I've pulled out all the shrubs from this corner garden, and I'm almost done removing the white stones. Now I'm thinking about what to plant in this garden, and where.
I'm thinking smoke bush, little pine we pulled out from the backyard, Japanese maple, hostas, impatiens, maybe a few grasses. But I don't want the garden to be too full, because I'll have to be able to get into it to weed and prune. Also, there's a power outlet on the wall to the right that we need access too.
I want to put a bubbling rock in it somewhere, but my hubby pooh-poohed that idea -- GRRRR!!!! And I'm thinking about maybe creating a sort of second tier in the very corner by building a little wall with interlocking brick.
I think my ideas are getting too big for my space!! If you have any suggestions, please share them :)
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Yeah, it DOES sound like it'll be over-crowded. I have trouble envisioning how things will look 5 years from now -- all the plants are kinda dinky now, so I keep thinking I have to fill in the spaces. I could always move stuff down the road if it really gets to packed.....
I think I'll put the smoke bush/tree somewhere else. I have no idea where, though......
I was kinda thinking that you have a pretty long list of plants to fit into that small space...won't it be over-crowded??
Smoke bushes/trees grow about 15' tall and about 10'-15' spread. I don't think it's a good idea to have your smokebush where you have it as it will quickly outgrow your space and smother the other plants. Also, the smokebushes I've seen are touted as trees but they seemed to sucker quite a bit, making them more of a bush if not cared for.
I think the only tree in your corner should be the japanese maple as even those spread out quite a bit but they are pretty well behaved. I would make sure the Japanese Maple is pretty much centered in your planting area to give it room to become the beauty that these tend to be if allowed.
I really love the rose glow barberry-the one I have is in a planter (pic in thread Another Planter done) and it's been there 3 years. It does get larger, but it's a slow grower, so I'll move it when I feel it's outgrown its spot.
I move plants a lot, either when I change my mind or when I've found they are not quite right where I've set them. I try to move things before the heat of summer arrives, preferably on overcast days or in the evening shade.
Well, it's only been a couple of weeks, and I'm already going to revamp the entire garden!! We have some Silverleaf Dogwoods in the backyard and I love how they look, so I thought, why not put a few in the front garden too?? So..... I bought 3 dogwoods, as well as a Hakuro Nichiki Variegated Willow and a Rose Glow Barberry to put in the garden. They all like sun and will grow to various heights.
I'm planning to put the 3 dogwoods at the back, along the house. As *cmm* suggested, I'm thinking of putting the smoke bush tree sort of in the center and offset between two dogwoods. The Japanese Maple would be offset between two dogwoods as well. I'll bring the ornamental grass to the front of the garden, and plant the Barberry at the front as well. The willow would go in the front right corner (assuming there's still room for it!!).
The stepping stones will go from the front center of the garden to the outlet on the wall. DBD, we had creeping junipers as ground cover, and I pulled them out!! I'm not a big juniper fan..... but the ground cover idea is a good one, as well as having something sort of draping over the front of the brick along the edge of the garden. So I'm going to plant some periwinkle and see how that goes. It seems to be pretty much indestructible, and I love the purple flowers and the shiny green leaves.
I think the little spruce tree will have to find a new home in a different garden. My hubby said that spruce trees are acidic -- does anyone know if that's true?? If so, then I'll plant it next to a hydrangea, seeing as acididc soil helps the blooms turn blue.
homebody, I planted some coleus in another garden, but they don't seem to happy where they are -- too shady, I think. I'll try moving them into this garden and see if they do better.
I hate to dig up and move plants that I just planted or replanted from another spot. Any suggestions for minimizing the shock to them??
