OK, you've got the watering worked out, which I think is the most important.

I would plant in 'groupings' and alternate them on either side of the drive, with spacing in between. I would also plant 5-7 different varieties of plants in each group (with 1 to 7 plants of each variety, depending on size). I would have each grouping a little different, and repeat a plant every 3rd or 5th group. In other words, if you see a group of 3 knockouts in a grouping with other plants, a few groups down, you may see a grouping with 5 or 7 knockouts, then a few groups down, you may have only 1 knockout in that grouping.

I would not have plantings all the way down. I think by separating the groups and giving some space in between each one, it will create more interest.

This seems like a large project, but you seem to be quite knowledgeable with plants, so I don't think you're a newbie and can handle a project of this size. Good luck!

One concept to keep in mind is to group similar water needs together and closest to your most reliable watering source, unless you feel confident you will have year-round water to all parts of your planting. Also worthwhile doing the grouping as suggested above so can have larger impact of plant "oases" that can be mulched as one grouping and not a lot of single shrubs strung out.

Everything needs to be watered initially to establish, but then remember that the trees often are able to sink or swim on their own. Camellias tolerate more drought than azaleas; Knockouts more than regular roses but less than established camellias; crape myrtles more than dogwoods; and so on.

If this is to be more of a naturalized, leave-alone planting then I'd definitely use extremely drought-tolerant ornamental trees and shrubs as your workhorses and think of seasonal foliage color as well as flowers, since that gives you more options.

You can see pictures of the farm and the house we are building at the link below.

Some wonderful suggestions holleygarden and frankie BUT I wonder if some of the groupings might not get a bit large even with the amount of space I have to work with.

I DO LIKE your suggestions but will have to do some serious thinking about which plants to group with what. Do you have any suggestions?

I'm thinking different, irregularly shaped, islands of interest as you talk about.

I concur in having different numbers of the same plants in the different groupings.

Below are the approximate heights and spacings of the plants I am thinking about.

These plants have different bloom times, different types and colors of bark and different textures.

Double Knockout Roses 4-5' H with 4-5' spacing

Fashion Azaleas 5-8' H with 3-4' spacing

Encore Azaleas 5-8' H with 3-4' spacing

Camellia (white, early blooming - Nov to Dec, such as Mine-No-Uki OR red such as Yuletide) 4-6' H with 4-6' spacing

Camellia (red, late blooming - Jan to Mar, such as Blood of China) 6-8' H with 4-6' spacing

Crape Myrtles Natchez 12-15' H with 10-15' spacing

Crape Myrtles reds variety 12-15' H with 10-15' spacing

Dogwood 15-20' H with 15-20' spacing

Bradford Pears 40' H with 20-30' spacing

Now, if we use 5-7 different varieties of plants in each group, I think I will need to expand my plant materials. I'll work on it a bit over the next few weeks.

Thanks for your suggesstions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Joel's Farm & House pictures

Two thoughts...
Those trees you mentioned are all deciduous which will not give you winter foliage. Perhaps include an additional tree or subsitute that will act as an anchor tree, one that will look uniform all year, while the Dogwood and Crape Myrtle give you spring and summer flowering.

I agree with the staggering or grouping to create islands rather than a continuous planting which is quite alot for a 1/2 mile. Another design option would be to load up the very entrance with an attractive grouping balanced on each side to create a dramatic entrance statement, then keep it simple while gradually increasing the plantings until you get to the home so the variety is increased and the groupings are more visually interesting as you progress down the driveway.

I would consider most of your plant selections to be fairly maintenance intensive if you want them to perform as you expect. Add some more neutral, evergreen type shrubs to provide structure and uniformity and dont rely solely on the showy plants and trees, combine both throughout the design.

Camelias and Azaleas are considered acid-soil loving plants. It would be a shame to plant so many and not have them perform due to alkaline soil conditions or not amending the soil sufficiently.

My post was some random things to keep in mind.

The overall design still needs thought and process. I don't know how this drive approaches or frames your house, or not--what are you trying to accomplish other than having random flowers or leaves to look at--so what constitutes a pleasing design? What kind of "look" you are going for would involve where you have height or not, how the heights taper down, or not. One person might be trying to achieve an "allee" effect and another might do more like johnofsedona and taper the plantings away from the house and another might be careful to avoid overloading and crowding the house and so forth.

So, way before you choose plant species, you would walk this area and think what are your goals and think more in terms of plant (or tree) height and bulk--just basic forms.

Also there's no reason why you have to plant an entire length of something at once--again, if you make your overall plan, some kind of priorities should float up and you could install in phases. (Of course that has a downside in terms of adding new material every year and watering it in).

It appears that your farm is located in a sand hills area sitting on top of a perched water table; quite common to the SC/GA topography. This means you have a good water supply.

You are undertaking a large project. Your major problem will be deer damage. Doubtful that you will ever be able to grow roses and azaleas out in the open unfenced. Even Camellias may be questionable. Couple this with the desire for low maintenance and it appears that you have some serious thinking to do. Study the deer resistant lists for evergreens that might be of interest to you such as hollies.

