Creating a New Planting Area in the Yarden

Transforming an Awkward Planting area with Antique Egg Crates

Every gardener has that spot—awkward, unloved, and just waiting for the right inspiration. For me, it's the 5-foot-wide by 3-foot-wide space between my oil tank and boiler, a tricky area that needed some love. My solution? Four antique egg crates (each 2ft x 1ft and over 1ft deep), lined, treated with an organic wood stain, and staged at two heights on scaffolding planks. These crates will become a layered, vibrant planting feature in my Yarden!

The Plan:

✔ Staging the crates on two scaffolding planks—one at 5 inches, the other at 10 inches—to create a tiered effect.
✔ Treating the wood with organic wood stain for durability and aesthetics.
✔ Filling them with pollinator-friendly plants, including Verbena Bampton, Drumstick Alliums, Geums, Wallflowers, Scabious, and ornamental grasses.
✔ Topping with pea gravel for a clean, polished look (and to keep weeds at bay).

Bonus Plants: I’m adding evergreens like Blue Fescue, Carex, and Euphorbia Silver Sawn to keep it looking gorgeous all year, plus some spring bulbs to bring early colour!

The Planting Plan 

The theme? Purples, blues, pinks, and burgundy. The stars of the show:

• Verbena Bampton – A beautiful airy perennial with deep purple foliage and tiny pink flowers.

• Drumstick Alliums – Adding structure and a splash of rich burgundy-purple.

• Gaura (Whirling Butterflies) – Light, floating pink blooms for movement.

• Erigeron (Mexican Fleabane) – The ultimate fill-the-gaps plant with soft pink and white daisy-like flowers.

• Wallflowers (Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve’) – Evergreen long-flowering beauty in purple.

• Scabious (‘Butterfly Blue’ & ‘Pink Mist’) – Delicate pincushion flowers that pollinators love.

• Grasses (Blue Fescue & Carex) – Evergreen grasses for texture and all-year interest.

• Spurge (Euphorbia) – Adds architectural structure and is also evergreen.

• Sea Holly (Eryngium) – A striking perennial with spiky, silvery-blue flowers that add texture and interest, while also being drought-tolerant.

• Salvia ‘Caradonna’ – A compact, deep purple-blue flowering sage with dark stems, perfect for attracting pollinators and adding contrast.

To top it all off, I'll be adding a layer of pea gravel for a neat, modern finish that also helps with drainage.

Spring Bulbs for an Extra Pop 🌷

This area gets full sun, so I’m choosing bulbs that will blend with my colour scheme and extend the seasonal interest - I obviously can't grow them all but I will pick some from this list. 

💜 Crocuses – Early spring charmers:

• ‘Romance’ (soft blush-pink)

• ‘Barr’s Purple’ (lilac)

• ‘Tricolor’ (striped purple, white, & yellow!)

🌸 Tulips – Elegant and bold:

• ‘Angelique’ (blush pink, peony-like)

• ‘Negrita’ (deep velvety purple)

• ‘Blue Wow’ (ruffled, lavender-blue)

• ‘Black Parrot’ (deep burgundy-black for contrast)

💙 Alliums – Structural, long-lasting:

• ‘Purple Sensation’ (classic rich purple)

• ‘Millenium’ (soft pink-purple, loved by bees)

• ‘Silver Spring’ (white with a burgundy centre)

🌞 Other Sun-Loving Beauties:

• Muscari ‘Pink Sunrise’ (a rare pink grape hyacinth!)

• Scilla ‘Spring Beauty’ (electric blue starry flowers)

• Camassia ‘Pink Star’ (tall, pink spikes for late spring)

With early crocuses, mid-season tulips, and late alliums, the colour will flow seamlessly into summer, blending beautifully with the airy Gaura and evergreen grasses.

I’ll be staging them in the Yarden as a little feature area—watch this space for updates as they grow!

🎥 Watch the Video: