A year ago the ‘Patio Garden’ was pretty: hot and sunny, the daisies flowered prolifically, as did the iris. But it is now at the end of its fourth season. The rose has grown, the nepeta have become woody, as have the achilleas, and the artemisia just isn’t thriving. The hedge has thickened and together with the larger rose this compartment has changed to warm and partially shaded. Time to change the planting emphasis!
What is staying? The Roseraie de l’Haye, of course, the grasses and the libertia. They all need more space and the spikey shapes of the grasses and libertia will change the character of this part of the garden.
I have underplanted between the libertia and the miscanthus with Heuchera ‘Purple Palace’ taken from another part of the garden. This seems to do better if divided annually, or perhaps every second year. After that the plants become leggy and woody.
Instead of daisies I am trying a combination of tall, dark purple iris which I have rescued from behind the rose and divided (May/June), blue alliums (June/July, on the Crocus.co.uk website), Perovskia (August-October), Japanese anenome ‘Honorine Joubert’ (August-October, another ‘rescued’ plant), and Verbena bonariensis (June-October). And for contrast, and bee food, I might tuck in some cosmos.
On the edge of the bed is a pale yellow potentilla, alchemilla, and geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, all flowering earlier in spring.
What do you think?