Thank you so much Rosy for giving me the opportunity to show you my border, and for giving me such valuable advice. I have left the leaves on it this year, and I look for ward to getting lifting and moving in March/April. I think doing this in the way you have suggested will bring the border together rather then it looking disjointed. I will definitely be getting some snowdrops and cyclamen in and can then add more of the suggested plants at my leisure. I am now enthused and really looking forward to getting on with this in early spring. Thank you
Hi Rosy, nice to see you again! I also have a long border all around the property, around 400meters long border. I'm in the SouthofFrance with -4C winter nights and sometimes 40C summer days. A very sunny side I have planted ceanothous, small fruit trees 3m high, pears, granades, limes. The shaded border I fulled with virbinus (beautiful delicate flowers in winter) hostas under them , rododrendos and six sparsely Italian cypresses. To cover the ground I have many mughus (mini pines)always green and love the extreme temperatures! Then the common around here a diversity of Rosemary's, lavenders. It is a never ending game, now I've learned to plant the newbies in large plastic containers (cheap black ones) and so I can observe wich location it develops better, than I plant them... Sending warm regards for a healthy and prosperous 2025 🌱🍀🌻
Hello from across the pond Rosie. I too have a very long shady bed that needs revamped. I have already begun dividing plants and installing along the border now you have given me ideas for how to add interest as the project continues, thank you.
Hi Rosy! I have exactly the same scenario in my Alabama clay soil. This gives me hope to have a strategic plan per your suggestions. You are a wealth of practical and instructional information. Thank you.
Such a nice video. So much inspiration. 💕I have a woodland garden and I always put the leaves on my beds/borders. It protects the plants from the frost and snow and by the time spring comes around it's usually so broken up I just leave it right there and start my normal gardening. It's like mulching and fertilizing but for free. 🥰
Below the tree, geraniums are the obvious solution, as well as heuchera, helleborus. If it's moist enough, I suspect stuff like campanula, astrantia, alchemilla, geum, thalictrum, digitalis and aquilegia could work too, depending on the amount of light. Aster divaricata should work as well. Euphorbias are also tough as nails, there should be one for your spot, although I'm not a fan of euphorbias (they look a bit alien). Heavy clay is what I have too, if it's an elevated sunny dry spot, I go for echinops, sedum telephium, eryngium, agastache, achilleas (filipendulina especially), geranium sanguineum, grasses like stipas and panicum, some dry spot asters like laevis or oblongifolia, dry spot echinaceas like pallida, saponaria ocymoides, potentilla, scabiosa, knautia macedonica and once you go into more moisture and a bit less sun, veronica, veronicastrum, geum, eupatorium, monarda, helenium, selinum wallichianum, amsonia. And honestly, for a tough spot where you lost some plants, the best thing you can do is try some plants that are easy to sow in pots so you don't waste money at nurseries. The easiest plants to sow in all the ones I gave are echinops, eryngium, achillea, geum, saponaria, knautia, scabiosa, stipa, thalictrum and most asters. You can find seeds easily on Jelitto, Seedaholic, or Chiltern Seeds. Some other seeds are easy to germinate, but are tiny so it's trickier (surface sowing) like veronica, veronicastrum, digitalis, campanulas. But they're manageable once you know not to cover them with soil. Regarding the mulch on clay soil I have a big caveat. Yeah you can mulch, but not forever. Some plants will hate a rich soil like that and die prematurely or just grow too big and flop over. This is the case for poppies, echinops, eryngiums, some achilleas but not all, some asters but not all... My advice is to mulch yes but never put compost or manure in large quantities, just a little bit when you plant. If your soil becomes too rich, you're gonna have to Chelsea-chop like mad, just like in John Lord's garden, if you know his youtube videos. Only a few plants like extremely rich clay soil : eupatorium, a few monardas, astible, digitalis, some geums... Usually it's plants from mountain meadows or riverbeds. Some tall grasses and flowers from the american prairie will like it too, like coreopsis or panicum.
