Would love blooming plant/shrub ideas
Bought this house last August and the side/back garden needs a lot of work. But I broke one wrist in September and the other in June, so things have been on hold the better part of the year we've lived here. The former owner was a Master Gardener, they tell me. What you see in the photos was pretty much all planted by her. I planted the hostas and the coral begonias myself. I have planted two variegated liriope: one near a big clump of the green variety and the other out in the open space behind the non-functioning fountain I planted some sweet potato vine in. This garden flanks a long paved driveway and below are photos of the two sides of the meandering pathway. The top photo is what I call the center "island". This past Spring, we pebble paved the walkway, as after two falls in just a year, the dirt path just wasn't going to work for my clumsy self. I planted the variegated hostas and the coral begonias along the pathway. Those clumps out in the center "island" are red Turks Cap, which got so monstrous I cut them back for the second time last month as they were taking over the bench!. But they bloom nicely and the hummingbirds love them.
My only thoughts so far: 1) train a Lady Banks yellow rose to climb up the dying tree you see down by the non-function in the bottom photo. I had a half dead pear tree at my last house I left JUST as a support for a Lady Banks. It was beautiful by the time we sold that house with 10 years growth, and on a tree that was much healthier providing shade most of the day as well. So I think a Lady Banks will do OK trained up onto that tree.
- I've since moved the blue birdbath elsewhere and there is now an empty, big space in the center of the "island" that gets sun MOST of the day. I thought a bougainvillia would like that spot, maybe even elevated somehow in a huge pot. Would be a nice color splash in the see of green around it.
3) Would love Texas sage, but only my front yard is sunny enough with enough "growing room" for a TX sage.
We haven't spread out fresh mulch yet, but plan to when we get it planted to suit us this Spring.
I welcome any and all ideas that for plants that are easy to grow and more importantly, that will tolerate our Texas heat and drought-like conditions. I do have a watering system back there that waters every 3rd day for 30 minutes, but in Texas heat, that is often still not enough.
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What would you plant between these shrubs?
Comments (10)Thank you all for your input! I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. The plants in the bed behind the RofS are endless summer hydrangeas, so shouldn't get more than ~4 feet (per the tag anyway), I know they haven't taken a math class either ;) I'm still not sure what I'll do... wait it out and see how fast they grow or plant a third since things look good in threes and as long as I prune them they should stay in bounds okay. I don't have space for carpet roses on either side and think it would probably look funny to just have one in between. I did consider a Miss Kim lilac, but since that would stay shorter I thought it might look odd to have the thing in between be shorter. So I think I'm down to either leaving the 2 and composting well or adding a third. Wellspring, I must confess that you are onto something when you said "It has me thinking that something else about your choices is the real culpritÂ" When we planted the RofS, I thought a lavender RofS was a lavender RofS, and I loved the lavender RofS shrub in the backyard of the house where I grew up. When shrubs first bloomed, I thought something was wrong because the blooms looked odd and mutant. After the second year of mutant blooms, I did a little research and figured out ours are the lavender chiffon variety, and the "double" flowers are normal for that variety. I personally find them ugly and fru-fru, and hate that they are in such a prominent spot. To me, the beauty of a RofS is the contrasting center, and that is covered up by little petal flaps in the chiffon variety :( So that is why I hesitate to plant another RofS shrub there. If it weren't for the fact that I dislike the lavender chiffon blooms, I think I would plant a third one in a heartbeat and stop obsessing over it. If they weren't thriving so well I'll consider ripping them out or at least moving them, but alas they thriving where they are so I have resolved to live with them where they are....See MoreShrub ideas for front foundation planting
Comments (4)Here are some suggestions that should do well in your area. How about Encore Azaleas? They are evergreen, bloom both spring and fall (though not as show-stopping in the spring as traditional azaleas, the late summer and fall show more than compensates), and they will take a tremendous amount of sun. Mine get almost full sun here in east central Mississippi. Certainly, the hawthornes are a good possibility too. They would give some continuity, since you already have some in your landscape, and it's hard to beat them for ease of maintenance. As for deciduous shrubs, some of the antique or new low maintenance roses are a real possibility. I grow "nearly Wild" which doesn't get over three to three and a half feet tall or wide, NEVER needs spraying and blooms all summer. The new Knockout roses are just as good. They are not a maintenance problem at all. If you don't like their "nakedness" in winter, underplant them with groundcovers and/or bulbs. For instance, Phlox divaricata would love their shade in summer, would give green color to the ground under them in winter, and would fill your beds with fragrant blue clouds before the roses get going in the spring. Hardy cyclamen would be great too. These bulbs need the shade in the summer, then bloom in the late fall and put out beautiful silvery green leaves all winter, adding interest under your roses. I have my Nearly Wild Roses thickly underplanted with daffodils. I prune the roses in early December each year (just as soon as they go dormant), the daffodils come up all around the pruned stumps and the roses get going in time to hide the ugly bulb foliage. Instead of roses, how about Berberis? I particularly like the "Aurea", which is a beautiful golden leaved Berberis. It does not get overly large, it keeps it's leaves very late in the season, it doesn't burn in the summer, and the fall color is positively spectacular. I do not shear it. I let it grow naturally, so in the winter, it will have a similar architectural form to your Perovskia (which would make a fine companion for it too, by the way.) It could also be underplanted with the phlox divaricata, and boy would that be a show stopper in the spring! It's winter sticks are white and rather ghostly. I find it very attractive. How about hydrangeas? There is a white variegated lacecap one that would look fabulous in front of your Laurels. Any mophead would be nice too, particularly the Endless Summer one. It takes more sun than the old timey ones and blooms till frost. Mine were full of blooms when we got our first freeze last week. Again, underplant them with spring flowering bulbs to help mask their nakedness. Remember, your Laurels are evergreen, so they will "come forward" and the naked skeletons won't look so lost in front of them. Hope these ideas at least get your own creative juices going....See MoreIf you could only have one shrub/plant what would it be?
Comments (7)I just got in from planting: blueberry, huckleberry, and lingon berry (if never tasted the latter two--but they are a lovely shrub). I also got a gardenia, azalea, and camellia which might need some winter protection, but I planted them in a sheltered area and they were on sale. I guess they don't look as attractive to potential customers now that the first bloom is off. One might hope that because a plant is sold locally, it would be suited for the area, but I know that is rarely the case. Thanks much...See MoreWhat plant is this? Evergreen shrub, sometimes white blooms.
Comments (12)I think the first pic is of Vinca (annual periwinkle) and the other evergreen pics are Gardenia "klein's hardy.' If you want to go organic (which I would do since it is an ornamental)-treat with Neem Oil (apply in the evening I suggest). Gardenias are famous for whitefly (usually happens first) and then aphids appear because the whitefly weakens the plants and then you get the black sooty mold from the aphids' honeydew. I treat my gardenias every early Spring with a systemic insecticide/miticide/fungicide before I see any insects or diseases to avoid the headache of treating them once they get infected. With gardenias-it's inevitable they're gonna get something. Good luck!...See Morebuttoni_8b
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roselee z8b S.W. Texas
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