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A colourful slope
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"Ground cover plants combined with small spruce trees, bulbs and perennials create a colourful, mainly evergreen border that is attractive all year round and can be planted on sloping ground."
Site: sunny
Border: 6 by 3 metres
Type of soil: normal garden soil
This border accompanies a gentle flight of steps and links a low path to the entrance of the house, which is higher up. The border is confined by a dry stone wall at the bottom, and at the top the evergreen Laurel [Prunus laurocerasus "Rotundifolia"] (1) provides a screen.
This border is laid on a slope. The colour in the border is a combination of pink and deep blue. The border is enclosed at the back with a hedge of Laurel (1), a strong evergreen hedge that requires quite a lot of space.
The border is planted primarily with ground cover plants varying in height from 5 cm to 15 cm, and is filled up with spring flowering bulbs and summer flowering plants. The varieties have been chosen for their colour, evergreen properties and long flowering periods.
The border ends with a dry stone wall draped with a perpetual flowering pink rose Rosa "The Fairy" (2). Behind the roses are three wonderful blue-grey coloured Dwarf Spruces [Picea pungens "Glauca Globosa"] (3), growing from a field of blue Creeping Bellflowers [Campanula poscharskyana] (4). Next to this is the Stork's Bill [Erodium variabile "Bishop's Form"] (5), a perennial that keeps its leaves and produces pink flowers between May and September. Above this the decorative silver-blue flowers of the Sea Holly [Eryngium alpinum] (6) appear in July.
The Gromwell [Lithodora diffusa "Heavenly Blue"] (7) in the middle of the border also flowers from May to October with blue flowers. This is an evergreen plant.
At the back of the border we have the Korean Fir [Abies koreana] (8), which has glossy green needles that are silver on the underside. The violet-blue colour of the cones harmonises beautifully with the other plants.
Around this fir the Maiden Pinks [Dianthus deltoides erecta] (9) produce little pink flowers from June to August.
At the back of the border, on the left, there is a group of Winter Cherry [Solanum rantonnetii] (11) growing out of a carpet of Thyme [Thymus serpyllum] (10). Winter Cherry is a tub plant that produces blue flowers all summer long. It needs to overwinter in a frost-free place.
In spring you can cheer up the border with botanical bulbs and bulbs for naturalisation. These varieties are smaller and look very natural. Another advantage is that the withered leaves are inconspicuous between the ground cover plants. Plant the bulbs in groups from September onwards. Once planted they can stay in the ground and will multiply each year.
The Snowdrops [Galanthus niv.] (12) and Glory-of the-snow [Chionodoxa forbesii] (13) flower from January onwards. In March the red and yellow botanical Tulip "Giuseppe Verdi" [Tulipa "Giuseppe Verdi"] (14) flowers together with the Miniature Narcissus "Segovia"(15). Finally, the flowers of the yellow and white Tulip "Tarda" [Tulipa "Tarda"] (16) appear from April, after which the first ground cover plants begin to flower again.
In winter a large part of the border is still green. The Stork's Bill (5), Gromwell (7) and Thyme (10) form green carpets.
Finally, the Sea Holly (6) has an attractive silhouette in winter after flowering and therefore does not need to be cut back until spring.
I. path
II. steps (granite slabs)
III. lawn
IV. border
V. wall (dry stone)
DG&Ldesign (Dutch Garden & Landscapedesign bv)
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