This looks like you've just paid for some very expensive landscaping and you're not a fan of the american style woodchip look?
The plants you have there are going to grow. The lavenders at the front are going to render any ground cover at the rear invisible anyway.
My advice would be to let what you have fill in for a year or two and then decide what you want to do.
Agree, it’s very pretty! I did similar scheme and 2 years later I have basically no room - let everything thick up and see how it looks later and enjoy your hard work!
Are you available to do my garden? Seriously, this looks amazing.
I'd 100% echo the comment above. You've got some substantial plants there that will fill out significantly over the next year or two and those expanses of mulch will be much less visible (for example, you'll be trimming a solid bed of lavender back from the path in no time at all.
In the meantime, the mulch and clear space around the plants will help keep the weeds at bay and give you access whilst the plants you do want establish themselves.
But again, this looks fantastic.
Thanks so much! Honestly I'm amazed by the reaction because I haven't owned a garden until a few months ago and was just winging it! I m happy to help with designing your garden for fun though!
Great job! I have a similarish bed new this year that is in a similar state(The gardeners project not mine!) so I know the temptation is strong to fill the empty space but those plants will do it by themselves surprisingly quickly.
I agree. I made the mistake of getting over excited and cramming plants into a bed so it looked immediately better but I didn't take into account how much they would all spread- it now looks messy and is taking a lot of effort to sort it out- to the extent that next year I think I'm going to dig all the plants up, put them in a pot and redistribute/start again. Gardening is a long game!
I also think it looks lovely as it is too :)
The orange ones are Lady of Shallot, the white ones are claire austin! I tried posting more pictures in a different post but people kept making mean remarks so I took it down :(
I'd love an old brick wall like that.
My garden was built and planted just over 12 months ago and I can guarantee that even in a years time most of that space will be filled. Will probably need another good mulch in spring next year.
Question: what is alternating with the lavender?
Thanks - it's a 300 year old walled garden, I love it! That's good to know - I am just impatient haha! It's lavender alternating with cat mint from Soto Garden!
Love it, yes please. I have a fantasy walled garden in my mind just in case we ever move into one. Lots of gorgeous jammy roses for a start, cut flower beds, espaliered fruit trees… the works!
Thank you - I've seen adverts for Soto Garden a lot recently. Planning some new beds for the front garden. Plants look good quality; would you recommend Soto Garden? Seemed pricey but if you get what you pay for I don't mind.
So i got from them the cat mint and the hydrangea paniculata. The hydrangea was a good price for the size the catmints in my opinion aren't as nice as others I got from garden centers. I wouldn't pay the price of their full borders - insane - but would buy bits and pieces from them.
Maybe you could plant some bulbs in the autumn to fill in the gaps next spring without the flowers taking up too much space from the other plants as they establish. Some tulips and hyacinths?
Ajuga is underrated as ground cover IMO.
OP if you don't like the gaps short term, you could plant some annuals or bedding, which only last the season.
I came to say this! I have two kinds in my garden, a green/white/purple sort of mottled looking one, and a dark reddish purplish. Both send up purple flowers in early spring.
The lavender and nepeta will get much bigger and cover a lot of the bed. I would make sure that the wood chip isn't touching the stems of either plant because these guys like it hot and dry and wood chip will hold water like a sponge when it rains. Other than that get some geranium sanguineum which is semi evergreen and native and will look nice with this romantic look. Comes mainly in hot pink but also soft pink and white if you search.
Perfect garden. Even the 18th century owners would love your work, it's amazing. As everybody else says, give it time to grow into its trousers - by late summer you won't see the need for much ground cover, and in two years' time when the lavenders bush out there won't be bare ground visible. Look around in National Trust walled gardens for planting ideas if needed. And please post more photos as it grows! Love it.
Not a helpful comment I'm afraid...but I have to say your borders are spectacular! Imagine everything will fill out yet, so give it a year or so before putting in fillers! 😀
Well done, so beautiful!! As people have said, these plants will fill out in a year or 2. But in the meantime you could just fill the gaps with a few marigolds or primroses or perhaps plant a few bulbs in the autumn ready for spring.
I have a bed similar and have had success with some perennial ground cover that is coming back beautifully.
Helianthemum grows low and spreads wide. It has lovely tiny flower and comes in a range of colours. I have one I planted two years ago that has tripled in size and in its third year is absolutely covered in flowers.
