Yes, you need to do what you feel is best. My SIL cut down a huge gorgeous Rhode that was eating the front of their house. Ric and I were going to go up and see what could be done to reduce it but the SIL got to it before we did. He also overly limbed up one of the trees. I practically cried at the time, but now a few years later the whole area really does look very nice with the new plantings.
Yardening Fall 2013 Part 2
Thanks, all! I went out and did some figuring and some planting, and was able to find spots for everything without disturbing any azaleas.
I think I *should* do something with them in the long run--prune, maybe dig one or two up entirely. But in the meantime I've taken the pressure off myself by finding other spots for everything, so I can take my time with it. :-)
Good for you Catmint! You sure have gotten some lovely plants for your yard this year (and that's only the ones I know about!!!)
Would like to hear the spots you chose. Don't you just want to keep plants like Camelia 'Yuletide' up close for a while instead of planting it out in the yard where it might get lonely?
I guess that could be another reason I like growing most everything in containers cause I can have all my favorites and beauties flock together any way I want.
I'll keep my spade and pruners handy in case the mood strikes you and you want some company!
Speaking of containers, I may have a one time source for large nursery pots from an extensive re-landscaping job on my route. (35 large b&b trees., 30 dogwoods, 30 hollies, 12 red bud, countless KO roses and many many other assorted shrubery) They are saving all of the ones that they don't have to cut up to get the plants out. Large ones are half barrel size and tall.
I have plans for a number of the large ones and will save for those who may want for spring swap if not before. lmk
thanks, Coleup! Guess we'll have the azalea pruning party later! Or find some other excuse to get you here for a visit? :-)
I planted the Fothergilla and Pieris on either end of the azalea hedge on the west side of the house.
The Camellia went in the back garden, in between the nandina and a baby Japanese maple. (I have a good view of this area from my kitchen window.)
The Beautyberry went into one of the spaces formerly occupied by boxwoods, next to the canna lilly that SSG gave me.
The Mountain Laurel went into the shady garden area, just behind the Holly tree.
I put the Hypericum in a container because the information I got about it said it could be aggressive.
I'm debating what to do with the Liriope spicata. It sounds like it might be an aggressive spreader, too?
The Aster is planted in a garden bed with my Harry Lauder tree, echinacea, yarrow, goldenrod, and other lovely bloomers.
I put the Catmint near the tall-bearded irises in my back garden.
I put the Phlox triple play in another space that used to have boxwood hedges, right next to my young Rose of Sharon tree.
I also found 5 additional bulbs that I had overlooked on Monday, so I planted them and the bulbs are *all planted* now. Whew! I got some extra mulch to cover them all with so they'll have some extra layers for the winter--but still worried about whether I did it right!!
I brought in the asparagus fern, Persian violet, and kalanchoe. I can't keep the lantana after all--no good sun inside my house! I'm debating now on other annuals I really like--the pink petunia, the bright orange NG impatiens, the polka dot plant, my bright red pentas. Hard to let them just die when push comes to shove. But I really don't have a lot of space, and I'm not sure all would do well inside my house.
So long to all my annual herbs--they've been really smellerific!!
Cat--
Is it REALLY worth it to you to bring all these special annuals inside?
All the care-taking and worrying if they will make it....
All the plants you mentioned are easily available in the spring.
Yeah! They may cost you $3 each--but....
Come over here to shop for your annuals--and i will take you to the
Wholesale Greenhouses where I shop for all my plants. 5 miles from here...
You will save a bundle.....
G.
All the bulbs are planted! It took about 6 hours to get about 250 planted. Most of them were little muscari and iris reticulata bulbs so it shouldn't have taken that long, but I had to deal with my rocky soil.
I came across a large boulder that I couldn't dig up myself. DH had to break it up but still couldn't get all of it out. I think this large boulder (a part of which was dug up a couple of years ago to plant a Limelight hydrangea) is the reason that almost *everything* I have planted near this area has died. They either rot and get fungal disease or dry up and get crispy. The boulder starts about 3-4 inches below the surface and runs very deep. The box in the first picture is a large fruit box.
DH got way too close to the Limelight and ended up hacking away at the roots, a foot from the trunk. :( I hope this doesn't kill the tree. It's the only thing that's survived in this area.
The rocks are still sitting on my front yard. I can't lift them at all so my neighbors just need to deal with the view for a few more days!
Wow, SSG, what a job! So glad you were finally able to get that boulder up-- looks like it was a huge job. I admire your persistence in digging it out!!
