Small Section of Garden needs Ideas - PICS

houstworks

13 years ago

If anyone wants to help me what plant suggestions do you have for this spot.

It is on the right when you go up my driveway.

Although the photo is taken from above not on the way up.

I don't water it hardly ever.

It is sunny with afternoon shade.

So I guess for Vermont it's sunny and dry.

It's too structured for my taste.

1 hosta 3 coreopsis 1 hosta.

zoomed out a little bit

Here is the view driving up the driveway.

This is from last year much wetter year and coreopsis not doing much yet.

further out

Comments (3)

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
13 years ago
Start by thinking about why it is there. Right now it just looks like you needed somewhere to plop a couple of plants, and that's where the shovel landed. It isn't going to be satisfactory until it is either large enough to justify itself, or connect to something else to justify it.
hunt4carl
13 years ago
Without intending to create a lot of work for you, I'm afraid I agree with Mad Gallica - right now, the bed has no focal point, and no real reason for being
there. . .at a bare minimum, with so much open lawn beyond, it needs to be either
wider (think 3') and longer (think 6'-10'), or just much larger in general
allowing for plant density. You're working against SO much neutral space (lawn)!

Have you considered one massive plant - a Miscanthus 'Morning Light' pops to mind, or a smaller Pennisetum 'Hamlyn', if you're concerned about height - at the top end of the bed, with the remainder of the bed flowing downward in
height toward the lower end of the drive. A few massive rocks would help in
anchoring the bed year round (and aren't you lucky: Vermont is a border-to-border rock quarry!). . .I helped a friend build something similar along her drive in Central Vermont (Z.4). . .the rocks were easy to come by, we used
ground hugging Juniperus horizontalis for all year interest, a collection of low-bush blueberries (for fall color AND fruit), Rudbeckia and Sedum 'Autumn
Joy'. Nothing groundbreaking, for sure, but the massed effect was just what
was needed with a mown field beyond (much like your lawn). Size would seem to be the key; the plant combinations would appear to be endless !
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houstworks
Original Author
13 years ago
Hmmmm, nice ideas!

My neighbor has something that looks similar to Miscanthus 'Morning Light' or Pennisetum 'Hamlyn' so I can look at her house if I want to visualize it.

I do have a lot of smaller size rocks below that section so it might be easy to continue the rock "quarry" idea. ; )

Junipers too I do like something that lasts!
If you want to keep it from spreading- I see it has medium growth do you just cut it?

I never thought of blueberries - they'd be fun!

Very interesting ideas!

mad_gallica ---- It may have been just how they got there
by having extra plants with no where else to go.

Thanks for the help!