Good Groundcover to Contrast Against Blue Chalk Fingers?
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years ago
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how to landscape around blue spruces
Comments (17)I can now see the pictures, thanks. The aerial view really does add an interesting dimension. There are many options here, but they depend on what your objectives are for the property and what needs you have of this space, and then what other possibilities you have for meeting those needs. For example, it looks as if that patio might represent the only outdoor seating space you have so you want to make the most of it. If that's what you want to do, you can start a replacement program for the spruces to move the line of trees further away to make this space bigger and more appealing. Or, you can create a new seating area on the other side of the house by planting a hedge or building a fence, putting in new trees, building a pergola, or what have you, in the big open "front" yard. Although the other side is your "front" yard, I imagine people living on this street do some "back" yard activities there because it must be quieter and more private that the side near the busy road. How much you do and what you do also depends on what your long term plans are, whether you plan to sell in the near future and just want one good summer out of this patio, or whether you might be there for 20 years and want to take the time to create the kind of space you want. For me, I think I would do some combination of the two objectives I mentioned, but you might also have others: Plant, on the road side of the spruces, something that can grow into a replacement barrier, either new spruces if they work for you, or something completely different. In fact, that might have been why the POs planted the spruce where they did - there may have been an even older hedge closer to the road when they did so. Given that a car has come off that road, you probably don't ever want to be entirely without some protection. Once the new barrier grows in (and you'll have to water it some through the first couple of summers), some or all of the spruce can be removed to enlarge the back yard, and then you can create a garden there with some of the suggestions made above. Obviously, the thinner the specimens you choose (arbs vs. spruces!), the bigger a yard you'll have. Plant or build in the front yard to create some privacy, shade, and space to be outside. Put pathways in to enable people to get from various doors to these spots. All of this goes beyond the question of what to do with your rocks to the overall issue of long term property management, and one reason it has done so is that those spruces are not going to stay within their footprint for long. That baby tree is still growing slowly, but there comes a point in the growth of big trees where they seem to just swallow everything around them (a bit like teenage boys). As well, it's tough to make any recommendations about what to do with the rocks as we don't know your taste, your skill level at rock work, or your physical capacity to move them around. In addition, having not seen the rocks we don't know whether they lend themselves easily to wall building. But you've said you want to stick to the basics, and so laying them on the ground in a pleasant curve is probably your best bet, or even a line since the trees are, after all, in a line. As for plant recommendations, I rarely make them for other people because taste is so personal, plus I don't know your climate. KarinL...See MorePlants that look good with plumbago?
Comments (12)Catkim, thanks for the insight. Yup, i did a bit of searching around for information before planting these here. The palms are definately Phoenix Canariensis, i have Phoenix roebelenii planted elsewhere in my yard as well. My street is lined with majestic, old phoenix canariensis and the birds drop their seeds all over my yard, so i get volunteer seedlings all of the time. The bed is roughly 25 to 30 feet away from the house, so the canariensis will have plenty of room to grow. Now that you mention it though, i will make sure there is enough room between the phoenix and the wall. The phoenix on the pointed end of the bed has roughly 2 feet on all sides, the photo just doesn't do a good job of showing it. Heres another photo showing the distance from the house and patio. The patio itself is 30' long by 12' wide, and the strip of lawn is a bit wider than the patio. About the crista-galii, the biggest i have seen them here in Fresno is less than 10 feet tall. And that's in the older neighborhoods of town. They are kept smaller maybe by the handfull of frosts we get here every winter (?). In either case, i'll probably be trimming it ocassionally to keep it on the smaller scale. again, thanks for bringing this up....See Morecompanion plants or groundcovers-good or bad?
Comments (15)They found that roots and soil organisms developed symbiotic relationships where one plants roots would have excess P for example while another needed P. The plant that needed P took it from the plant that had it and plants select for organisms that increase particular plant available minerals, which increased over all plant available minerals. Notice most any natural situation and there is diversity, duh! Where it isn't so are situations of harsh conditions and those environments are very fragile. Widely known that monocultures are prone to pest and disease problems....See MoreCan we please talk about groundcover?
Comments (42)Although a lot of the plants mentioned come under the heading of groundcover (covers the ground), to me the definition of groundcover means plant it and let it go with no maintenance. Plants like geraniums, dianthus, bleeding heart, and other similar ones mentioned require some maintenance. After the first blooms of geraniums if the foliage is ratty, I cut it down to generate fresh growth. I think of that type of plant as "front of the border" or "edger". If I had a large swath of "groundcover" on a bank for example, I would not want the huge job of deadheading it, let alone, cutting it back. Full fledged "groundcover" should not require deadheading. Well, on 2nd thought, I do deadhead my ajuga, only because it is in a small well contained patch between the patio and garage door and is very visible. I have a hill covered with wintercreeper amongs trees and shrubs. It is pretty large. zero maintenance is the only realistic possibility (unless one can hire gardeners to do huge tasks!! LOL). I guess the type of groundcover to use is affected by the amount of ground it needs to cover. I thought of another "groundcover" that is actually a shrub. Russian Cypress. Microbiota decussata. A nice alternative to junipers, the classic groundcover, but unlike junipers, RC can take some shade. not green in winter... bronze/grey. I have a few scattered about and they add nice texture to mixed beds. Not really appropriate for exclusively perennial beds. I think they can get as wide as 8' or so. Mine are about 4' wide after 3 years....See Morewestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agoChristopher CNC
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked Christopher CNCwestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked wantonamara Z8 CenTexwestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
4 years ago
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westes Zone 9b California SF BayOriginal Author