My Plants Arrived

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So… half of the plants have arrived for the ornamental part of the garden. They arrived on a big van while I was out so when I came home there was a surprise waiting for me on the driveway! I must confess to be really, really excited about putting them in.

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The weather here is still pretty cold and the ground was frozen today until the sun came out and warmed things up a little. We managed to get one of the large Amur Maple trees in (of which there are five), some Hebes, two Rosemary plants and five Flamingo Heathers. It’s a start. The rest will go in over the next week.

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It’s amazing how just positioning a few plants around, particularly ones that give height to the garden makes it look smaller. They bring the edges in and make it feel cosy, less stark, and more useable.

We’re planting the following:

Evergreen shrubs:
Flamingo Heather (Calluna Flamingo) size 1G, 23
Camellia Elegans Splendor size 6′, 3
Variegated Winter Daphne (Daphne Odura Auro-Marginatea) size 2G, 2
Great Orme Hebe, size 2G, 3
Emerald Gem Hebe, size 2G, 4
Hinera Hebe, size 2G, 2
Blue Star Juniper, size 2G, 8
Hazel Spanish Lavender (Lavendula Stoechas Hazel) size 2G, 13
Fringe Flower (Loropetalum ‘Chaing Nian Hong”) size 5G, 3
Drew’s Blue Siberian Carpet Cypress (Microbiota Condrew) size 3G, 5
Blue Spires Rosemary, size 2G, 5
Evergreen Blueberry size 3G, 4

Deciduous Trees:
Flame Amur Maple (Acer Ginnala) size 8′, 5
Toyo Nishiki Flower Quince (Chaenomeles Toyo Nishiki), size 6′, 1
(although I’ll need another one if I want fruit)

Deciduous Shrubs:
Crimson Ruby Japanese Barberry (Berberis Crimson) size 2G, 8
Spike Winterhazel (Corylopsis Spicata) size 5G, 2
Diablo Ninebark (Physocarpus Diablo) size 5G, 4
Teller Blue Hydrangea (Hydrangea Blaumelse) size 5G, 1
Dark Violet Blue Hydrangea, size 5G,1
Pee Wee Oak Leaf Hydrangea, size 5G, 4
Little Princess Spiraea, size 2G, 3

Ferns:
Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum Pedatum) size 2G,14
Royal Purple Fern, Osmundra Purpurascens, size 2G, 4
(I actually decided against these as I realised I don’t like Ferns!)

Grass:
Elijah Blue Fescue (Festuca Glauca Elijah Blue) size 1G, 33

Hosta:
Empress Wu Hosta, size 1G, 4
Elegans Plantain Lily, size 1G, 11

Ground Cover:
Hybrid Epimedium (Rubrum) size 4″, 8
Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis Oregana), size 4″, 18
Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum Tectorum), size 4″, 5
Stonecrop (S. Cauticolum Lidakense) size 4″, 12
Cauticola Coca Cola, size 4″, 17
Woolly Thyme (Thymus Pseudolanuginosus) size 4″, 8

Anyone got any ideas what I can use instead of Ferns? They’re mostly in damp, shady areas.

Category: Garden Redesign     Tagged:

15 Comments on “My Plants Arrived”

  3. If you love English garden design and plants, pick up the National Gardens Scheme Yellow Book for 2013 or your county booklet from English libraries or tourist board. They have a good website too: ngs.org.uk. 2 weeks til snowdrop gardens open!

  5. How about houttuynia cordata? Tough and just colourful enough. I often use it to brighten dullish places a little.

  7. Wha hey! How exciting! Can’t wait to see how it all comes together!

    Just did a quick research with google for plants to brighten the shade area and found the link below about ‘Brightening Damp Shade’ by Jo Ann Gardner (good name for a gardener!). There’s a couple of really good suggestions that she recommends for brightening up shady places – you might find them useful for your damp shady area.

    http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/gardening-in-damp-shade.aspx

  8. Hi, this is off topic for this post. Apologies for that, but couldn’t figure out how else to ask this. I was wondering what company you used to ship your household to the US? I’m an American living in the UK and we’re getting ready to move back over as well. Don’t know anyone else who’s done it so am looking for a good recommendation!

  9. I have both Dicentra and Houttunyia in my damp, shady spots. Care re the latter though, it can be a thug – though I’ve heard it’s also edible! I also love Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ – it really brightens up a my shady, damp clay :)

    Heucheras would also do well – though I’ve found people either love them or hate them. A lot of the latest varieties were bred in Oregon…

  10. Looks like you have lots of ideas for alternatives to ferns so may I just say ‘Wow, this is so exciting!’ xxx

  11. groundcover ginger has been great in the shade for us (just around he corner from you), shiny heart shaped leaves in a dense spreading mat. Lilly of the valley is also doing nicely
    -e-

  12. Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I really appreciate it. I’ll definitely be trying some of them.

  13. Hi Megan – we used Anglo Pacific. They were great. Expensive (they all are) but great.

  14. Hi, did you consider skimmia (small, slow growth and “red dotted” in winter), astilbe (mid size, fern-like foliage) or Hydrangea (big and there should be evergreen varieties) ?

  15. Hi there,

    Lovely choice of plants you got. I’d like to ask where you got these from as I’m particularly partial to –

    Toyo Nishiki Flower Quince (Chaenomeles Toyo Nishiki), size 6?

    In in the Midlands, UK.

    Thanks,

    B