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Looking for ideas
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Posted by alabamanicole 7/8 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 17, 07 at 10:05
| I am looking for a couple of ideas for landscaping around my new house.
One is for a small tree (up to about 12' in height) for a protected courtyard area on the NE corner of the house where the house forms an "L" and the north and eat sides have an 8' fence. However it still gets lots of sun in the summer. I have a tiny (for now) bay tree in the courtyard already and would like something fruiting. This tree will be irrigated and is in an area where can get lots of attention if needed, and something marginal for the area may work since it's protected and can easily be covered in extreme cold weather. No pesticides or other toxic chemicals at all can be permitted in the area. It doesn't need to be a true tree, but I want to be able to train it to a tree shape at the very least with branching 3-4' from the ground.
The second idea I need is for a small evergreen shrub, up to a maximum of 2' in height (preferably about 18"), to make a low edible hedge to edge the driveway. It will get full, blistering Alabama sun and will never get watered once established. Well, actually it will be mostly ignored from a care standpoint except for some seasonal trimming/training/etc. It's doesn't need to be a tiny shrub; any evergreen edible which meets the criteria will do, as long as it doesn't trail or send out runners or otherwise misbehave too much.
My soil is clay with a neutral pH and has low phosphorus but is otherwise balanced.
Any ideas appreciated! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Looking for ideas
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for the courtyard you might try a fig as a sure thing. but a citrus might make it there too, or a banana, advocado?
I live in NE Ohio, so these would all be things i would try
if i lived further south.
I can not think of anything for your hedge. Tomatos just sprawling along the drive?, something viney-- maypop, kiwi?
currants or gooseberries would be what i'd suggest where I live-- but they aren't evergreen.
good luck.
digger |
RE: Looking for ideas
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| I have a fig tree out front and I know how big these guys get; far too big for this courtyard. The rest of those trees won't survive here in the winter, although I have potted Meyer Lemon and banana that love my front porch in this summer heat! I'm not quite that far south! ;) Kiwi grows HUGE here... right until it gets killed back to the ground on a cold spring night. Too hot for currants in the summer (alas), but the gooseberries are an idea if there really is a very short variety. Anyone know? I have a some "dwarf" Sweet Virginia (non-edible gooseberry) that have to be pruned ruthlessly to keep them under 10' tall. Ground cherry or cape gooseberry fits the bill, but are annuals here. I wonder if there's a dwarf blueberry that grows well here? |
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