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loribee2

What would you plant here? (big photo warning!)

loribee2
12 years ago

Okay, all the beautiful photos of roses and salvia have got me thinking I should be asking all the talented people here for advice.

This is a section of our yard I'm in the middle of landscaping.

{{gwi:103895}}

My priority to this point has been birds. What you see here so far is plum, cypress, viburnum, Pink Lady Indian Hawthorn and potato vine. What is not grass or brown dirt will be a rock path, and I still plan to fill in the dirt area with more compost and mulch, so I should have a good soil base.

What I have not decided on is what to plant in the areas I've got left. I do concrete and mosaic garden art, so I want space to display some of my work. I will also be making a bird bath for the area, maybe two, and will add some feeders. Leaving room for the Hawthorn to spread, I should have about 6-10' of width still to play with. It's full sun with the exception of that far section of fence. That spot is moist and pretty shady, since it's north facing.

So, keeping with the design I've started, do any of you have ideas on what you'd plant here? You've got me thinking about Julia Child roses and salvia and little white daisy-like flowers. I do want relatively low maintenance, though. I'm not a big fan of dead-heading a million tiny flowers (i.e. coreopsis and the like). I've got a vegetable garden on the other side that already sucks up my spare time, so I'm trying to keep the rest of it fairly easy going. The only thing that has come to mind so far is irises, but I've got no idea what to inter-plant them with. Mostly, I just want it to look as pretty as Renee's garden without having to do any work, LOL!

Here is a link that might be useful: loribees garden blog

Comments (21)

  • jenn
    12 years ago

    Mostly, I just want it to look as pretty as Renee's garden without having to do any work, LOL!

    Don't we all, LOL! It looks very nice so far. How big do you expect the plants along the fence to be at maturity? That will determine the size of the plants you put in the remaining space. I am assuming that spot gets full sun, am I correct? Since it looks like a sitting area at the end, be careful about planting any bee magnets ---- we're planning to move a S. greggii at the corner of our patio because it is *constantly* humming with bumble bees!

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks! Yes, you're right, that's a seating area against the house. This is also the primary view from our kitchen window, so I'm hoping for nice things to look at from both angles. Good point about the bees. Besides, I'm already feeding them with plenty over in my veggie garden.

    According to the books, Pink Lady Indian Hawthorn is supposed to spread about 4'. The widest spot near the plum tree is about 13 feet across. So I've got a width of about 9 feet to work with. And of course, some things could spill over into the path. And yes, the center of this spot gets a solid 6 hours of sun.

  • hosenemesis
    12 years ago

    You guys are too sweet. Tell me more.

    Loribee, are you positive you want to lay gravel? I know it's popular now, but I think it's a nightmare. I have been removing gravel for twenty years. It gets full of dirt and leaves and can't be cleaned, it gets scattered into your beds and on your grass, it ruins your driveway and if you ever want to change the layout of your garden, well, it's easier to just buy a new house. I would prefer plain dirt any day over gravel, even in the muddy season. DG is pretty bad too, but not anywhere near as tough to get up if you want to change something.

    Your layout is really pretty, and those trellises will look wonderful. I recommend moving the Indian Hawthornes, though. They are too close to the back wall and the trellises, since they get to be at least four feet wide they need two feet behind them.

    If you want spectacular blooms for almost no effort plant a bunch of Iceberg roses. I would plant five of them, and all three hawthornes together in a clump of three, maybe in the center of the bed with icebergs all behind them? It might be too much white for your taste, but I love white flowers.

    Hoovb likes Jolly Bee/Rozanne true geranium for in front of roses. Big blue-purply flowers that last forever. Limonium or statice is another plant that requires no care to speak of and rewards you with non-stop flowers. It's beautiful with roses. My mom has it planted with Iceberg in her front flower bed and you can see her flowers from the end of the street!

    I'm looking forward to seeing the bird bath etc. Bushtits will love your potato vines- they are always in mine.

    Renee

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks, Renee! I looove your suggestions and I appreciate the help. I am writing down all those plants and will have to look them up. If I can get my space to even remotely resemble yours and Hoovb's yards, I'd be so thrilled with myself.

    So the iceberg roses will be roughly the height of the hawthorns (or taller) when mature? I have to be a little careful of the sun-loving plants, keeping them near the center, because they get less sun as I move closer to the fence line. Though I still think they'll probably get 5-6 hours a day. Hmmm, so much new stuff to consider--I like it!

  • hosenemesis
    12 years ago

    Here in my yard the Icebergs grow to six feet tall and almost as wide. I would put them at least three feet away from the back fence, but if you have the potato vines there, you will need room to get back there and trim the vines out of the other shrubs, so you might want even more empty space in front of the trellises. I'll try to find some photos of my mom's Indian Hawthornes, Icebergs, and limonium. Meanwhile, take a look at this from hoovb's blog.

    Here is a link that might be useful: A Piece of Eden Icebergs

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I would love that! I'm quite serious about going with the plant selection you suggested, as I really love it. I also like your idea of the grouping instead of "rows along the fence". (I seriously need to be pulled out of the box, thank you!)

    It seemed as though Iceberg is rather shade tolerant, down to 4 hours. That's nice, as the closer I get to the end of the fence, I may only get 4 hours. Unfortunately, I have a French Drain running through this area that I have to contend with which messes up my free reign to plant anywhere I want. And I do want to favor the fence line a bit as I'm landscaping for the view from my kitchen window (the reason the seating area is up against the house). But you make a good point about trimming the potato vine.

