A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.
Last autumn, I removed a number of huge lavender and rosemary shrubs which had been magnificent beasts but, sadly, had come to the end of their decorative lives. I replaced like with like; the new shrubs are greening up nicely but it will be some time before they cover the ground and hang down the walls and - frankly - it all looks a bit sparse and dismal at present.
Quick-growing flowering or pretty leaf annuals have to be the short-term answer. I've got a few ideas but wondered if anybody had tackled a similar problem and found a solution?
I have a similar problem though for different reasons! I found that fennel grows very quickly and has lovely leaves - you can mix the green and bronze, too. Mine grew to about 4 ft in a month or so! Maybe mix something like cosmos in for colour. This year I'm adding artichokes too - trying to keep this part quite 'kitchen garden' style - the silvery leaves should look really nice.
I agree with fennel because it's very pretty and use artichokes to give structure to parts of the garden. You can either eat the veg or let it flower. Try Nigella, Zinnias, Pinks, Merigolds, Sweet William, Nicotiana, Euphorbia, Cineraria and Ageratum.
Succulents taken from cutting often grow very quickly and can be used to fill gaps which reminds me that Santolina needs very little watering and can fill a space well, but it doesn't grow as quickly as some of the others.
LV, I've managed to grow some wonderful ones in the UK, and I suspect they are nearing the end too. I think they are 7 years old. I've not been successful with the rosemary though.
Thanks Martha and Chianti for your helpful suggestions. Would you sow the seeds directly into the ground or give them a start by sowing first in boxes (our soil is thin and rocky); we have a small greenhouse?
... what is the natural life expectancy of a lavendar bush?
The ones that I removed were around 15 years old and huge - about 8 foot in length, trailing down a wall. A couple of rosemarys of the same vintage are still going strong, they don't become leggy like the lavender. It's amazing how big these shrubs can grow when left to their own devices.
I think the life of a lavender bush is about 10 years.
Jimbo, definately in the greenhouse, they will grow faster and safer. Slugs, snails and caterpillars attack tiny shoots in the ground and ants walk away proudly with seeds. I often don't have space to sow in pots so I sow directly in the ground, the pray a lot. Zinnias will be one of the best for colour through the summer. I call them performers.
I was tired last night and have just remembered that chives and thyme are fast growing and have beautiful flowers. I use them all over the garden Thyme is for ground cover and the thin shoots of thyme make a great contrast. The other is allium (onions), they too are very pretty.
Thanks, Chianti. I feel inspired enough to go delving amongst the seed packets when I'm out today. You don't mention nasturiums? Always a favourite and good for filling odd spaces (apart from the aphids).
I had a lot of santolina's in the garden when I first moved in but i got rid as i found that they smelled of dog poo if disturbed so I wouldn't use them again. Has anyone else found that?
One tip I can give is, if you have a lot of space to fill don't buy from a garden centre, find your nearest plant auction and go and bid along with the professionals. we have 2 big ones in this area that the retailers buy from. You have to VAT on some but not all and they are usually sectioned accordingly.
... if you have a lot of space to fill don't buy from a garden centre ...
Yes, plants are a fierce price in the usual French retail outlets but we're lucky enough to have a wholesale-type enterprise closeby which has huge stocks of excellent plants at more modest prices. Even there, it doesn't take long to rattle up to 100 Euros or more, so it's only for window boxes, tubs and the like. Their range of geraniums, in particular, is wonderful - especially the droopy ivy-leafed varieties.
I didn't mention nasturtiums because their slugs food.
Santolina smells of camphor, I quite like the smell. It fills spaces well and is easy to propagate from cuttings.
Jimbo I propagate many plants from cuttings from those which I've purchased, including lavender, that helps to cut down on the spend for new plants.
If you want to fill a space plant a Honeysuckle over a trellis, it grows faster than any plant I know. I use Morning Glory for summer colour, it even does well when not used as a climber, it looks rather effective as ground cover too.
Good luck with planting from seed, because you will do it in pots you should have a higher success rate.
