New homeowner/gardener

17 years ago

Ok, so I just bought a house this past fall and actually have a yard of sorts to grow things. So I go crazy with the order catalogues and such and now while I wait for them all to arrive I start getting second thoughts and paranoia. Here's a list of what I've gotten/ordered/planning on doing and maybe someone can cry "Abort!" if I've made a major gardening faux pas. Know I might be asking a lot, but with as many forum areas as there are, it'd be a nightmare to try and divide everything up between them all and follow them. So here it is *takes deep breath* (live in southwest MI, soil runs to basic btw)

+laid down first layer of milky spore to get rid of countless grubs and moles.

+ordered Zoyzia grass plugs to get rid of dealing with barespots/shaded areas, all the things the sellers advertise about

+Allready planted from signing up with arbor tree foundation"

2 white dogwoods

1 eastern redbud (on partially shady side of big old maple tree, which some sites reccomended)

1 golden rain tree (full sun)

1 crepe myrtle (full sun)

On the way in and where I plan on planting them:

Trees:

+tree wisteria (full to partial sun)

+golden chain tree (full sun)

+royal japanese cherry (full sun)

+2 pink smoke trees (full sun by side of house)

+fruit cocktail tree (full sun...dwarf tree has 5 different types of fruit growing on it)

+yellow french style lilac (full sun)

Everything else:

+fern collections (not too worried about these)

+creeping red sedum (to be planted in area around where planted dogwoods, in area is another huge maple and big white pine)

+3 trumpet vines orange and yellow (I've heard the horror stories but planning on training the yellow and orange to spiral up a monstrously old maple on right of way section of yard away from house and on other side of sidewalk)

+irish moss (for stony walkway area behind house where gets plenty of sun)

+walk on me (same area)

+hen & chicks (same)

+festuca (same)

+japanese bloodgrass (same)

+2 climbing roses (to be trained to grow on old cute but useless arched gate door)

+2 thornless raspberries

+2 silver lace vine (one for back fence, 1 for part sunny side of little enclosed porch front entryway)

+clematis (for back fence area too)

+japanese lilys

+blooming heath for dead acidic areas under pines

Have i done something stupid or bitten off more than i can chew? I know it's a lot to ask, but figured it's best all put in one place.

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Comments (5)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Crape myrtle isn't hardy in your area.
chrismich250
17 years ago
Since you are a new gardener, here are some suggestions about your plants choices---many that I wanted or tried myself in SE Michigan. If you are able to work around their drawbacks-go for it.

Zoysia grass--tried it--it is a southern grass--IF you can get it to spread & grow (mine didn't) it is very late to green up and goes brown very early in the fall.
Redbud, even though a native tree, is short lived in MI about 15 years.
Crepe murtle tree-not in MIchigan!!
I can't remember if it is golden chain, or golden rain that is a zone 6--check it out and also check out which one likes moist soil-can you provide water all the time???
Fruit trees sound great, just get on a spray schedule, or expect buggy fruit. I have a 3 peaches (also a 15 yr tree in MI) that needs spray for peach leaf curl in winter 2x, European scale now & later, and other bugs in the season (check out the 'fruits & berries forum). I tried bagging my fruit with zip lock bags last summer, a real chore, but at-least I got some delicious fruit.
I haven't seem the yellow lilac, but the shrubs forum say they are a pale yellow/white. So don't be disappointed if the blooms are not what the catalog show. (5 yr wait for blossoms)
My trumpet did well for 5 years--then the suckers started everywhere in the lawn--up to 15 feet away. Just know what you are dealing with.
Sedum and hen & chicks need full sun.
Roses--I usually use a full spectrum ortho system--and you must mound up soil in the fall or the winter kill with be high. (I didn't do that last fall to my 2' tall knock out rose and the winter kill is 6" from the soil. At least the plant did not die totally. Join a local garden club, read the books from the library, and read more of the forums to understand the plants requirements in your area. Also watch out for winter winds, they can lower your plant choices by a full zone. Gardening is a constant learning hobby--and then when you think you know what you are doing--mother nature step in with a surprise or new bug. Landscaping ideas change, plants grow and die--just enjoy it. I just saw a stepping stone that said 'this yard on loan from God" and "I tried-it died."
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gaoyuqing
Original Author
17 years ago
Erk...zoysia people told me it would work here. Figures. Oh well, we'll see. Probably try it in part of yard that needs the most help and see how that does.
As for tree years, guess I never realized about trees having short lifespans like that. Trees dying of old age in itself is kind of odd to me. Live and learn.
Crepe myrtles, guess it's good that they didn't cost me anything...but would have been nice if arbor tree people could have told me..they know what zone I'm in since they ship at appropriate planting time for area.
golden trees, both are listed as working in zone 5, and after your tip double checked, seems golden chain tree might need regular water. We live in what seems to be a rather damp area per say, but we have yet to go through a summer in our new home. Guess we'll see how it does.
5 year wait for lilacs IS an eye opener..ouch, thanks.
Roses I'll keep an eye on. Odd since friend at work has 2 she's giving me because they are growing like weeds and she can't kill them!
I'll be grazing through these forums for some time to come I suspect, thanks for the help :)
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Yes, I should have commented on the Zoysia. It's a true 'warm season grass', with a tad of cold hardiness. 'Empire' is the only cultivar that is rated as quite cold hardy, and it's ony dependable to zone 6b or so! You got hoodwinked on that one!
gaoyuqing
Original Author
17 years ago
called them back and canceled order. thanks for saving me from a headache guys :)