Easy Flowers for Black Thumb 'Gardeners'

14 years ago

Sorry for the long post, but this is the situation:

My brother and SIL have asked for my help in re-landscaping some smallish flower beds on the NE and W sides of the property. I would normally jump for joy at the opportunity, but unfortunately their bad track record with plants has me less than enthused. I once told them that their small beds would be gorgeous as "jewel box" gardens since they are generally viewed up close. Now my words are haunting me, and they are smitten with the idea...

Over the years, I have trotted over there with various plants and cuttings to share and not too many seem to do well. I even plant them, placing them correctly, digging deep, adding compost, checking the watering system, following up on later visits, etc. Still, I am usually surprised at how plants tend to die untimely deaths at their hands. And these are plants that I know are easy to grow and take some benign neglect!!! I do suspect my SIL has a heavy hand with pruners and when "weeding" but other than that, I haven't been able to determine why so many things suffer.

The land is not blighted or otherwise cursed, (lol!) as the previous owner had a cute, if modest, selection of plants, many of which have died or stopped blooming.

I will be adding a truckload of compost to the beds, and really examining the watering system and possibly re-working parts of that if it proves inadequate.

Annuals tend to do better than perennials with them, but I want to have mostly perennials to form the bones and I would like to use re-seeding annuals for the seasonal color. I have a little list of plants that I think will survive, and be suitably "jewel-like," but does anyone have suggestions?

They are in S23-24, so they have hot, dry summers and fairly mild winters.

TIA for any advice! :)

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Comments (4)

gardenguru1950
14 years ago
1. The number one cause of death of plants in the garden is overwatering. When you check the "watering system", check the automated controller to see how often it's coming on.

2. I don't think annual flowers are for the "black thumb". They require more care than a black thumb is capable of. Stick with long-blooming perennials and/or many perennial varieties that will give them changing seasons of color.

3. Put in several species. Some may die but some will live (we can only hope) and after time you will know which species tolerate their specific conditions, so they can be duplicated.

4. Ordinarily, I suggest going with the smallest plants available; they adapt the best. But in this case, put in large plants; they're less likely to be killed in the short run. And buy healthy nursery plants. Share your cuttings with green thumbers.

5. "jewel-like" sounds a little whimpy for "black thumbers". Are you willing to put in more substantial plants?

6. Don't amend the soil. Current research shows that perennial plants do best in native soil. Yeah, even the crappy soils of Southern California. Amending often leads to watering issues.

7. Help them get rid of the weeds before planting. Be pre-emptive.

8. Once the plants are established, water deeply and infrequently.

9. Here's some smaller tough-as-nails perennials (and some bulbs for planting this fall) for lots of color:

(by the way, you don't say whether the site is sun or shade; I'm assuming full sun)

Perennials --

Aeonium AEONIUM
Agapanthus (dwarf cultivars) LILY-OF-THE-NILE
Calandrinia grandiflora ROCK PURSLANE
Centaurea gymnocarpa DUSTY MILLER
Centranthus ruber JUPITERÂS BEARD
Convolvulus sabatius GROUND MORNING GLORY
Cotyledon orbiculata PIGÂS-EARS
Dianella caerulea NEW ZEALAND FLAX LILY
Dudleya LIVE-FOREVER
Echeveria HENS-AND-CHICKS
Eriogonum umbellatum SULPHUR FLOWER
Euphorbia myrsinites MYRTLE SPURGE
Helianthemum nummularium SUNROSE
Hemerocallis DAYLILIES
Kniphofia TORCH LILY, RED HOT POKER
Limonium perezii STATICE
Origanum ÂBetty RollinsÂ, ÂHopleyÂsÂ ORNAMENTAL OREGANO
Penstemon heterophyllus ÂMargaritaÂ SKY BLUE PENSTEMON
Sisyrinchium californicum YELLOW-EYED GRASS

