Need plant advice for my front garden
Hello, I would like advice please on trying to make my front garden look better.
I am in zone 7B, northern Mississippi. My front garden is on the west side of the house, but there is a fairly large tree that provides most of the garden with filtered shade in the summer.
My garden currently has a few Spirea (I think) bushes, and some thorny red barberry bushes. There are currently a few daylily plants in the front part....but what I hate about them is they don't bloom much, and once they're done blooming they just look like clumps of grass. I also have what I believe is a Iris of some type that comes up every year, but it never produces flowers, just strappy grass that looks ok at first, but then looks like crap later into summer. When I first moved to the house the front part of the garden had Lambs Ear in front of the tree too, but I have ripped most of it out as I hate how ratty lambs ears starts to look. I also have what I believe to be some type of Azelea behind the tree, but it rarely blooms flowers and mostly just has green leaves on it in the summer.
I think some of my existing plants (iris, azelea) don't do well where they are at due to the amount of shade the garden gets.
I am specifically looking for ideas for in front of the tree, for around the base. Some plants for some height contrast in places as well. Something to maybe replace the daylilies that will bloom more throughout summer. And also I need something in front of my window where there currently isn't anything.
Some plants I've considered for in front of the tree are either Geranium Biokova, or heucheras. I really like the look of the Geranium idea.
I have also been fascinated by the looks of Brunnera Jack Frost, and possibly some type of Astilbe.....I saw one variety of Astilbe that peaked my interest called Visions White. I think the garden could use some white colors as well as your reds and blues. Can you all please take a look at my photos and tell me if any of these plants I'm considering would work......where I should specifically put them, and possibly better plants for my situation that I'm not considering. I'm really only interested in perrenials, and stuff that's non-invasive and easy to maintain. Thanks.
Comments (13)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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Comments (32)Your MACs do look demure at the moment. I have 3 MACs in different settings (yes, I am nuts), all about 7 to 9 years old, and just went out and measured them. With pruning (and in the case of the one growing in decent soil on the west side of the house, "muscular" pruning that takes one day each twice a year; the other in crummy conditions, just one day a year), MAC on a pergola or trellis can be kept about 12 to 15' tall, 14' wide, and 9-10' deep. The third MAC, in partial shade and lousy soil under a huge old pepper tree that sucks up most of the water and nutrients, is about 20' tall and 16' wide and 12' (at least, wanders over to my neighbors trees at that point -- new neighbors whose screams I expect to hear any day now when they realize how far Madame Al is over in their trees...). This one is allowed to run amok (obviously) and is all mixed up with what I think is Fellemberg (was supposed to be Parson's Pink, long story) and is lovely, but is obviously motivated by the extra shade of the pepper tree to stretch. MAC actually tolerates pruning rather well, but intelligent pruning (don't create witches' brooms). Like you, I originally planted two MACs at my entryway and ended up removing one: one is enough here. Conditions in your yard may well differ. I have all the ones on your "new candidates" list. Jaune Desprez is just as rampant as MAC but worse because of vicious thorns (I dearly love it, but it costs in blood). Marechal Niel is so far modest-sized at roughly 10' x 4' after three years, but that's not long enough to know; some I have seen are definitely big. On the other hand, MN has a reputation as something of a fussy-buttons and is not looking like a house-eater here yet, though parked in prime real estate, so maybe not as rampant. Buff Beauty is definitely the "mannerly climber" it is often descrbed as. I have kept one at 7' tall and 4' wide and 16' long along a fence for about 9 years. Debbie...See MoreNeed backbone plant advise for front yard! (garden photos)
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