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Landscape Design Garden Restoration Design Dilemma

Looking for recommendations on what to plant near my Rose of Sharon's

2 years ago

Currently the bed is only 3 feet wide, so I was considering annuals but I was also considering expanding the space, but not really sure exactly how I'd like to expand it. (What direction, width, shape, etc.)
This area is full sun and I'm looking for plants that will look good in the space. I am a little concerned that anything short will look wonky next to the rose of Sharon's and anything to tall would look strange because the bed isnt that big. Right now it's just weeds and old garden ornaments and I'd like to change up the space. I pruned the rose of Sharon's this spring and since then I've found I like that corner a lot more and want some more color over there. I prefer more blues and pinks over hot colors like red and yellow, but at the same time the garden is in the corner of the yard so maybe some hotter colors will draw the eye.
I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'm in Rochester, NY zone 6a and our soil is rich and clay like.

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Comments (5)

Amanda Wilcox
Original Author
2 years ago
mindshift
2 years ago
Rose of Sharon will eventually be 6-10' wide so expanding the bed now makes sense. Make it at least 5' wide and add 12-18" to each end past the Rose of Sharon so you have room for other plants.

There aren't too many floral colors that clash, but using white or blue flowers allows colors to work together better. Below I show two color combinations. The first is Shasta Daisy with Scarlet Sage.

Below are Iris and Potentilla.

You, however, should visit a local nursery and see what is best for your area. And the above garden is just the first you should create. One key to good landscaping is to repeat flowers across a yard, so you need two or three other beds. They do not all have to be this large; they can be borders against a fence or your house. The beds also do not have to be identical. Choose one or two flowers to appear in every bed and mix in other flowers you like.
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the flower from rose of sharon is beautiful but my neighbor Monique is lazy and does not dead head hers, it spreads everywhere even her own lawn has about 900 seedlings in that area,and they do not care. They are inconsiderate. I had to pull 275 shoots from my grass and now they planted them along the fenceline...I'm sure i will have at least 700 to pull next season. Nothing you spray on them make them die..The seedpods are still there from last year and they dont trim them either. They also have a birch tree that spews seed pods for months clogging my pool, gutters, and branches fall continuously all season long from those trees.I have pulled tons of seedling trees from that as well in my landscape, very invasive! If it was the other way around she would be going ballistic! May the wind blow their way and have them have to clean up after their own problems. Plenty of other plants to plant but they are wealthy and very very cheap.
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I have a white one in my yard that I just love. There is a stunning purple one at the garden center I work for. I took two pieces and stuck one in a pot with soil and the other in a water bottle. The heat got the one in the pot, June was not the right time to try that, but the water bottle one is going gang busters. I will transplant it to a pot when it cools down again. They do grow very easily. Trish
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houssaon
2 years ago
I have viburnum and hydrangea planted with my Rose of Sharon. Also, you could add ferns, hosta, and Jacob's Ladder.
Embothrium
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Established Hibiscus syriacus can be cut low every spring before they leaf out yet still flower well because they bloom on the new growth. Handled this way they remain comparatively short and dense specimens.
Amanda Wilcox
Original Author
2 years ago
@mindshift thank you for photoshopping in some ideas! I think 5 feet wide is a good idea and another foot and a half on each side of the Rose of Sharon looks good. I am going to check out some blue and white combos as I really like that look, but I'm not super keen about irises. Do you think delphiniums would work well?

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