Suggestions for underplanting next to my Limelight

14 years ago

George was right... of course he's always right!!! Daylilies do not make good edging plants. Look at how messy these things get next to my Limelight:

The Rosy Return daylilies are the shorter ones right at the front (not the taller ones which are the wonderful Cherry Cheeks). They have terrible foliage which browns very easily. Also, when not in bloom, the foliage does not look that great next to my Limelight.

If I want to replace a couple of those Rosy Return daylilies, what perennial or small shrub should I underplant next to the Limelight, so that they will "pop"? I need some contrast between the foliage of the Limelight and the underplanting perennials/shrubs. Would Weigela Midnight Wine be good for this full sun spot? It gets rather hot and dry with the western sun there. I guess Lavender Voilet Intrigue would not be a good choice there, right? What do you think?

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Comments (11)

ditas
14 years ago
Hi Ostrich - Wouldn't Weigela end up being too large later on? As you might already Know, I love, love, love Lavender, because of the lovely wafts of scent as I walk by or work around the area ... I have them everywhere!

Last evening, as I looped & wove twines thru the tangled mess of P' Kyu's massive head of blossoms - after the storms' damages ... wafts of Lavender, planted around her, consoled, as well as soothe, my broken heart! Â;)
ego45
14 years ago
"It gets rather hot and dry with the western sun there."

-Caryopteris incana 'Sunshine blue',
-Spirea japonica 'Magic Carpet',
-Cotinus coggygria, either 'Royal Purple' or ''Golden Spirit'/'Golden Gift' (yearly hard pruning would be required),
-Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea' or similar (in pruned form)
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If you bought Physocarpus 'Diabolo', that have a very deep burgundy/purplish foliage in full sun, it may not work as planned in your part-sun/part-shade situation. It really need a FULL sun to achieve that color that you see on a pictures. You are correct that Limelight need a some sort of contrasting color companion(s). It look absolutely stunning against dark or blue evergreen backdrop (Colorado blue spruce would be ideal choice in that respect). If grown side by side, I'd chose either 'Diabolo' ninebark or 'Royal Purple' smokebush, but both need a full sun to show the best. The only part-sun lovers with a dark purple-burgundy foliage I could think of would be a numerous cultivars of Japanese maples, that also could provide a nice foliage texture contrast.
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The tall plants will face the same problem you're having with your other plants, and your choices sound ok for the spot so I think you might want to look for a different solution. My guess is that your planting method might need some changes. Clay holds on to water pretty good so if it's wet it should stay that way for days. It doesn't sound like the roots from your new plants are into the clay. The soil in your pots was probably a light fluffy mix that is completely different from the clay. You need to loosen the roots, loosen the root ball (be kind of brutal), spread the loose roots around the hole and then put the clay on top and water it in while backfilling with soil. If you plant in clay without breaking up the rootball it's the same as planting with the pot still on. Once the sun hits, the rootball dries out quickly and the plant dies since the clay loves to hold onto the water and the roots aren't in the clay yet. If you feel brave you can actually put the rootball into a bucket of water, swirl it around and break up the ball to loosen the roots and wash off some soil, and then plant the almost bare-root plant. Also you could put some kind of shade over the new plantings to give them a break for a couple days. A chair or something similar will work, just don't put a bucket over.... That would get too hot underneath. Good luck. Sorry about your loses so far. You could try replanting your casualties correctly, cut them back and hope for the best. There might be some hope!
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First, I've shrunk but not to 5', just 1.5 inches to 5'3". And you bet I'd hire it out. Except for planting 2 qt perennials all holes are dug by patient spouse or hired out. Two knee replacements, marginally healed broken shoulder and wrist don't leave me much to work with except good taste that far exceeds my budget and a sharp wit that I try to put to good use when bantering with feisty folks here. Now down to business. That's why I use GW. Information, others' opinions and a reality check. It is planted too close to a stone wall and clearly will overtake the vegetable garden. I am sure it would be easier to remove a 5 foot section of the wall and just plant shade plants in one raised bed than move the magnolia. Or just let the branches sweep over and down over the wall. There is a bit of a story that comes with the tree. No it wasn't a $50 tree. Try 5 times that. And it looked, truly, like crap. Two major dead branches plus other bad things. I was very unhappy with the landscaper for even putting it on the truck. She asked for a refund from nursery, credited me. I found a slightly smaller "Yellowbird" which was really yellow (I was disappointed Elizabeth turned creamy white as flowers matured), Yellowbird was half price and had nicer form. So I stuck Elizabeth in a corner, kind of out sight, to die in peace. Except she did not. She grew and grew and grew. She is one happy big girl and I didn't pay for her. Aka, your information is interesting and i"ll go back and re-read Dirr. But everyone's comments lead me to conclude it is a poor idea. I really don't have the will to tear up another piece of the garden and be patient as she sulks (or dies) because I was unhappy that she's thriving. Thank you all for your sensible and well informed responses. Now I have a katsura I planted in too much shade, too dry a place where it can't be seen. I'll frame that problem and post it separately.
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ostrich
Original Author
14 years ago
Hi Ditas! I hope that you are feeling better.... yes, lavender is lovely, isn't it? I love its fragrance. It is indeed very soothing! Regarding weigelas, usually they are, but this Midnight Wine is supposed to be a dwarf that only gets less than 2 feet tall and wide or something like that.

