Carex morrowii "Silver Sceptre" or other shady dwarf grasses?
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years ago
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agoRelated Discussions
dwarf plantings
Comments (23)You have a beautiful home! Congratulations on your hard work and the outstanding results. Why not create a GARDEN rather than a row of foundation plantings? While sitting on your porch, why not have something nice for YOU to see? What I envision there is DEPTH through a little garden that looks good from the street, from your walkway and from your porch. In your photo -- at the bottom of your wide stairs I see a landing (brick?) and a group of plantings off to the right side? Why not come out to the outside depth line of that group of plantings and go left with a generously curved garden room? You could place some nice stepping stones leading from that brick landing heading off to the left corner of your house. Place them in a nice curve so that a person can wander down the path and see your nice lattice work. Make the "destination" for your path a nice small ornamental tree (Japanese Maple in your area?) set off the left corner of your porch, slightly forward so you can see it from the landing and the porch. You could add a garden accent such as a small bench, finial or olive jar to create the vignette. A water feature using a jug overflowing into stones beneath would also give you some sound while enjoying your porch. On the outside of your path (the street view) you can plant a nice mix of woody ornamentals, blend in a few evergreens, add spring bulbs and perennials to give you year-round interest. On the inside curve of your path next to your lattice, you can choose from a wide variety of small evergreen and deciduous choices. I can't suggest the actual plants since I'm down here in North Carolina and have no experience with your zone. That said, I like to use foliage colors that work well together. My favorite combination is purple/burgundy with gold foliage accented with a variegated green/white. As an example, I have a vignette beside my waterfall that consists of a cryptomeria japonica (nice green, zone 5-9), hypericum androsaemum 'albury purple' (burgundy woody ornamental, 3x3', zone 5-7), creeping jenny -Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' (gold ground cover, zone 3-8), Lobelia x speciosa 'Queen Victoria'(red perennial, zone 6-8), Carex morrowii 'Silver Sceptre'(variegated sedge, zone 5-9). In creating a "color" vignette, you will notice that I mix textures and leaf shapes. The cryptomeria is textured, the hypericum has oval leaves, the sedge has narrow fountain leaves, the jenny has round leaves, the lobelia is tall, thin and spikey. My waterfall cryptomeria is too tall for your space, but there is a cryptomeria japonica 'globosa nana' that I use in my shrub garden that is a nice mounded, rounded shape, slow-growing to 5x5 for zones 5-9. It is somewhat rusty red in winter here. I use it as a backdrop for deutzia gracilis 'nikko', a deciduous white flowering shrub 3x3, zones 4-8. Please take your time with your project. Look at the space at different times of the day from different locations. Think about what you want to "do" there rather than what you want passerbys to see. Best wishes. Here is a link that might be useful: see photos 14-17 for vignette...See MoreLandscaping under a shady oak
Comments (41)Well my opinion , is thus first to those who suggest cutting down the oak .They might check their local ordinances,you must acquire a permit before ever even thinking of harming these majestic trees. If you do and are caught by code enforcement it could cost you in hefty fines and having to plant many oaks for the one you destroyed all based on the girth of the trunk. Now to the planting of Bromeliads if you spend no time at all outside these plants are great as mosquito breeding grounds as they hold water in their throat and mosquitos will lay their eggs there ensuring blood sucking varmints galore. Some people have already made some great suggestions . My favorites are as follows Azaleas ( there are a lot of choices in flower colors and sizes. Azaleas are shallow rooter. So buying smaller one gallons can assure better results. Amending the soil by using Miracle grow potting soil will give you a great start. Remember if you want showy flowers in Feruary and March prune after flowering stops and never ever prune after 4 th of July . Otherwise you will cut off the buds. So cut only rooster tails ( tall scraggly unruly branches that grow twice as tall as the rest of the plant. Ferns are great and thrive under oaks and are fairly maintenance free. ,they also spread filling areas with little output of money. My favorites are Holly Ferns, Foxtail ferns and the old standard Boston ferns. A little fish emulsion amended into the soil prior to planting can garner good results. Camelias, Hydrangeas, are awesome as they live all year round . annuals can sometimes give you many months and even years of