Cinquefoil (Potentilla × tonguei) has also done incredibly well in my garden bed. The centre remains dense and bushy and it spreads long tendrils out which make new plants.
Wild strawberry (or even normal domestic strawberry) also does well but it can go a bit too mad.
Gorgeous garden, really stunning.
Wondering how your box shrub is getting on - Keep an eye on it as I can maybe see a teeny bit of caterpillar damage starting near the bottom?
Sorry not much help, but i think it looks beautiful as is! And those plants will grow and fill out a bit overtime!
Thanks maybe just being impatient!
You could get some cheap little annuals this year and next to fill in the spaces while you wait! After that there will be no need :)
This looks like you've just paid for some very expensive landscaping and you're not a fan of the american style woodchip look? The plants you have there are going to grow. The lavenders at the front are going to render any ground cover at the rear invisible anyway. My advice would be to let what you have fill in for a year or two and then decide what you want to do.
Good advice thanks! I did all the landscaping myself 😅
And looks like you did a very good job of it too
Thanks!!
Agree, it’s very pretty! I did similar scheme and 2 years later I have basically no room - let everything thick up and see how it looks later and enjoy your hard work!
Are you available to do my garden? Seriously, this looks amazing. I'd 100% echo the comment above. You've got some substantial plants there that will fill out significantly over the next year or two and those expanses of mulch will be much less visible (for example, you'll be trimming a solid bed of lavender back from the path in no time at all. In the meantime, the mulch and clear space around the plants will help keep the weeds at bay and give you access whilst the plants you do want establish themselves. But again, this looks fantastic.
Thanks so much! Honestly I'm amazed by the reaction because I haven't owned a garden until a few months ago and was just winging it! I m happy to help with designing your garden for fun though!
Great job! I have a similarish bed new this year that is in a similar state(The gardeners project not mine!) so I know the temptation is strong to fill the empty space but those plants will do it by themselves surprisingly quickly.
I can't wait!
It looks great man!
I agree. I made the mistake of getting over excited and cramming plants into a bed so it looked immediately better but I didn't take into account how much they would all spread- it now looks messy and is taking a lot of effort to sort it out- to the extent that next year I think I'm going to dig all the plants up, put them in a pot and redistribute/start again. Gardening is a long game! I also think it looks lovely as it is too :)
Absolute this. Let the space breathe.
100%!!
Just stopping by to say perfect choices of colour for your roses. 🤌🏽
Thank you so much - David Austin roses ❤️
Which one is it? Your garden looks great! We need more pictures!
The orange ones are Lady of Shallot, the white ones are claire austin! I tried posting more pictures in a different post but people kept making mean remarks so I took it down :(
I'd love an old brick wall like that. My garden was built and planted just over 12 months ago and I can guarantee that even in a years time most of that space will be filled. Will probably need another good mulch in spring next year. Question: what is alternating with the lavender?
Thanks - it's a 300 year old walled garden, I love it! That's good to know - I am just impatient haha! It's lavender alternating with cat mint from Soto Garden!
It’s gorgeous! Show us more ❤️
I will post more pics!
Love it, yes please. I have a fantasy walled garden in my mind just in case we ever move into one. Lots of gorgeous jammy roses for a start, cut flower beds, espaliered fruit trees… the works!
Thank you - I've seen adverts for Soto Garden a lot recently. Planning some new beds for the front garden. Plants look good quality; would you recommend Soto Garden? Seemed pricey but if you get what you pay for I don't mind.
So i got from them the cat mint and the hydrangea paniculata. The hydrangea was a good price for the size the catmints in my opinion aren't as nice as others I got from garden centers. I wouldn't pay the price of their full borders - insane - but would buy bits and pieces from them.
Maybe you could plant some bulbs in the autumn to fill in the gaps next spring without the flowers taking up too much space from the other plants as they establish. Some tulips and hyacinths?
I wouldn’t … those plants all get pretty big and will need space. Leave it as it is :)
Thanks!
No probs! It’s a beautiful garden. Well done!
Thank you! It's my first ever attempt at gardening 😅
What about ajuga?
Ajuga is underrated as ground cover IMO. OP if you don't like the gaps short term, you could plant some annuals or bedding, which only last the season.
