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Topic Other Boards / Foo / Garden help
- By Noora Date 03.08.10 11:00 UTC
Calling all green fingered champ doggers...
I need some help with plants in our garden as I have no idea where to start!

We have few large "flower beds" that are surrounding a concrete patio area.
I would like to have these areas covered by something green(that would flower at some point).
-Pretty hardy -dogs walking(racing) through ever now and again
-Something that will spread and cover the area reasonably quickly(e.g. not take years to spread).
-It is in the sun so would need to be something that will cope with that, I don't mind watering it but am not home to do this all the time.
-The soil seems pretty bad quality but I do not mind adding some fertilisers/extra soil...
-Not poisonous if few leafs get eaten but not too tasty to graze on  :)
-Height wise something that is growing off the ground a little so that the dogs have a chance to see it might be a plant and not a new soft bed mummy put down for them.

Any ideas?
- By Whistler [gb] Date 03.08.10 11:29 UTC
Id put insome herbs like rosemary and it flowers, plus pots really nothing lasts with dogs racing through them and weeing.

Otherwise if you like groundcover go for ornamental grasses that dont need watering much, You can mix up colours black, golden miscathis tall ones. Flower wise cannas bring drama dn you cant beat summer favorites bizzie lizzies, begonias, geranium. Or else off with you to a garden centre for shrubs hebe's, cotteneaster, mahonia smells a dream in winter.
- By LindyLou [gb] Date 03.08.10 12:06 UTC
I was going to suggest Thyme ;-) Lovely smell, nice little flowers, hardy and you can eat it :-) I also have Lavender in my garden. The dogs all love to walk through it, and they smell really nice :-D
- By Whistler [gb] Date 03.08.10 12:25 UTC
Yes we have pots of lavender and I love it I just have to wach Whistler with bees, he snaps at them and got stung once, was behind the sofa and when we got him out he had a nose with an added black furry golf ball growing on it - very sorry for himself!
- By LindyLou [gb] Date 03.08.10 15:33 UTC
My garden is so full of bees :-p I think that any flower will attract them, so you have to watch anyway. I have planted wild flower seeds in my front garden just for the bees and butterflies. It is so nice to watch them. Not so many butterflies this year though :-(
- By Noora Date 05.08.10 16:30 UTC
Thank you everybody!!
Off to google some of the plants....
- By Twinny [gb] Date 05.08.10 19:12 UTC
As someone else has mentioned thye is a good ground cover, smells great and is really hardy. The other thing I have used is Campanula. It has beautiful purple flowers and only grows about 6 inches high but spreads really well. I have it around the edge of my pond and it flowers from Spring through to end of summer.
Hope you find something you like
- By dogs a babe Date 05.08.10 20:08 UTC
Hi Noora

Have a look at Crocus when you have some spare time.  It's a great site to while away the hours fantasising about the garden you might have!

From a practical point of view too you can choose plants according to colour and conditions, and they also have ready made beds for you to plant just as they are.  Crocus do sell and deliver plants direct to you but you could just print up a list to take to your nearest garden centre.  Shop around for plants though, I find that condition and price differ greatly. 

Another place you can look for planting ideas is the BBC Gardening site. I've bookmarked the page for Alchemilla Mollis - a lovely plant which answers all your needs.  I've never had a garden without it and it copes with dogs very easily although as I've never had a plant eater I don't know whether it's ok as part of their salad bar!  You'll want other options too so take a look at shrubs but be careful as some of these are quite brittle and rampaging dogs will take their toll.  Go for plants with reasonably flexible stems or thick growth.  I have a Pieris which one of my boys only has to look for bits to break off...

Have fun planning :)
Topic Other Boards / Foo / Garden help

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