Super intéressant, merci. On sent le passionné de plantes. Je paille mon sol argileux avec des aiguilles de pins parasol que je broie, ça fait un paillis léger qui est esthétique, enrichit en surface et garde l’humidité ( je vis dans le sud de la France) . Pour l’ exposition soleil j’adore l’Achillee filipendulina et les verveines de Bueno aires.
This is very helpful, thank you Rosy. Over the years we have been in our house, the garden has become more and more overshadowed by trees, ours and neighbours. We have done a certain amount of splitting perennials which has been successful. We now need to do more. Our soil is sandy rather than clay.
Hi Rosie that was so interesting thank you. I was wondering about the leaves? My garden is a sandy soil should I still leave the leaves to be taken into the soil. I must say I LOVE the idea as I have just started cleaning up and it is such hard work. I am a new subscriber thank you.
I very much enjoy this type of video, such great info. What about adding Narcissus/ Daffodils,especially smaller bulb varieties like Tete-a-tête-à-tête that could be worked in among the tree roots.
Love love love your info so informative and helpful for all zones even across the pond❤Thank You Rosy. Do you have any books would love to add to my gardening library.❤
Love the video thank you! With the leaves, I'm personally fine leaving them fall until summer, then I like to see dark soil . I do have clay soil. Is it ok to add dark earth on top of rotting leaves at the summer time ( July) ? Or just better to let the leaves be all seasons?
Thank you so much Rosy for giving me the opportunity to show you my border, and for giving me such valuable advice. I have left the leaves on it this year, and I look for ward to getting lifting and moving in March/April. I think doing this in the way you have suggested will bring the border together rather then it looking disjointed. I will definitely be getting some snowdrops and cyclamen in and can then add more of the suggested plants at my leisure. I am now enthused and really looking forward to getting on with this in early spring. Thank you
Maybe a before and after! Good luck!
@@debs-more-plants Thank you, will do
So glad I was able to give you pointers as where to start. Have fun with it all
What about aquilegia, foxgloves, primroses, welsh poppies, all great fillers and dot plants.
@@helenyoung8012there are so many to add yes
These are invaluable episodes Rosy. Thank you!
Great advice on the leaf litter and allowing it to rot down on clay soil.
Hi Rosy, nice to see you again! I also have a long border all around the property, around 400meters long border. I'm in the SouthofFrance with -4C winter nights and sometimes 40C summer days. A very sunny side I have planted ceanothous, small fruit trees 3m high, pears, granades, limes. The shaded border I fulled with virbinus (beautiful delicate flowers in winter) hostas under them , rododrendos and six sparsely Italian cypresses. To cover the ground I have many mughus (mini pines)always green and love the extreme temperatures! Then the common around here a diversity of Rosemary's, lavenders. It is a never ending game, now I've learned to plant the newbies in large plastic containers (cheap black ones) and so I can observe wich location it develops better, than I plant them...
Sending warm regards for a healthy and prosperous 2025 🌱🍀🌻
I really love your videos. They are so helpful. Thank you.
Very interesting!
I learn so much from you!
Hello from across the pond Rosie. I too have a very long shady bed that needs revamped. I have already begun dividing plants and installing along the border now you have given me ideas for how to add interest as the project continues, thank you.
I have learnt so much about splitting/repositioning plants and would love to see how the garden progresses during the year. Thanks Rosie😊
Hi Rosy! I have exactly the same scenario in my Alabama clay soil. This gives me hope to have a strategic plan per your suggestions. You are a wealth of practical and instructional information. Thank you.
Such a nice video. So much inspiration. 💕I have a woodland garden and I always put the leaves on my beds/borders. It protects the plants from the frost and snow and by the time spring comes around it's usually so broken up I just leave it right there and start my normal gardening. It's like mulching and fertilizing but for free. 🥰
Below the tree, geraniums are the obvious solution, as well as heuchera, helleborus. If it's moist enough, I suspect stuff like campanula, astrantia, alchemilla, geum, thalictrum, digitalis and aquilegia could work too, depending on the amount of light. Aster divaricata should work as well. Euphorbias are also tough as nails, there should be one for your spot, although I'm not a fan of euphorbias (they look a bit alien).
