The Elaeagnus provides height in the centre of the design, while the other plants add extra seasonal colour and interest throughout the growing season, providing a variety of different flower types over a long period.

Thymus is a useful ground cover plant and will help reduce erosion from bare soil. The ground cover can also help to reduce soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth.

Additional organic mulching, preferably with homemade compost, can further help with soil moisture retention and weed suppression. 

The plants in this scheme will attract a variety of beneficial insects to your garden. Including a variety of different flowering times and flower shapes will attract a wide variety of pollinators over time.

1 - Ceanothus ‘Puget Blue’ 

2 - Elaeagnus x submacrophylla ‘Gilt Edge’

3 - Phlomis fruticosa

4 - Veronica rakaiensis

5 - Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ 

6 - Veronica ‘Margaret’  

7 - Erysimum ‘Bowles's Mauve’ 

2 - Elaeagnus x submacrophylla ‘Gilt Edge’ forms a large shrub whose dark green leaves are outlined with yellow. Small, silvery, highly fragrant flowers open in autumn, sometimes followed by orange berries.

3 - Phlomis fruticosa is a small, spreading evergreen shrub, the erect shoots bearing sage-like, grey-green leaves to 12cm in length. Whorls of deep yellow, hooded flowers open from early summer.

4 - Veronica rakaiensis is a compact, rounded evergreen small shrub with small, bright green leaves and short spikes of white flowers from early summer.

5 - Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ is an evergreen sub-shrub forming a wide mat, with small, aromatic, dark green leaves and heads of tiny pink flowers.

6 - Veronica ‘Margaret’ is a compact, rounded evergreen shrub with bright green foliage and spikes of light blue flowers in early summer, often repeating in early autumn.

7 - Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a bushy evergreen perennial with clusters of rich mauve flowers rising above narrow, dark grey-green leaves.