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Suggestions for new plants photo

13 years ago

This is a picture from the other side. the garden with the JP weed is lower, this is the upside. I have spiderwort to the left of the birdbath(i cut it down) which I love when it's in bloom but it didn't last very long this year. What can I put in there to fill and have some color when the spiderwort fades?

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Comments (8)

Iris GW
13 years ago
Do you have any Rudbeckia? Something like R. hirta has been very long lasting for me this year.
anita55
Original Author
13 years ago
I do not and that is a wonderful suggestion. Is R. Hirta annual or perennial? I know there are many varieties of BE Susan
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Well, you have my permission to offer that container to me. I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands! ;) Just kidding - sorta. It's gorgeous. I'm suffering from container envy. lol Anyway, to answer your question - three completely different kinds of plants came to mind when looking at it and reading your color scheme. (I am assuming it has drainage on the bottom for all these ideas.) In no particular order - - a dwarf pink lilac. Can't remember the name of it, but I think they've come up with one that blooms several times during the summer now. Warning though - I have one in a container near a stone house, and I'm always having Powdery Mildew problems by mid to late summer, so my purple dwarf lilac only blooms once. - Milkweed. Yeah, I know most people think of it as a weed, but no milkweed, no monarch butterflies, and frankly, mine are just blooming, and have the exact complimentary colors for that container. I like this choice, because they seem the perfect height for that container, too. - Lamb's ear. It's that soft green, like the container, and they are literally soft leafed, like a lamb's ear. Some actually flower into the same pink that would compliment that container too. Only problem I see with that choice though is the plant(s) won't grow as tall as the container, so it seems like a whole lot of space for such short plants. For anything you're growing in there, if it doesn't need all that room for the roots of the plants, you can add a layer of upside down, empty soda cans to the bottom to lighten the weight of the container, and save on potting soil. One of the things I love about container gardening is finding the perfect container and having the perfect plant in it. I'm just beginning to get to that stage. (Only have two 5-gallon "paint buckets" left. lol) I sure hope you get other ideas. I want you to be thrilled every time you see that container and the plant in it. Good luck.
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When I look at your new design, my eye first goes to the big tree, but then it gets pulled back to the door on the left. And there's not too much going on in that part of the design. So to me, the design feels like it isn't relating to the house. It seems to me that if you (eventually) want to have a ten foot tree on the right you need a lot more going on at the left side of the design. More plants, more depth, and even some sort of stone/entryway on the ground at the doorway. As far as the plants you mentioned, they should all take full sun and are pretty indestructible.
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Alright, I'll put my two bits in here. If it were me, I'd start with two or three lasagna beds using cardboard to cover grass starting at the lake's edge about 12-15 feet each, and the six feet deep. However, I would make large, soft curves on the proximal edge. As time, money and materials become available, you can continue to extend the shoreline. To these beds I would add ornamental grasses like fakahatchee grass (the regular gets quite big, and there's a dwarf type also). Use these in clumps of 3 or 5 as space allows. Maybe a nearby wax myrtle for the birds. I would then add things that give color and look good on slopes like rusellia equisetiformis and plumbago. Again in odd numbers. These look great on slopes and require nothing. Other things to consider are species canna near the water (less likely to get rust or leaf rollers) such as flaccida, or warcsewiczi (/sp?). You can grow the latter from seeds easily and I would plant as many as you can to cover ground. The foliage is pretty. However, these do require maintenance of cutting the old stalks. A foot or so from the proximal edge, a carefree groundcover like acalypha repens or maybe perennial peanut (?), which can be edged, would tie the look of the whole bed/s together. Lastly, use the lake to extend your beds by planting pickerel weed or alligator flag in large clumps. By the way, your yard is beautiful. I can see why you love the yard! Anna
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I would have suggested some tropical-looking Aloes or other very sculptural plants. The phoenix already have an airy look so instead of adding more airy plants I would have added some plants with more defined shapes. The yucca could get very large (but it depends on what variety it is). Try looking for Aloe Vaenbelenii, Aloe Alooides, Aloe Excelsa, Aloe Arborescens, Aloe Thraskii, manfreda species (macho mocha is a nice purple variety), Beschorneria Yuccoides, Aloe Striata, Agave Vilmoriniana, agave bracetosa, agave attenuata (many colorful cultivars), agave desmettiana variegata, furcraea species, blechnum gibbum, cordyline australis... And as far as blooming shrubs go, look for tibouchina species, brunfelsia pauciflora or other brunfelsia species, tecomaria capensis, pachypodium lamereii, clvia miniata, spathiphyllum species. The more colorfull the blooms/foliage, the more tropical it will look. Try to stay away from generic hedge shrubs like boxwood, photina... Also, it would look nice with a large group of palms, not just two. They might look too lonely. plant them in groups of threes to give your yard a really full look. just my two cents.
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Iris GW
13 years ago
It is perennial. R. hirta has the fuzziest of leaves compared to others (for example, R. fulgida is more smooth than fuzzy) in my opinion, of course. Need a few seed heads? I got bunches of them out there now. I also have R. fulgida that is just starting to bloom now.
fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
Lupines have both pretty blooms and interesting foliage but they would be an early Summer bloom, late May - June here in Western NY State - I'm not sure what part of NY you're in.

I'm guessing the scarlet behind the birdbath is a Monarda. Another Monarda is possible. The Monarda fistulosa I find wild here are all only in the 1-2' range even though I believe it can get taller.

I find that some of the other echinaecas are not as tall as the E. purpurea. In my experience both the E. paradoxa and E. tennesseensis are only 1-2'.

Though it's a biennial and an effective self-seeder, Rudbeckia triloba is a cute addition.

FataMorgana
anita55
Original Author
13 years ago
Fatamorgana said "Rudbeckia triloba is a cute addition"; I went to the closest native garden center and this plant was at least 6 feet tall! It was more like a tree than a perennial. The next garden center had ones that were smaller, maybe 4 feet tall. Everything is always bigger than I expect. I may have to expand my garden out into the lawn to make room for all the perennials i like!
fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
Wow - 4 and 6 feet tall. I've got it in my gardens but it grows 2.5' max. It seeds it self around and stays that height. It also grows in a plot at a local historic site that is working to restore native grasses and forbs to 30-40 acres. The forbs include compass plant, lupine, various coneflowers, and more including R. triloba. The triloba plants in the native grass planting area are only 2-3' as well - I was just picture taking last week and earlier today.

So I don't know what to say about the giants you saw.

FataMorgana
anita55
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi! I don't know either. they were in pots, and not very filled out but I'm telling you they were at least a foot taller than I, which is 5'1". Maybe they were reaching for the sun, as plants will sometimes when they don't get adequate sunlight. Of course I didn't buy those, but I did buy the shorter version and they have a happy home in my garden right now.
dapjwy
13 years ago
I was thinking of Penstemon digitalis.

Here is a link that might be useful: A Native Backyard

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