Blog: A good time to dig up and replant borders…
My plan this winter and spring is to redo part of the long bed that runs along half the length of my garden next to the hedge, following the golden rule of right plant, right place.
The problem with the border is that I’ve ignored that golden rule! It’s my largest growing area, and any individual plants I’ve trialled over the years have been plonked there. It now has a real ‘mish-mash’ patchwork effect I’m deeply unhappy with.
If ever you want to replant areas of your garden, this is a good time to do it. Evergreen and deciduous shrubs, even small trees, can be moved successfully in their dormant state. Don’t try this if the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. The winter’s been mild so far, and we’ve been dry here since Boxing Day, allowing me to get digging. Here’s how it’s going so far…
Right plant, right place: rescuing a clump of daylilies
The previous owner planted what looked like weedy-looking grassy leaves under the hedge. They were in dry shade, a totally inhospitable spot. They’d been there at least 35 years. It was only when I rescued a small clump a few years back that I realised they were orange daylilies. They had never flowered because of their terrible positioning.
The RHS guide says: “They bring a valuable splash of fiery colour to sunny borders with free-draining soil.” Quite the opposite of their shady clay quarters. I’ve dug up the rest and potted them up to grow on, and will plant them out in the spring.
Moving badly placed shrubs
I planted a Chaenomeles x superba Jet Trail (Japanese quince) several years ago. Its white flowers are lovely, but it looks wrong at the front of a border – it is far too floppy. It now lives in a tub next to a bamboo, Fargesia Pingwu, forming an honour guard with Chaenomeles japonica, the orange-red flowered variety.
Replacing a dodgy tree
The bed was also home to ‘Vanessa’s tree’, a small purple-leaved ornamental plum planted just after she was born (nearly 28 years ago). It’s never been a healthy specimen (the tree, not Vanessa) and really wasn’t earning its keep. It proved ridiculously easy to dig out, so I don’t feel too bad about turfing it. I can’t get rid of a tree without planting a new one, so that honour goes to Acer Shirasawanum Jordan, the Full Moon Acer.
The foliage emerges with orange edges, changing to bright yellow during the summer with red seeds that push up above the leaves. In autumn, there are brilliant reds and oranges to look forward to, with grey bark in winter.
Getting rid of invasive plants
This whole end of the border was constantly being swamped by the invasive Campanula carpatica and Lysimachia. They’re great for ground cover, or if you don’t have much time, but they will smother anything, so it’s time for them to go. Despite sieving the soil, any tiny bit left will root, so I’m expecting to go back over it with a fine-tooth comb.
Right plant, right place – planning ahead…
The area under the new Acer is very shady, so I’ve invested in three ferns, Dryopteris and Asplenium, to act as minimalistic ground cover. I’m keeping the ornamental rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) where it is, as I hurt my wrist so badly dividing it last time, it’s earned its right to that spot!