Gita, you are probably right about the annuals--and I would love to go browse in your wholesale greenhouse! Sounds like a wonderful spring outing! :-)
SSG, I've been thinking of you over the last week while I've been planting all my end of year bargains. For the most part, the soil in my garden areas is pretty easy to dig now after years of adding topsoil and compost. With each hole, I think how much more effort you put in and count myself lucky at how much easier it is for me. I felt your pain though (well not actually me, but Lowell's girlfriend Suzanne) when I decided to put the japanese snowbell tree in an area of the backyard that has never been worked before. Wow, hard clay - took several hours for getting the hole deep and wide enough - made me admire your persistence even more after that.
Your rock story also reminded me of a story. When we first started building the house and excavating for the basement, we hit rock. A friend who was digging it initially thought we'd have to get 'Cletus' the local dynamite guy. Before making the call, he tried bashing at it repeatedly with the loader bucket. When he started making progress at budging it, we found out that it was actually five huge boulders clustered together and we didn't need to call 'Cletus' after all LOL... The boulders got pushed out just far enough away from the basement area. I ended up designing the paths in what I call the Stepping Stone Garden and the Hillside Shade Garden around those boulders. These pictures were taken a few years ago - many plants have been added and filled in since then, but gives an idea of the design.
WOW, those boulders are huge! From the thumbnail pic, I thought that was a black bear sitting on a rock.
And I think that's hilarious that you have a local dynamite guy!
Just love those rocks. We have several rock stories, too. But ours are smaller as we never tried to dig a basement. LOL
What a beautiful and creative use of the boulders! Beautiful!
cat--
wait until you see Terri's whole property! It will blow you away!
She held a Swap in 2011. Encore, PLEASE!!!!
I, for one, am hoping that Terri will old the spring Plant Swap.
I would love to re-visit her beautiful place.
Gita
Terri: Even once you discovered that what you were hitting were "removable" boulders -- how did you remove them without using dynamite? Those are enormous! I can't image what it would have taken to budge them.
Just pushed them with the loader - big, powerful piece of equipment...
I am definitely thinking about hosting the 2014 spring swap unless someone who hasn't held it before wants to do it. It is always fun to see each other's homes and don't want anyone to miss out on the opportunity. I really enjoyed it when I hosted in 2011 and would love to do it again.
Wow -- now that would have been something to videotape!
Very exciting that you are thinking about stepping up to the "swap" plate! But I'm happy wherever it is!
Yay! I've been looking forward to seeing your lovely place, aspenhill. :)
Here's a yardening project that was desperately needed. I have a large hemlock in an awkward spot. Vines from two of my back neighbors' yards had attached themselves to the branches and were pulling them down. I tried cutting off the vines on my side, but couldn't reach the ones coming from the neighbors.
Here are the before and after photos. The tree workers had to use a machete and then a chainsaw to cut through the thick vines that had wrapped around the trunk. Thankfully, they're Virginia creepers and English ivy, and not poison ivy. I considered taking the tree down completely, but now I'm glad I left it standing, although it's looking a bit naked.
edit: Oh, the large stumps in the background are the sickly oaks that my neighbors cut down. I don't know if they're cutting them down any further. :/
This message was edited Oct 24, 2013 7:14 PM
The hemlock looks much better, SSG! Looks like it was quite a project!
Aspenhill, would be great to see your place in person at the next swap! :-)
WOW, That is really limbed up. Looks good.
Found these two lists today.
Perennial Plants to cut back or prune in the Fall alphabetical listing
http://gardening.about.com/od/maintenance/a/Fall_Pruning.htm
Perennial Plants to prune in the Spring alphabetical listing
http://gardening.about.com/od/maintenance/a/Spring_Pruning.htm
Any diseased or infested material should of course be removed and disposed of, not composted, in the Fall to minimize overwintering unwanteds.
thanks, Coleup--very useful.
Coleup -- it is astonishing what you unearth!
Coleup - thanks for those lists. I have plants that were in each and learned a few tidbits.
Nice info Coleup.
Nice! One of the "common sense" things that just hadn't occurred to me were suggestions to remove spent foliage from plants that don't like to be wet around their crowns... penstemmon was mentioned, bet it holds true for others like agastache... might explain why I lose some plants in the winter even when I think I've planted them on good drainage mounds.
Extremely helpful, thank you Judy!!
I had no idea that my Platys would prefer not to be cleaned up for the Fall... I think you just saved their lives! =)
How are your Japanese maples doing?
I'm not seeing any fall winter at all on two of them. The leaf edges are slightly browned, but that's it.
Two other JPm have pretty bad powdery mildew, so no fall color there, either. Is there something I could have done to prevent the PM?
Can you all help me with plant selections?