    Thank you thank you so much for the help with this! I've been in a rut as to what to do next, and now I'm excited about the project again.

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    12 years ago

    As a fellow bird lover, I am looking for your bird baths? We love to watch the birds out our picture window. I have three bird baths connected to water with a garden timer. It fills them three time a day. Even then on a busy summer day they splash out enough to run low between fillings. Al

  • sheila65
    12 years ago

    Have you thought about salvia? Many shades of blue and red to choose from (blue would play off of white roses beautifully). And hummingbirds love them!

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Funny you mention Salvia, because I was looking at it when I was at Lowes the other night. I appreciate the information about the hummingbirds. I think I will definitely put that on my list now.

  • lindasewandsew
    12 years ago

    I'm design impaired, but love Salvias. Cal Poly Pomona Farm Store always has a great selection of them in every color you can imagine. It's just a couple of miles from my house, but it's easy to forget that they have so many nice plants and signs telling you the size, etc. of whatever you like. Linda

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    12 years ago

    I'll echo Renee's comments about 'Iceberg'. I find it funny: a lot of rose folks, especially rosarians tend to kind of turn their nose up at 'Iceberg'. I wanted to show you what 'Iceberg' is capable of, bloom-wise. Now, know that these are past their peak if you can believe that. And this is in response to some hard pruning, to keep them down, as Renee has mentioned they can grow quite tall (and make the most spectacular hegdge you've ever seen-take your breath away spectacular):

    {{gwi:533220}}

    {{gwi:533221}}

    {{gwi:533222}}

    Nothing beats Iceberg for blooms and disease resistance. All my other roses struggled this year with either rust, mildew or black spot. The Icebergs were unaffected. They are simply spectacular. There is also Burdundy Iceberg (and Pink), which for me stays a little lower and more sprawling than white Iceberg, but is equally as hardy and bloom-prolific. Should have snapped a a pic of those, as well, as they barely get watered and are just gorgeous every spring.

    Patty S.

  • hosenemesis
    12 years ago

    Love Icebergs! Thanks.

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Patty, those are beautiful roses! And I'm glad to hear so many good things about icebergs because I've now got three!

    {{gwi:533225}}

    The area is a long way from being done, but I'm very excited about the results. And Renee, I have to thank you again for your original response. The minute I read your comment about pulling the hawthorne from the wall and putting them in a grouping, the lightbulb went on over my head. I've been stuck in a "plants in a row" rut, which was why I just couldn't figure out how to pull the area together. This plan is exactly the effect I'd been going for. I just needed someone to point out the obvious to me.

    I've got more plants to bring in, namely some purples and some smaller perennials, but I've got the bones in with the addition of the roses and pink hydrangeas back in my shadier spot. I will probably refrain from planting too much more this year, as I'd like to wait to see how this all fills in first. Maybe annuals just for fun. And now I have a fun project to make a birdbath for the area. I've set the base where it will go, but I still need to construct a top.

    I really never expected this project to turn out so well, and I really owe it to all the great advice and suggestions here. You guys are awesome!!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: loribees garden blog

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    12 years ago

    Are those full-sized (species) italian cypress on the right?

    Do you know how big those get?

    {{gwi:533227}}

    They should be at bare minimum 10 feet from your house, and more would be better. For their sake, and your house's sake.

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    No, they are these:

    {{gwi:533229}}

    We've had them in a couple homes, though when planted near the house like we've done, we keep them trimmed to just below the gutter line. The birds love them for nesting.

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    12 years ago

    I am happy to note you are planning a birdbath. Al

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes, I'm looking forward to that project. I've got two of these columns that I bought as planters years ago. I figured they'd be perfect as a base for a bird bath. The irony is that I started this project because I've got a number of concrete garden art projects in the works, but no place to display them in the new house. The bird bath will be the first one I finish!

    I loved your idea about hooking them up to irrigation!

  • Laurel Zito
    12 years ago

    What I have now are plants that will reseed, so all I have to do is remove the weeds as they come and allow the reseeds of the positive plants such as poppies, marigolds, columbines, and tiny purple voila. Then on the shady side, it is the same thing, but with shade lovers. Also small bulbs all over, then if I want to buy something like a flat of flower to fill in I can. Many of the best seeds I got in trade. Just planted CA poppies from Larner Seeds that were supposed to be colored, but nothing came up, but I did get one more reseed from Mikado CA poppies, and lots of the taller types. I found if I seed makes it somewhere else, it can make it here. Traded seeds are better, but the purple voilias came from Burpee. So you never know, it is a lot of trail and error.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Larner Seeds

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    12 years ago

    Can't wait to see the birdbath, Lori. And an auto fill feature would be awesome. I've got a birdbath on my side yard I constantly forget to fill. I'd love to figure out how to get an auto-fill feature hooked up to it. Al, post photos of your bird baths and their auto-fill feature.

    Patty S.

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    @tropical_thought, thanks for the information on the seeds. I am looking forward to playing with smaller plants and annuals once these main shrubs start to fill in. Digging those 5 gallon holes in my adobe was NOT fun, so at the moment, the idea of planting seeds is a very enticing one. LOL

  • Chilidawg
    12 years ago

    I have visited your blog page. You should consider fitting in a navel orange/cara cara. Late winter spring fruit. And a meyer lemon. Bears year round in your climate. Citrus flower fragrance when the citrus blooms.

    http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/index.php