Heavy clay is what I have too, if it's an elevated sunny dry spot, I go for echinops, sedum telephium, eryngium, agastache, achilleas (filipendulina especially), geranium sanguineum, grasses like stipas and panicum, some dry spot asters like laevis or oblongifolia, dry spot echinaceas like pallida, saponaria ocymoides, potentilla, scabiosa, knautia macedonica and once you go into more moisture and a bit less sun, veronica, veronicastrum, geum, eupatorium, monarda, helenium, selinum wallichianum, amsonia.
And honestly, for a tough spot where you lost some plants, the best thing you can do is try some plants that are easy to sow in pots so you don't waste money at nurseries. The easiest plants to sow in all the ones I gave are echinops, eryngium, achillea, geum, saponaria, knautia, scabiosa, stipa, thalictrum and most asters. You can find seeds easily on Jelitto, Seedaholic, or Chiltern Seeds. Some other seeds are easy to germinate, but are tiny so it's trickier (surface sowing) like veronica, veronicastrum, digitalis, campanulas. But they're manageable once you know not to cover them with soil.
Regarding the mulch on clay soil I have a big caveat. Yeah you can mulch, but not forever. Some plants will hate a rich soil like that and die prematurely or just grow too big and flop over. This is the case for poppies, echinops, eryngiums, some achilleas but not all, some asters but not all... My advice is to mulch yes but never put compost or manure in large quantities, just a little bit when you plant. If your soil becomes too rich, you're gonna have to Chelsea-chop like mad, just like in John Lord's garden, if you know his youtube videos. Only a few plants like extremely rich clay soil : eupatorium, a few monardas, astible, digitalis, some geums... Usually it's plants from mountain meadows or riverbeds. Some tall grasses and flowers from the american prairie will like it too, like coreopsis or panicum.
Thank you for your always very thoughtful and detailed comments
Very helpful, thank you
Super intéressant, merci. On sent le passionné de plantes. Je paille mon sol argileux avec des aiguilles de pins parasol que je broie, ça fait un paillis léger qui est esthétique, enrichit en surface et garde l’humidité ( je vis dans le sud de la France) . Pour l’ exposition soleil j’adore l’Achillee filipendulina et les verveines de Bueno aires.
well done Rosy great helpful vid
I have a similar garden, and same problem apart from no wildlife, only slugs 😢great ideas I will be implementing Rosie.😊 😊
This is very helpful, thank you Rosy. Over the years we have been in our house, the garden has become more and more overshadowed by trees, ours and neighbours. We have done a certain amount of splitting perennials which has been successful. We now need to do more. Our soil is sandy rather than clay.
Hi Rosie that was so interesting thank you. I was wondering about the leaves? My garden is a sandy soil should I still leave the leaves to be taken into the soil. I must say I LOVE the idea as I have just started cleaning up and it is such hard work. I am a new subscriber thank you.
I very much enjoy this type of video, such great info. What about adding Narcissus/ Daffodils,especially smaller bulb varieties like Tete-a-tête-à-tête that could be worked in among the tree roots.
As long as the wildlife don’t get to them first yes
Love love love your info so informative and helpful for all zones even across the pond❤Thank You Rosy. Do you have any books would love to add to my gardening library.❤
Youve given me a great deal to think about, thank you
How close or far should smaller plants be in relation to tree and shrub trunks, and their drip lines?
Thanks
Love the video thank you! With the leaves, I'm personally fine leaving them fall until summer, then I like to see dark soil . I do have clay soil. Is it ok to add dark earth on top of rotting leaves at the summer time ( July) ? Or just better to let the leaves be all seasons?
If the leaf litter hangs about till later in the season then rake to the back. Mostly by then they will have broken down.
Thank you for such informative videos. I have oak trees consequently oak leaves which I read are not very good for the soil. Do you agree Rosy?
Oak are not so good but still will rot down. They will help protect plants in the winter then can be moved if they have not broken down.