Picking up on the idea of developing a fruit/grape/rose garden in the "bowl' area may I suggest you start your planning there as it will need to be double fenced against deer. This means two fences, one set 6 feet inside the other which will stop the deer from fence leaping. The inside fence could be for grape growing; posts and grape wire. The normal grape growing set-up. Use this protected area not only for fruit growing but also as a nursery to grow your rooted cuttings on into larger plants before setting them out in the open.

Consider johnofsendona's design approach. Quite common to long approach roads in the south, at least those that are not lined with ancient Live Oaks.

I agree with Nandina that deer likes/dislikes should be a major consideration in plant selection if you do have a deer problem. I don't know if Georgia deer and California deer have the same tastes, but Camellia sasanqua varieties are a favorite of the deer locally, as are almost any rose, but they tend to leave Azaleas completely alone around here.

I also agree that many of the plants being thought about are not exactly low maintenance, and some cultivars of Bradford Pears, to name just one example, are prone to more disease problems as well as narrow crotch formation that leads to limb breakage in ice storms and high winds.

I still tend to think that no matter how much free advice you are getting over the web, it would pay you to hire a local designer with experience to finalize your plant list and layout, to save you a lot of head aches down the road. People who seek out free or cheap landscape design are unlikely to heed this advice, however, and don't tend to appreciate all the thought and experience that can go into a great and opposed to adequate or average planting design.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful suggestions.

The soil is a sandy loam, not sand hills. It is a bit on the alkaline side as with much of the soil in our area needing a ton or so of lime every few years to maintain a good agricultural balance, so, should do well for the acid loving plants.

Thank goodness the deer don't seem to like our roses and azaleas so far. They have not generally been a problem in our area. Of course, one never knows, they may very well take a liking to the roses and azaleas.

We have quite a few wild muscadines and while the deer to love them, It would appear to me that we have plenty of wild ones that it won't be too bad sharing some cultivated ones as well. With the fruiting trees, they would really be more for the deer than for humans. Our consumption needs are very light but we do really love watching the deer and turkeys.

BTW, I'm not so much seeking free advice as simply open discussion. I know the landscapers in our area (very limited) and I know their plant selections well. Mine tend to be a bit more diverse than theirs. Most of our landscapers, all 2 or 3 of them, tend to use primarily the old evergreen stuff. Not exactly to my liking.

I am familiar with the problems associated with Bradford Pears and have seem some of them locally. However, the wife wants some so it is likely she will win that one.

I will have to give the evergreen tree business some thought. Notice from the photos that the southern and western boundaries are Pine Tree plantations. We live in the heart of pine plantations. If I choose an evergreen, it will have to be something like leyland cypress (we have already planted several cypress on the north side of the pond) or maybe a different type pine. An uncle about 2 miles away has some which have a more northern or mountain look which have trived. I believe they are white pine, will have to check more into that.

Again, with respect to the deer, I have lived in the area 50 years and they don't seem too partial to the roses, azaleas or camellias in our area. Who knows, they may wind up liking ours but if they do, we'll probably enjoy watching the deer.

I like man of johnofsedona's suggestions and will continue to think about plant selection and group composition.

As for as my goals, I like the varying heights, different forms and flowers for all the seasons. I like the varied island look. There are a few homes in the area which have similarly long drives with limited islands and there are ones which have long drives lined with pears or other plant material. I prefer the islands.

I suspect we will include different varieties of naturalized daffodils as time goes on. We MAY also add wildflowers but probably not as we prefer a little more "clean" and organized look for the drive. We WILL have a wildflower meadow, probably near the pond on the north and east area there.

I'll do some more thinking this weekend. Thanks for your contributions.

The pictures in the link above should give you some idea to our tastes and the area.

Sincerely,

Joel

How about some Magnolia grandiflora trees in your mix? Leyland cypress get cercosporidium and die of it with depressing regularity in Georgia. If you're after the Christmas tree shape, think about Cedars instead. I can tell you've given a lot of thought to flower color and season. The next thing to think about is texture. You might want to include some ornamental grasses (NOT pampas grass) and if Magnolias aren't good for you, something else with large, coarse textured leaves.
Don't fall into the symmetry trap. You don't want to mirror what's happening on one side of drive on the other side. The plants will develop at different rates and drive you crazy.
Sounds like a fun project. Good luck with it.

ebeth, thank you for your input.

I like the idea of the Magnolia grandiflora. My primary concern with that species has been the one at my Mother's has grown REALLY slow. However, I have seen others grow pretty quickly. Think I may go ahead and add a couple or so of those to the drive.

I'm going to have to do some more thinking on the evergreen trees for sure.

I had also thought of something with a "white" bark like the aspen but am not sure I can find a species that is native to our area with that white, slick, shiny bark. Any ideas????

I like the ornamental grasses. We have some red fountain grass and green fountain grass. I like both of those as well as some of the other green grasses. I will have to do a bit more research as I definitely do NOT want the aggressive nature seen in the pampas grass. I do love their "mop" but not the huge bunch they have after a few years.

Thanks again for your input and for everyone's input.

BTW, we had a knockout rose bloom on New Year's Day, 2010 --- absolutely amazing!!! I will try to get a picture after Church tomorrow if it survives the forecast low 20 night tonight.