Flower Bed Dread (*Pics)
Diamond Deuces
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
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I need flower bed design help! I failed miserably (pics)!
Comments (31)Aggie, the journey can indeed be frustrating and paved with failures. but each failure is a learning experience. What people with experience can do is help you identify the lesson, and maybe also help you to differentiate the possible from the impossible, but don't let anyone rob you of the journey or of giving it a try. At the risk of repeating myself, you are asking a lot of yourself to get both your foundation planting and your flower gardening out of one spot. If colour and seasonal variation are really important things for you, I really would suggest you consider adding a bed somewhere to give yourself more opportunity in better growing conditions - and that is tough to do nicely if you don't make a new bed out of the same stone. But maybe you can do that. The other thing that is a bit uphill for you is that you can only get so much uniqueness when your plantings are in the same PLACE as everyone else's. I suspect in your old neighbourhood, there was variety in WHERE in the yard people put their plants, as well as variety in what plants they had. If I drive through the neighbourhood, everyone's plants are probably at the foundation, and if only the details vary, the overall impression is still very similar. So your bed at the foundation is working against your desire to do something original on two counts. But it can be done... if you haven't already asked in the conifers forum, ask there for some suggestions for specialty conifers that would do well in these conditions. You do need evergreen plants - the bones, so to speak - and they can be broadleaf or needled evergreens. If you want a lot of variety in your flowering plants, you might enjoy having repeats of some interesting evergreens... I keep thinking of Chamaecyparis 'Wissel's Saguaro' but that might just be because I like it a lot. No idea if it works in your conditions. Even boxwoods would look good as consistent, repeated forms to offset the variety. If, on the other hand, you want consistency in the flowers (all purple petunias or peach roses), then go for variety in the conifers. Who knows, you might develop a talent for topiary :-) Some of my favourite yards are amazing topiary confections. I don't have the patience or the discipline for it though. Then you can do amazing things with quite ordinary plants. Pruning makes all the difference between green blobs and interesting shapes. Broadleaf evergreens will also offer some options for you; try asking for advice at a couple of nurseries - not big box stores. I don't know if the Ilex family would work or not, but if so, Ilex 'Mariesii' is a lovely plant - varies in form, can have some fun with it. Whitecap is right that people like me from outside your area may not be much use for specific plant recommendations, but we can help with form, and process. I've linked below to a site that explains the principles of landscape design in a way that I like. It doesn't all translate to the design of a single bed, but you can maybe play with some of the ideas. Karin L Here is a link that might be useful: Principles of landscape design...See MoreEggs found in flower bed ID ? - pic
Comments (4)Rubbery makes me think of reptiles, rather than birds, so I'm wondering if you have turtles or tortoises in your yard? Though to be honest, most turtles dig a deeper hole than that. If you are sure they aren't some kind of fungi, my best guess is turtle. I'd watch them very closely...it will be fun to see what actually comes out. Keep us posted. Marcia...See Morepics of my front flower bed
Comments (4)Thank you! This part of the bed is doing great, now if I could only get the other half to do as well. lol This has been a lot of work but it's worth it when I come home from work every day to a garden covered in butterflies and birds. It really helps to release the days stress....See MoreHelping a friend with a problem flower bed (2 pics)
Comments (8)I know you don't want the trees to come down, but my concern is the proximity of the trees to the house. They are awfully close and could cause some damage either to the foundation or structure of the house. I would treat the bed as a full sun area since it gets the hottest sun of the day in the afternoon. This opens it up to things like lantana, autumn sage, dwarf ornamental grasses, etc. Try dwarf Hamlen grass since they make nice clumps only about 12 inches tall and are low maintenance. Rock rose would be another good one that would take some shade and bloom. I would also recommned backing up those perennials with something evergreen like Carissa hollies. You might have to install risers on the sprinkler system to reach everything, but those are very inexpensive and easy to switch out from the pop-ups currently in place....See Morearcy_gw
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