Bulbs --

Babiana stricta BABOON FLOWER
Crocosmia hybrids MONTBRETIA
Freesia FREESIA
Freesia laxa LAPEYROUSIA
Gladiolus debilis SMALL PAINTED LADY
Gladiolus tristis MARSH AFRIKANER
Homeria collina CAPE TULIP
Hyacinthoides hispanica SPANISH BLUEBELL
Ixia hybrids CORN LILY
Leucojum vernum SPRING SNOWFLAKE
Muscari armeniacum GRAPE HYACINTH
Nerine bowdenii SPIDER LILY
Ornithogalum arabicum STAR OF BETHLEHEM
Ornithogalum thyrsoides CHINCHERINCHEE
Oxalis purpurea CAPE SORRELL
Sparaxis tricolor HARLEQUIN FLOWER
Triteleia ÂQueen FabiolaÂ BRODIAEA
Triteleia hyacinthina WHITE HYACINTH BRODIAEA
Tritonia crocata FLAME FREESIA
Tulipa clusiana ÂLady JaneÂ CANDYSTRIPE TULIP ...
nuitjasmine
Original Author
14 years ago
Wow! Thanks for the excellent advice and fantastic plant list, Joe.

I was remiss in my first post; the NE site has dappled afternoon shade and the W is full sun.

I think the watering actually has mixed issues-- parts are over watered (sprinklers) and parts are under watered (clogged/damaged drip system) so I do think that is a big part of the problem. I will probably have to change the time and the circuits.

I'm fascinated by your comment re. soil amendment v. native soil! I would love to learn more-- I would happily say good bye to double digging! :) Any suggestions for resources to read more?

I love the plants you list and have many in my own garden, but my SIL has her own taste, and I know from past experience that she will find many of them too coarse and "dry". (?!?) It's frustrating because she really should appreciate anything that does well in that garden, but she simply does not. She kills things because she thinks they are ugly and "weedy" once the blooming stops so she yanks them. Or she hacks plants to death in the interest of keeping the yard "tidy." e.g., they had a young rose tree that my brother trimmed nicely last fall, and she went and cut it *again* to within inches of the graft. Likewise a young anisodontea I gave them was doing well, and she chopped it by 2/3rds, so there are no blooms now and the thing looks miserable and beheaded.

I have tried to tell her that her pruning and constant "weeding" out of ornamentals is bound to make an ugly garden, but the more I think about it as I write this, I think she is OCD when it comes to that....or just REALLY does not get it. Maybe she is the biggest challenge that the garden faces! :(

Anyway, thanks again for the great advice! Now I just need a way to brain wash my SIL into leaving the plants alone... ;)
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iris_gal
14 years ago
Some people just can't keep their paws off no matter what. I know a woman who's brushing off the upholstery the minute you arise (practically). She has no hobbies!

Would it work if the 3 of you signed a pledge that once a week you would come over and oversee deadheading, etc.? With a promise of no-touching between visits.
hosenemesis
14 years ago
Every other woman in my family is a neat freak in the garden. One sister-in-law can barely tolerate flowers at all, because they are just too asymmetrical and disorderly. She has calla lilies and camellias, but that's it. People who like things really tidy usually like rhaphiolepis (sp?). They can be butchered into muffin shrubbery and still survive. Iceberg roses can also take the butchery and still manage to flower. They look very pretty together.

There are some daylilies that will knock your socks off, and she can pull off all of the brown leaves to her heart's content. Irises may be a possibility; Total Recall is my favorite- a reblooming machine.

I can't think of any really tidy annuals. Perhaps paludosum daisies? They reseed here. Red flax is not too messy. How about zinnias? They are very compact, and don't take much care besides planting the seeds.

Good luck.
Renee

Will those peruvian lilies (alstroemeria) take your zone? They are tidy and bloom for a long time.

Easy Flowers for Black Thumb 'Gardeners'

Comments (4)

gardenguru1950

nuitjasmine
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Easy Flowers for Black Thumb 'Gardeners'

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gardenguru1950

nuitjasmineOriginal Author

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hosenemesis

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nuitjasmine
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