ever green and flower

[YFS]

Hi

I am trying to fill a large 50' x 15' flower bed. I have seen some nice ever green bushes that are now starting to flower. I have seen some at a local school with lots of small pink and blue flowers. I want suggestions for planting at the back of the flower bed, and how can I cover a 50' bed without spending a lot of money.
I am thinking about large bushes at either end, with a different coloured flower across the middle.

YFS

[veggiechicken]

That's a big area to fill on the cheap! Do you want low maintenance as well? Does the bed back up against a wall or something or can you walk around the bed? Does it need to look good from all sides?
Is this in a public space or in your garden?

[YFS]

That's a big area to fill on the cheap! Do you want low maintenance as well? Does the bed back up against a wall or something or can you walk around the bed? Does it need to look good from all sides?
Is this in a public space or in your garden?

Its a train station, and there is lots more land to tackle, if we have the time. So low maintenance is needed at the back, and then we can perhaps spend more time with plants at the front. Even having part of it grassed was a thought, but nothing is set.

[rustylady]

Is there a fence at the back? If so how about some plants like dog rose, hawthorn, cherry plum, blackthorn etc. Don't forget to plant spring bulbs at the front (daffodils, crocus etc)

[tamsin]

Grow from seed now, things like hollyhocks, wallflowers (early colour), forget-me-nots, lupin, aquilegia are all sow nowish-autumn for flowering next year and will self-seed themselves too. Poppies are another good one for spreading.

With 50+ seeds in a packet you could easily fill the whole area for very little cost.

Or... you could go for a wildflower mix - pick a good one and you'd get lots of colour, fairly easy maintenance and it would self seed itself.

[YFS]

Grow from seed now, things like hollyhocks, wallflowers (early colour), forget-me-nots, lupin, aquilegia are all sow nowish-autumn for flowering next year and will self-seed themselves too. Poppies are another good one for spreading.

With 50+ seeds in a packet you could easily fill the whole area for very little cost.

Or... you could go for a wildflower mix - pick a good one and you'd get lots of colour, fairly easy maintenance and it would self seed itself.

Yes there is a very tall wall at the back, so they will be in partial shade.
I have planted some lupins, nigela and pansies from seed. Just bought some dephinium, aubreta, dwarf dahlia and rudbeckia today.

[tamsin]

Aubreta - that's a good idea - great for filling in the gaps, I was surprised how easy it came up from seed too (I saved some from plants last year and it germinated well this spring). Calendula would be another good one - mine is full of self seeded ones this year and they are lovely big bold plants.

[Peas'n'Kews]

I read the subject as your wanting things that are evergreen and that flower..... so even though that's not what you want, here goes!!!

How about a clematis Armandii and some Winter flowering Viburnum? You even get scent.....

Sorry, not really what you wanted, but my brain had already made connections, which is hard at my age, so you gotta use 'em!

[veggiechicken]

I read the subject as your wanting things that are evergreen and that flower..... so even though that's not what you want, here goes!!!

That's how I read it too PnK! A low maintenance, evergreen shrubbery, with flowering shrubs.

[Peas'n'Kews]

They say great minds think alike....

[Two_Sheds]

I want suggestions ...

could you please be a little clearer about the evergreen thing, if you don't mind. Please. Did you want that thing with the pink & blue flowers? Thank you.

Thanks for your time

[YFS]

could you please be a little clearer about the evergreen thing, if you don't mind. Please. Did you want that thing with the pink & blue flowers? Thank you.

I am thinking of something that is low maintenance, but I am sure all gardeners want colour too. On wiki, Forsythia was one plant that came up. Although, it says, it grow too tall at 9ft, perhaps this might be ok with pruning? I dont want it looking too bare in winter.
A long and wide bed, with a very tall wall at the back, and the station bridge just partly above. So just ground cover with colour, leaving a long bed for perenials and maybe a few bedding plants at the front.

[veggiechicken]

I'm so confused because forsythia is not evergreen

[YFS]

I'm so confused because forsythia is not evergreen

lol, I think that I gt things the wrong way around. I was struggleing with perennial and annual. I think I need to buy a book; I have a RHS book about house plants that I got as a present years ago, pity its about house plants.

[veggiechicken]

Put it like this YFS, if you want really low maintenance plant it up with big shrubs, maybe some perennials in the foreground or dotted amongst the shrubs. Forget the annuals unless they self seed and form part of the planting scheme.
The more complex you make it the more maintenance there's going to be and I'm sure you don't want to spend lots of time there when you could be working in your own garden. Another option for low maintenance would be phormiums and grasses. They can look very effective en masse and if you cover the gaps in between the plants with shingle it could be easy to maintain.