Beginner Gardening: First house - weird area, 1 by warriorswisdomkathy

warriorswisdomkathy wrote:
Are you interested in adding flowers, you need to give us a bit more info. Today I happened to find a great sale at my local home depot. they had several varieties of shrubs on sale, 3/10 in 1 gallon pots. How wide is the area and how long is the drive?
It looks like you could do sooo much with that area. Do all the repairs you need and then think about whether you would be interested in flowers or shrubs to give some color. Or even a combo of both. It's so wonderful to be able to cut flowers to take inside and enjoy them all season. Personally, I could see that whole area in flowers, but then I'm a flower lover, lol.
As far as the rock is concerned, if you're looking to get rid of it, put an add on say maybe craig's list. Either sell or give away. If it's priced right it will be gone in no time. Could even put a sign up, YOU HAUL, lol.
If you're interested you could also plant vines along the fence to help hide it and bring the green space more to eye level, sooo many choices. To help extend the budget annual vines are easy and fast.
At one home I had years ago, I planted Polygonum or was it polygonatum, any easy enough to find out, only one is a vine (fleece flower), grows to 15ft ish and will trail along the fence, just have to attatch to the fence.
So you will need to discuss with your wife what you might like to do. It's an open pallette to play with. Just give me a few more ideas and I will offer more suggestions. Oooo, shrub roses that bloom all summer and basically would need no care but smell absolutely heaven. Mock orange (they smell wonderful), Many spireas will bloom all season and some are fragrant too. It is such a wonderful experience to walk outside and thru your yard and have fragrance waft thru, passing you on a light evening breeze, and then you stop to take a deep breath and relish the fragrance that permeates the air, just heaven.
Stop for a few moments and ask yourself, were there any favorite plants that you've seen in other peoples yards or cherished memories from childhood? Just don't let it innudate you...look at it as a new adventure and paint your new picture that will be cherished for years to come. And if the objection comes up about bees, quit thinking about it cuz they don't bother you if you don't bother them, I have been gardening for more than 25 years and only been stung once. My present garden is 40ftX100ft of flowers and shrubs and they never bother me. And the hummingbirds are just returning for the season also. So, go outside and enjoy another aspect of life...nature, ain't it a beauty, lol.
Pix 1: centranthus (pink), perennial geranium Rozzanne (blooms all summer) and humulus aureus (Golden Hops Vine, yup that what they put in beer)
Pix 2: Peonies are extreemly easy but only bloom once, many of the old varieties are faily cheap and fragrant, the red varieties also turn red or orange in the fall, another season to consider.
Pix 3: Clockwise from top: wild sunflowers that self seeded in, Daisy Becky at 48" all season, Penstemon Rocky Mountain blue, Lavender munstead, Veronica, both also bloom all season if deadheaded ( cut off old blooms, for each cut you get two more flowers, and Malva Party Girl in the center.
Pix 4: Clematis vine Prince Charles and Gypsophila (babies breath).
Pix 5: A old fashioned rose shrub at appros 4ft and let me tell you the fragrance is oh soooo sweet.
Hope that gives you some ideas to think about, if you need, come back and let us help you thru your new phase, we'll teach ya, lol. Kathy.