabiosa Butterfly Blue
Gerbera
Heuchera Palace Purple
Rosemary Prostratus
Armeria White/Pink
Dianthus
Helenium Moerheim Beauty
Fuchsia Lady/Tom Thumb
Liriope
Agapanthus Snow Storm
Sedum Spectablis
Carex Evergold
Acorus Ogon
Ophiopogon Nigresens
Bugle
Salvia Lipstick
Salvia Mainacht
Veronica
Astilbe Deutschland
Dahlia Moonfire
Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff
Coreopsis Zagreb
Dicentra Bleeding Heart
Euphorbia Robbiae
Galliardia
Hemerocallis Stella D'Oro
Verbena Bonariensis Lollipop
Ajuga Black Scallop
Trollius
Helleborus

Mix suitable shrubs to create a year round structure and good display

pwurple

Fantastic lists guys. thanks a mill.

Yeah, alchemilla mollis is a mad fellow alright, I have it all over the back garden, so it's a nice cheap division for me.

Love the perennial Geraniums and Echinacea's too. Big list for me there. Might be hard to pick up the perennials this time of year, but I'll give it a shot.

rje66

Some things to consider
-Try to achieve contrasts between plants
-balance
-use plants in groups of 3-5
-how much time you have to maintain it
-choose the correct plants , not just ones you like(see above about free seeding plants)
-use tall plants beside short ones for good effect
-spread seasonal interest evenly through the border
lookin forward to a pic next august:D:D