Help me design a conifer garden!
Chris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Design for japanese maple and conifer garden
Comments (6)And your goals are ....?? If the garden is to be an artistic statement (interesting and pleasurable to look at and be in,) then I think you are way too wrapped up in the plants at this stage of the game. It would be better to work out the forms, arrangements, layout and then consult your list of plants to see what would be useful to you in making your dream come true. Trying to squeeze in all the favorites first creates the likelihood that the end result will be jumbled, crowded and possibly disorganized. Because of the blackness of the shadow areas, the limits of the garden can't quite be seen, but the arbor does not seem to be at the back. I would consider, first, how this would be placed since it's a major element and you are not using it as an entrance, but more like an altar ... which is OK, but maybe it would be better toward the back and less in the center of the garden. Wish you had a better picture that showed into the shadows. I hope you paint the arbor and make it look more refined. (I don't get the mass appeal of weathering barn wood in gardens!)...See Morehelp me design a garden for this climate, full sun
Comments (2)I have an asymetrical cottage style, so I understand not wanting to hide the shape. Ours is English cottage inspired, but some of the same elements come into play. Of course, we had to put a porch on ours to create passive solar. We couldn't afford a stone house, so we used stone elements everywhere we could. We were in France a few weeks ago. Been to Provence before,too. Since your friend is from France, she probably just needs to know a bit about what is grown in France that will work here in NC. Are deer a problem? Are HOA covenants a concern? Is there a budget for hardscape to build a low stone wall or an aluminum (wrought iron look)? If using a wall, fence or hedge, step it back at least 4 feet from the street so that some gardening flowers can be on that side -- that's more of an American design, but it just looks better in a neighborhood like hers. Some suggestions: Lavender (Munstead, Grosso, Godwin Creek, Provence) Broom Rock Rose Delospermi Cooperii (ice plant) Roses (Knock Out are easy-care) Nepeta Coreopis Snapdragons (tall) Dusty miller Thyme would work in lieu of some lawn Oregano Dianthus Valerian Irises (Dutch, bearded, Japanese) Black-eyed Susans (unless she wants sunflowers) Pittosporum (check zone) Rosemary as hedges if fence is a problem look/shape like a mimosa tree (but not a mimosa) Buddleia was also used a lot for hedges, but they actually shaped it into a flat-topped hedge, flat on the sides and kept it waist high. I like spirea 'Neon Flash', but I don't remember seeing it in France. It works great in full sun, greens up quickly in the spring. Starts blooming in June. They used a lot of cedars (like Italian), but arborvitae would work here for a smaller shape/scale. There are boxwoods, but I don't put those in full sun here. It's rare to see a "lawn", but when you do, it is something like these villas. Lawns are more formal, rather than cottage. In pots: Geraniums Agapanthus I saw bottlebrush in several places. Don't know if this color works in your design. Buckeye was in a lot of places, but I don't think it does as well here in full sun...more like partial. Can't grow these trees: Roses and snapdragons: I have more photos from France in my gardening blog: http://definingyourhome.blogspot.com/2008/05/flowers-in-france.html Cameron...See MoreCan you help me identify these 3 conifers?
Comments (10)Like several others have suggested, I wouldn't keep either of the DAS. The one with the reversion will look like cr*p once the reversion is removed (and you will need to do that ASAP if the tree is as close to the structure as it appears). And the second is looking overly stressed (excessive shade/possible spider mites) on the back side, leading to a lot of dieback. These are not at all valuable trees - can be found for few $$ at any box store - and can decline in appearance in the landscape over time, often a very short time :-) There are so many other better looking and healthier choices than to waste time on what are dead common and not particularly distinctive conifers that will never again look as they should. By all means keep the Thuja if you wish but get rid of the other two....See MoreHelp me design this garden
Comments (6)So we've started across the bed. It's slow going, as it seems there was a concrete spill or something when the footings were poured, so there's a lot of dirt sifting in addition to the stump digging. We've gotten a bunch of the lilac stumps out. We also cut back the ones we didn't dig out to make them less scraggly. The ones remaining are pretty healthy and not terribly located, so they're getting to stay at least for now ... we can always rip them out later if they aren't working out. The low growing green is predominantly violets, which we might keep as a ground cover or might move some elsewhere. The sunk pot with the trellis is holding a tomato for this season; the tomato needed a home, and it's supposed to get pretty tall, so it's trying out this location. I'm really liking the look of the trellis, so I'm thinking that might be a good solution. I liked the look of the false cypress, but I'm wary of planting anything that could potentially be a host for cedar-apple rust, as I don't want to create a better bridge between the eastern red cedar and the serviceberry/quince. The trellis seems to give a nice structure there. The trellis recommends bringing in for the winter, so I'd probably put peas and annual vines on it. The advantage of the pot is that the plant can be a bit of a spreader without invading the whole bed ... and that was the center of the bad dirt, so we can give better dirt and amendments to the pot. We haven't determined exactly what we'll be doing with the border, whether it will be stacked like in Dig Doug's Designs mock-up or something simpler like a row of cobbles. The black is pound in edging to define the bed and keep the mulch from washing out. We have yarrow and sedum that will be ready to plant in this bed after they acclimate. We also have these siberian iris that are ready for division: (Caesar's Brother in back, Little Red in front) (Caesar's Brother in back, white blooming one similar to Ong's Hat in front) (Ong's Hat)...See Morestuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)
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7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
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7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
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7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agodcsteg
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agostuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)
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7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
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7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
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7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoChris (6b, Bergen NJ)
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7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoL Clark (zone 4 WY)
7 years agostuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)
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stuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)