DBD, is purple kale the plant that looks like a caggabe?? Your ideas for how to cover up the pipe are great. I wish I'd thought of using a clematis before I planted the one I bought a few weeks ago in another garden!! But I think the dogwood will do a pretty good job of hiding the pipe. And I love your inukshuk idea -- I'll need to gather up a bunch of suitable stones to make one :)
The purple-leafed plant is just a houseplant, an oxalis. I put it on the deck in the summer because I hate looking after houseplants...
smoodgie, I'd move the smokebush to the center of your corner bed to give it room as well. It looks like its around 1 foot away from the pic -which migh be deceiving. But I can see it growing in there nicely! Love the jap maple -where do you plan to put it in the long-run? I guess they take a long time to grow but just wondering.
homebody -what's that purple leaf plant you have there in your pic? Is it a sandcherry? The coleus is striking too.
They are so spectacular...I bought one in the 3.99 size (see pic attached), I hope it's gonna get as big as the 7.99 ones were...incredible size of leaf. I think a couple would be beautiful in your corner bed.
Have you considered some of the ground spreading type junipers or evergreens for the bed? I'm thinking of the kind that would grow over and drape the little wall you have there. That would give you some soft green edges all year round and to fill in some ground space too. right now I think you only have one evergreen in there so you might consider some other varieties for winter.
There are some really nice trailing annuals and perrenials that do great in the sun that would look really nice tumbling over the wall there.
Instead of hosta (which won't like the full sun) what about Kong Coleous (sp?)? They are supposed to be pretty spectacular and offer a lot of colour. Miniature rose bushes or some other sun lover might be nice too and maybe leave some space so you can plant some bulbs in the fall for the spring.
Another favourite of mine right now is purple Kale. It's an annual but will give you some nice fall colour and fill some space until your perrenials gain some ground. Some of the shorter verions of sunflowers would fill some space and give you some colour this year too. I'm so jealous of people who have sunny beds as mine always seem to be in shade so I would shoot for colour and flowers of some sort if I had the option.
I also wonder how a vine might do to hide those pipes. Some clematis or honeysuckle for instance that could be trailed off to the side or up once it takes off. Honeysuckle is a very fast grower and has interesting bright little flowers and I think it loves sun too.
Your stone idea is a good one. I had some in one bed and they really helped add interest but more importantly, gave me a place to step without knocking something green over. I could also lay my hose on them when I was working so it was hidden and out of trouble. You might consider getting a couple of bigger ones and sit them upright to hide those pipes and if strategically placed on the corners could also act as a hose guard....hm what about making a yourself an inukshook (sp?) to hide the pipes?
I moved the smoke bush three times till I figured it was far enough from the walls!! I think it's closer to the 1-1/2 to 2 feet away that you suggested than it looks in the pictures. But I'll check when I get home, to be sure.
So you'd move the grass to the front of the garden?? Hmmmm.... that might work. I have no idea how talll it's going to grow. It's over a foot tall now, I think. Do you think it'll mind being moved AGAIN?! I dug it up and planted it where it is on Sunday -- is it better to move it now, or give it time to recover??
It looks as though the smoke bush is about 1 foot from each wall in that back corner. Personally, I think it would be better 1 1/2 to 2 feet away from both walls to give it room for a couple of years. By then you may find it could need moving, but I don't think it would be a problem doing so unless it was the wrong time of year for that.
I think I'd plant the red maple about 1 1/2 feet from each the wall and the retaining wall. Unless that ornamental grass gets taller than 1 foot, I might be inclined to put it aling the front somewhere.
OK, I FINALLY got all the rocks removed, and I planted a few things. The smoke bush (which is actually a tree), is in the corner. I pulled an ornamental grass out of another garden where it was too cramped, and put that in the center at the back. And I moved a little Montgomery Blue Spruce that we had in the backyard garden into the front garden.
Now what do I plant here to fill in the gaps?! I'm thinking purple fountain grass, Japanese Maple, and a hosta (I know they like shade and this spot gets a lot of sun, so I'm not sure about that). I also need something to cover up those pipes on the left of the garden. Doesn't have to be a plant -- any suggestions for a garden ornament that would work??
