Cirencester Scene Magazine - Establishing Local Connections
Filling Gaps in @GeoffCarr2
Borders by Geoff Carr
In this month’s article I have listed four more of my favourite good gap filling plant suggestions. These plants are for you if you find yourself look- ing at your lovely summer border and wondering how all those patches of bare earth got there. Apart from one of these suggestions they will perform their socks off year after year and are tough as old boots when it comes to our freezing winters.
Hebe rakaiensis and Hebe ‘Red Edge’. Rakaien- sis is a small/medium sized evergreen shrub, rounded/domed in shape with white flowers from early to mid summer. Bees love the flow- ers. Very hard frosts can burn the leaves; cut damaged material back to the ground in late spring. ‘Red Edge’ is smaller than Rakaiensis and it has grey/blue leaves edged with a bold red colour.
Heuchera Marmalade
Geranium. Not to be confused with Pelargo- nium, the half hardy flower often used as sum- mer bedding. Geraniums are hardy perennials that come in many colours, shapes and sizes. Popular choices include psilostemon, platypeta- lum, endressii, cinereum and sanguineum. Di- vide the clumps in spring or autumn and replant to increase the effect, they respond well to ‘The Chelsea Chop’ too.
Forget-me-not. A really good plant for early spring colour in the border. Excellent for filling gaps and giving a feeling of spring cottage gar- den abundance. Pull up the entire plant after it has finished flowering and it will make room for the next round of colour as supplied by early summer performers such as wallflowers.
Heuchera. One of my favourite of all border plants. Evergreen/semi evergreen, they are small, about 12” in height and spread with a wide variety of leaf and flower colour. Good for flower arranging too. Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ is a real dazzler that brightens up the front of any border.
Check out Cirencester Gardening Club:
Secretary Val Timbers 01285 651243
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
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