The plantings on the front of my house are rather dull and boring. There are parts of the front yard where even weeds won't grow, so it's just bare dirt. I've tried reseeding and fertilizing the front lawn, but it's a lost cause. All of the water/nutrients just get sucked up by the large oak tree, and the grass can't compete with the constant blanket of acorns.
So my plan is to widen the foundation bed to cover up the bare spots and plant something less fussy than turf grass. I'm going to sheet mulch this winter and then plant next year. But I can't sheet mulch very deep, because I don't want to smother the roots of the tree too much.
Requirements for the plants:
-drought tolerant
-has shallow roots/does not require much soil
-4-season interest
-pops against dark brick
-ok with mostly shade in fall/winter/spring, but very harsh midday sun all summer
-not too tall, or manageable height
-ok with occasional root disturbance by squirrels digging around it
Any ideas?
My list so far:
liriope
sedum
euphorbia (especially Ascot Rainbow)
Hmm.
Hellebores?
Mondo grass?
More Hostas -- though the summer sun might not be good for them.
Big root geraniums?
But none of those "pop"
Maybe follow Coleup's approach of using potted plants and moving them around.
Caryopteris might work: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b900
A multicolored Yucca like Color Guard might be too much of a statement -- or not. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d184
Your situation sounds somewhat like mine in the front yard. I worry about whether things can take the midday sun between the nice morning and evening.
Hostas could add needed 'large scale ' leaves.
Bigroot geraniums are tough and take sun or shade, four season interest. You might want to plan some annuals for summer color- pelargoniums (except the color choice isn't great for brick) , annual vinca? Add a piece of statuary, or stepping stones? All interest need not be from the plants.
Thanks for the suggestions!
I already have some hostas closer to the house where it's almost full shade. But I was concerned about the combination of full summer sun and very dry, shallow soil for hostas.
I'll look into geraniums. I'm already a fan of them and would love a whole collection of different varieties. :)
Happy, DH really likes yucca, but I have a bit of a fear of spiky plants. Is the Color Guard a well-behaved variety?
Ssgardener here is a link to an interesting short discussion on hostas and other plants that might handle similar circumstances to yours,
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg0508173615341.html
I can't vouch for any of the suggestions but I can say I grow lots of things under my oaks! I also second Sallyg that not all interest is created by plants!
Coleup, there's concrete on the other side of the oak, so the only way it gets water is through my small front yard. It has surface roots, almost like maple roots.
Would a dwarf nandina work? What about yarrow? It's nearly evergreen for me. Mexican feather grass?
if Yarrow grows for you, it would be a nice different texture front the other things so far. And it is very shallow rooted.
I hadn't been thinking along the lines of non-plant material for adding interest until the others suggested it. What about a fountain? There are so many choices out there these days - everything from the traditional classic look to bubblers made from a pretty pot. You probably have an outside electrical outlet nearby with the location being next to the house. You could use the fountain as your focal point and then landscape with plants, both in containers and in the ground, around it. The sound of water sure is an added bonus too.
Ss, how about maybe a Pachysandra ground cover? While they do prefer shade, the leaves will bleach out with the sun they'd get in your location, providing the "pop" you're looking for.
Also maybe a plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides. The deep brilliant blue really pops in any setting. They are relatively low-growing, drought tolerant, are happy in a wide range of light conditions, from full sun to nearly full shade, darn-near any soil conditions, and they are easy to maintain ("prune") with your lawn mower. =)
Then, along the non-plant-life path.. what about a little tiny bench, with some little tiny garden gnomes sitting on it? < =D
love the gnomes. I might steal that!
Plumbago is great like speedy says, but it does disappear in winter for me. Still, the garden doesn't have to be full all year. Seasonality is interesting, and really only so much you cane do to fight it. Some very early bulbs would help fill where the Plumbago is waiting in spring. I don't think I 'do' anything to my Plumbago, just let it shrivel up, after turning pretty maroon fall colors.
Oh yeah, the leaves are such a pretty red this time of year!! I forgot about that part, thank you Sally! =) Mine still have a few blooms on them, so it's really lovely with the blue blooms against the red foliage.
I don't do anything with mine to over-winter them either, they don't like a Fall clean-up. (they're rather like cats, they'll clean themselves, thank-you-very-much!) ;)
Here's a picture of the front yard that shows the bare dirt. The azalea was a recent craigslist acquisition. I have a new camelia that's going to replace the dead one next to the hydrangea.
See how it looks drabby? I love the variegated carex and Japanese forest grass. Large leaf hostas are by the window, but they were recently purchased so they're not very visible.
I can't picture how a bench or a bird bath would fit here... Maybe a small one?