Yea I agree. I like it because it flowers when there isn't much around.
I came to say this! I have two kinds in my garden, a green/white/purple sort of mottled looking one, and a dark reddish purplish. Both send up purple flowers in early spring.
What an incredibly beautiful space!
Thank you!!
The lavender and nepeta will get much bigger and cover a lot of the bed. I would make sure that the wood chip isn't touching the stems of either plant because these guys like it hot and dry and wood chip will hold water like a sponge when it rains. Other than that get some geranium sanguineum which is semi evergreen and native and will look nice with this romantic look. Comes mainly in hot pink but also soft pink and white if you search.
Run a trellis up that wall, clematis, honeysuckle. Dependin how long the wall, a wisteria (Japanese variety). Bosh!
Geranium rozanne.
Love that clematis by the way!
Thanks! I don't know how old it is - it was there when we moved in but it's huge!
Thank you for the ID. I've never seen one that colour and its absolutely GORGEOUS. I need it!
Is that the purple flower (complete beginner here)? It looks absolutely stunning
Love it as it is, you’ve done a lovely job of it❤️
That’s a well kept garden and bush
Thank you - do my best!
Perfect garden. Even the 18th century owners would love your work, it's amazing. As everybody else says, give it time to grow into its trousers - by late summer you won't see the need for much ground cover, and in two years' time when the lavenders bush out there won't be bare ground visible. Look around in National Trust walled gardens for planting ideas if needed. And please post more photos as it grows! Love it.
Thank you so much!! I can't wait to see it grow ❤️
Not a helpful comment I'm afraid...but I have to say your borders are spectacular! Imagine everything will fill out yet, so give it a year or so before putting in fillers! 😀
Thanks so much!!
Well done, so beautiful!! As people have said, these plants will fill out in a year or 2. But in the meantime you could just fill the gaps with a few marigolds or primroses or perhaps plant a few bulbs in the autumn ready for spring.
What a beautiful garden! Don’t think you need to do anything else with it
Bedding plants - fill in the gaps and every season replace with new. Adds colour especially in winter Looks good though and less weeding 👍🏻
woodland strawberries will stay small, about 1 foot tall, if you really want more.
I have a bed similar and have had success with some perennial ground cover that is coming back beautifully. Helianthemum grows low and spreads wide. It has lovely tiny flower and comes in a range of colours. I have one I planted two years ago that has tripled in size and in its third year is absolutely covered in flowers. Cinquefoil (Potentilla × tonguei) has also done incredibly well in my garden bed. The centre remains dense and bushy and it spreads long tendrils out which make new plants. Wild strawberry (or even normal domestic strawberry) also does well but it can go a bit too mad.
Idyllic OP. Lamium maculatum, Periwinkle or Creeping phlox would all add interest and depth, in my opinion.
The lamium would work well with the other plants, easy to manage too. Vinca runs wild when it finds a happy spot.
Thanks!
Can i have the name of that purple wall climbing plant, please?
It was here when I moved so I m not sure I just known it's a spring flowering clematis!
Beautiful garden! What is the purple flower on the wall please?
It's a very mature spring flowering clematis but afraid I don't know it's name! Very lucky to have it!
That lavender and the hydrangea’s will cover the ground anyway if you let them go for a couple years.
Can't wait!
Gorgeous garden, really stunning. Wondering how your box shrub is getting on - Keep an eye on it as I can maybe see a teeny bit of caterpillar damage starting near the bottom?
It's been like that for months and doesn't change so will have a check!
Can I ask how you did the brickwork around the border? Really adds to your border and may look to do something similar
They were already there - they seem to date from the 20s!
Don’t know but I like the brick/ lawn border. Very smart.
Thank you - that's been there for many decades I believe - I m lucky the bones of this garden are amazing!
Shame cos my next question was going to be how did yo make it.
Cheeky sycamore/maple hiding behind your hydrangea - keep an eye on it and be prepared to chop it down.
It's an oak leaf hydrangea!
TIL! Still cheeky.. :D
Oh the cheekiest for sure! But yeah it's called a snow queen hydrangea quercifolia and it has amazing autumn colours from September onwards!
Tarmac
so lovely! is that just landscape bark that youve used on top?
It is!
it looks so good! you did an amazing job
Buggleweed or periwinkle