Blog: Hardy geraniums, Astrantia, and Angelica pep up pond bed planting plan
The demise of a pair of self-seeded Echiums due to the rotten winter has left a gaping hole in the bed next to the pond, so I needed some herbaceous perennials for partial shade.
To be honest, it’s a bit of a relief that they’ve gone – they grew so tall and dominated the area, looking horribly raggy.
What to put in their place? The rest of the bed contains a Rheum palmatum (ornamental rhubarb), Rodgersia, Bergenia Admiral, Acanthus mollis Tasmanian Angel, a large variegated hosta, two dogwoods (Cornus alba spaethii and C. sericea White Gold), Clematis cirrhosa Freckles and assorted foxgloves. As you can guess, there’s not a lot going on in there past midsummer!
Read more about gardening for shade and partial shade in this excellent book, Shade. There’s also more information about plants for shade here.
Herbaceous perennials for partial shade – Astrantia and hardy geranium combo
To pep up the bed, I’ve chosen Astrantia Buckland, with dusty pink flowers surrounded by broad, silvery white bracts, which have green veining and tips. Flowering from June to August, it’s an early bloomer, growing to 90cm.
To complement it, I’m adding a few Geranium (Cinereum Group) Jolly Jewel Hot Pink, flowering from May until early autumn. The flowers are vibrant pink above low mounds of fresh green foliage, reaching 25cm. Update: these were a complete failure!
I’ve also bought an Angelica archangelica (the green one), as I love its large foliage – but I may have to fit that elsewhere!
For more information on these plants, visit www.crocus.co.uk.
