I would think you'd almost want a large ground cover. Maybe there is a low form of Lorapetalum that grows there? Or maybe a dwarf Grevillea with red flowers? Perhaps Crimson Villea� Or maybe Callistemon viminalis 'McArthur' or 'Red Alert'? If you are frost-free, perhaps some of the iresines or even Strobilanthes dyerianus (Persian Shield)? Hopefully someone from your region will respond with some helpful advice. Australia is a whole 'nother world of plants. This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Wed, Sep 3, 14 at 9:32

I have 2 crinums in the ground (a white and a pink), which have been happily growing for about 6 years now - I am near Campobello (which is west and north of you). I have one in a pot I just bought a few weeks ago ('Sangria', with purplish leaves), still to plant, and plan on buying another this week (dark, rosy red flowered 'Ellen Bosanquet'), so it's not too late to plant them. These have the potential to get quite large over time - my clumps are now about 4-6' across (having started with a single bulb in a 1-gal. pot), counting the length of the leaves as they sprawl out over the ground - I need to divide them, despite that they probably won't bloom next year - they resent moving. The bulbs grow off-sets, and can get quite large themselves - older ones can weigh up to 30-40 lbs. apiece, depending on the cultivar. Plant yours with plenty of room around it, and set it so the top of the neck of the bulb is at ground level, in good, well-draining soil. Mulch it well over the winter. Your proposed location sounds good, as long as you can water then, and there is room for them to get as big as as they will - plant them 4-5' apart, more might be better. I find they come back quicker in the spring if I don't cut the long leaves back until spring, which provides some protection to the growth points of the bulbs - the one year I cut back one of the clumps in the fall, it was about 2 weeks slower than the other to begin growing again in the spring. Equally, don't leave the old, dead leaves too long in the spring, as they can block the new growth. I wouldn't assume the Agapanthus was hardy - you would be safer to keep it in a pot and put it inside in a sheltered area (garage or shed) on the coldest nights - although it MIGHT do in a very sheltered area - I know it can survive in some gardens in Spartanburg. Next year, you could experiment by dividing the plant, planting half in the ground in a very sheltered spot, and keeping the other half in a pot again, so you don't lose all of it if worse came to worst and it froze hard.

Don't know Chester about the complimenting other than Tall Ornamental Grasses would have a great winter effect. Others for screening include: Ilex holly Buxus Boxwood Viburnum (Arrowwoods are very dense when bare) 'Red Rocket' Red Maple Acer rubrum Individual or Lengthy Clematis plantings on either upright posts or lattice. Here's how I utilzed 4x4's in my previous garden: 'Skeeter's Broom' Acer palmatum 'Herbstfeuer' Acer palmatum Acer griseum multiple trunks at the base. Ginkgo 'Chi-Chi'/'Tit'/'Tsi-Tsi' same plant Some ideas for your kettle. Dax

I had agapanthus galore in Central Fl, both in a bed and in containers, and they never died back in zone 9--just got a little skinnier in winter. The container grown (3 separate plants) had to be repotted from a very large pot to an even larger one over a period of two years, so finally I put them in my front bed that got filtered sun by day and fierce, scorching sun from about 4 to 6 pm. As long as they were well watered, they never complained. I had to leave them behind when I moved...sigh. I hope to have them again, they just add so much to the garden when they are in bloom, and even after.