George, I have thought of using Magic Carpet spirea too, but I was not sure if I wanted something golden like that or a dark leaf shrub like the Weigela Midnight Wine. You have grown Midnight Wine - what do you think of it? Will it work well for this area?

I already have 2 Lemon Princess spireas in this bed so that's why I did not use Magic Carpet spirea here. That said, I do like them a lot... so it's still a possibility.

I think that the other choices are too big for this area really....

Thanks again for the ideas. Keep them coming!
ego45
14 years ago
Weigela Midnight Wine is a fine small shrub (for the right place with a right companions), but in your case (dark mulch) it will not provide any visual impact and will be lost.
Magic Carpet has a different attributes than a Lemon Princess and will not look like a repetition (which might be not a bad idea on its own).
Caryopteris 'Sunshine blue' sizewise (3x3 at the peak of the season) should work perfectly for the spot and colorwize will make LLight stand out even more (like it need to...)
Unorthodox suggestion of the purple/yellow smokebushes was done under influence of the vision of absolutely fantastic looking heavy pruned shrubs I saw a few weeks ago.
Yellow chamaecyparis pisifera or Rheingold arborvitae will provide necessary contrast and could be kept in a bounds. Actualy, nice clump of Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' would of be the best from the visual point of view, but 'hot and dry' would be not to its liking.
prairiegirlz5
14 years ago
I have lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) in a western exposure next to a brick edging, believe it or not, it thrives there as long as it's kept well-watered. It also likes shade. I love this plant! :) It has frothy chartreuse flowers above felty leaves that look like can-can skirts. It offers great contrast to my Purple Emperor sedum, which would also work, slowly gets about 18-24" T x W. I gotta learn how to post pics here!

Annuals also make great edgers, provide color all summer long. Pansies, profusion zinnias, dwarf marigolds could all provide little "pops" between the perennials. I leave a little room for them on the edges in some beds.
hydrangeasnohio
14 years ago
My suggestion would be either varigated or burgundy Sedum, Chocolate Joe Pye Weed or Blue Chip mini Butterfly Bush. But I do like your day lilies and LOVE your Hydrangeas!!!
ostrich
Original Author
14 years ago
George, thanks again for your suggestions. I really love Smoke bushes, but they do get BIG! I am looking for something that does not really require so much pruning and pampering... :-) I also love Rheingold arbovitae too, but I was told that dear Bambi loves it too! Moreover, this area faces some strong northwesterly wind during winter and I don't think that they could take it. I am still thinking about the Magic Carpet spirea idea... it may just be the one!

Prairiegirl and hydrangeasnohio, thank you! I thought about annuals too, but then I would like something taller and more substantial. Sedums are nice but rather late blooming. You see, I would like some colors there before the Limelight starts to bloom. So something that is spring blooming, or early summer blooming would be nice. Otherwise, the foliage has to be colorful and different than that of the Limelight in order to create the contrast.

Thanks again everyone!

P.S. Now where is a good sale for some Magic Carpet spireas??? LOL
alisande
14 years ago
Prairiegirlz suggested Lady's Mantle. Here's a picture of it (at left) with purple salvia (Purple Rain). Both would be nice....

{{gwi:242937}}
hydrangeasnohio
14 years ago
Ostrich coral bells are nice also!!
ostrich
Original Author
14 years ago
alisande - what a pretty combination! My question is though, how long is the blooming season for these beauties? Do they bloom pretty much just in spring and early summer?

hydrangeasnohio, heucheras are wonderful! I am just "discovering" them now, and I am absolutely in love with them! The only thing is, would they do well in the hot and dry spot during summer? After a couple days of 90 degrees, my daylilies look AWFUL. The foliage is all brown and crispy. Just simply UGLY. That's why I want to have something else there!!! Sigh...
alisande
14 years ago
Ostrich, I wish I could answer your question. But I don't have those plants; I took that picture (last month) at my late cousin Terry's garden. Terry didn't have any hydrangeas that I noticed, but her gardens are lovely. If anyone would like to see more, I'll link the collection below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Terry's Garden

Suggestions for underplanting next to my Limelight

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Suggestions for underplanting next to my Limelight

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