pleasure ( as they can reseed themselves) caladiums ( which are bulbs ) in a grouping surrounded by impatiens are wonderous way to get color in the shade of an Oak . Remember watering during hot months and a little osmocote mixed into the potting mix and sprinkled around each flower can give give your flowers months of food thanks to its time release formula. Philodendrons of all sorts are also a good choice. Mondo grass, liriope ( big blue or Aztec ( variegated) Asiatic jasmine is somewhat minimal maintenance and there are new varieties out, that have bright pink foliage mixed in and these newbies just love the shade. Oak leaves make a great natural mulch ( as when the leaves break down the turn the soil slightly acid P.H. And this is ideal for all the plants I have mentioned above. Also consider large boulders water features like a small water fall .running water splashes onto plants and the sound of water has a calming and cooling on humans when it is hot . Last the shade from large trees especially oaks can drop temperature by a few degrees . Couple that with a slight breeze and you will appreciate the shade of an oak especially on a hot day. Try to buy oaks from a reputable nursery. Live is the majestic tree that outlives most humans two three fold or more. Laura oaks are fast growing a six foot tree at planting with loving maintenance can see growth of twice to three times its height and width in 3 to 5 short years. Look around your neighborhood or surrounding coomunity if you spot an oak take note as to what plants are growing under oaks with your own similar exposure. To the person that stated sandy soil is just around your tree. Florida soil is primarily sandy . Last consult your local nurseryman,He will be the best investment . Rob...See MoreNeed Help with Grass ID.
Comments (2)There are quite a few which fit your description. Use Google Images and have a look at these examples: Low growing: Acorus gramineus Variegatus - Dwarf White Striped Sweet Flag (grass-like but not a grass) Carex ciliatomarginata 'Treasure Island' Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' Carex morrowii 'Silver Sceptre' Hakonechloa macra 'Albo-Striata' Liriope muscari 'Variegata' (grass-like but not a grass) Phalaris arundinacea 'Dwarf Garters' A bit taller: Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio' (2-4') Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland' (3-4') Phalaris arundinacea var. picta 'Feesey' (2-3') Phalaris arundinacea var. picta 'Picta' (3-4')...See MoreWeeping narrow leaf mondo grass...name?
Comments (3)GGG The most common type of Mondo grass that is available is Ophiopogon japonicus. There are many listed cultivars that range in size(height) from 1" to ~18", classygroundcovers.com(Blairsville, GA) lists some. plantdelights.com has a number of Japanese cultivars listed and you might peruse classic_groundcovers.com/catalog.html (Athens, GA)for ideas. They are wholesale to the trade only, but I'm sure some retail nursery in your area carries their products. Growers Outlet usually has the Dwarf type, 'Nana' available in 4" for $1. White Lilyturf, Ophiopogon juburan, is sometimes available and so is Black Mondo, Ophiopogan planiscapus 'Arabicus', but is always expensive. Hope this helps a little and good luck with your project! Rb...See Morerouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agoUser
8 years ago
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years ago
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agomxk3 z5b_MI
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomxk3 z5b_MI
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoOoh, THANK YOU TexasRanger! I was using the Photo icon, not the Houzz Photo icon, now it's working - YAY!
So, here goes...Photos of "Ice Dance" to put size in context with other plants.In the background here are Fothergilla bushes, and no-name hosta:
In another bed, Ice Dance is accompanied by gentian, Japanese Painted ferns, Endless Summer hydrangea in the back, and a birdsnest spruce.
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agomxk3 z5b_MI
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoPrairie Fire in evening light with common Dusty Miller and Helenium (?). Just bought more 3 more PF.
User
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoYour PF looks like the coffee colored carex types. Mine are chartreuse right now. I love the brown ones.
Get this. There is an office planting using them up the street, its some upright type that looks like Red Rooster. The crew who mows and stuff keeps cutting them down each time they mow and they look like hairbrush bristles, not even good haircuts at that. Really Awful. I keep thinking if you think they look messy, let me dig them out and you can plant something naturally 'neat' that you won't keep butchering. Heck. I'll come dig em out for free. 24 plants, six per area. Looks like hell.
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8 years agoUser
8 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)