I have a few greenish stones that I thought might work as stepping stone to the plants in the back and the outlet. I'd have to pick up some more when we go to the stone place to get more stones for the water feature. What do you think of them?? I'd place them as a sort of meandering path.
I think the japanese maple is a good choice -- other things are all too big (or would be eventually). You could get the kind that kind of cascades over Eeyore-ishly...the blue-grey kind of hosta that you like is not going to like too sunny of a spot...blue fescue would though...delphiniums are lovely but only for a week or two....what about some purple ajuga (bugle) as a foreground plant? Looks super with blue fescue...some purple fountain grass as an accent, and some lambs ears for white wooly foliage?
Thanks for all the suggestions :) I'm off to the nursery after work, and I'll be on the lookout for the plants mentioned here.
Indigo, I have no idea how big the garden is -- I'm SO bad at estimating sizes. My guess would be...... 12 feet wide and 8 feet deep in the deepest section.
I think I AM trying to squeeze too much into the space. I always forget that even though a garden might look skimpy when it's first planted, plants grow and get bigger and fill in the space!!
Smoodgie, your list seems a bit long for that space. How big is it? I don't know much about plants, most of the stuff I plant is a first time experimental deal because this our second year in our first house, but I think a mini tree in the background with some smaller plants around the front would look nice. I like the idea of a Japanese Maple but I can't tell if there is enough room for it. One of those mini weeping jobbies would look nice but I'm not sure what the requirements are for such trees...my suggestions are more for visual ideas than ones that might actually work:)
I do know that if you go with hostas for the border make sure you get ones that don't mind afternoon sun..I think most of them like shady areas.
I like the idea of a japanese maple with hostas in a blue/green tone underneath. I also like pearlgirls suggestion for underneath.
There isn't alot of space there so you do not need many plants at all. The Japanese maple will look nice against your house colour.
HA!!!....we'd drive eachother insance...LOL
ideas for blue:
Lithodora is a nice compact one for an accent along the front, or beside stepping stones you may place for access to that plug. If it would grow in your area, I know you'd love the blue of it.
[url]http://www.humeseeds.com/eflith.htm[/url]
I went for blue in a corner triangular bed in my back yard, and I got a california lilac. I know it may get rather large and take over the area, so I clip it back hard right after it flowers.
There are some nice blues to be had with delphiniums, too. They like a spot a bit sheltered, so somewhere in the back would work well.
There's nice blue morning glories also. You could get one going on an opelisk instead of a trellis-much neater.
Caryopteris also offers a wonderful blue.
Year-Round Beauty, Even in Zone 3!
Powdery blue foliage and beautiful pink flowers!
Andromeda polifolia Blue Ice is an outstanding ornamental for the North! In May it bears attractive true pink, 1/4-inch flowers in terminal clusters. Year-round it sports long, slender, elegant blue leaves that look fresh and attractive! Perfect for a groundcover or edging, it's a must-have in cold climates!
Planted in full sun to light shade, Blue Ice grows to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Selected by the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation for its striking, powdery blue foliage, this evergreen shrub provides year-round appeal in temperate landscapes. Needs a well-drained sandy soil, amended with peat, that remains cool and moist. Zones 3-6. One-gallon container.
Bog Rosemary Blue Ice
Just be thankful that you're not married to me :D
that's ok Smoo...we're used to it :D
Oops, should have mentioned that -- full southern exposure with very little shade. I like blues & purples when it comes to flowers, and bluish greenery, like blue fescu grass.
I'd like to put some sort of small tree in the corner. I don't want anything that'll grow too big because there's a window there, and I don't want the tree to block the window. But I'd like to have somehting tallish to sort of fill in the corner.
I'm not asking for much, am I?? ;)
Is the spot in mostly sun all day or shade ?
I would imagine you would want something tall at the back to hide the foundation. I have no suggestions until the sun/shade is determined. You havea nice looking wall to outline the space. Any particular colour you like for that area ? :) Shrubs, bulbs, perennials, there is so much to chose from. Zone 5 I guess.