Would love some ideas of how to landscape this area between my back porch and driveway. It needs something in the middle for people to walk on (stepping stone..) to get from porch to driveway. It gets a bit of water when it rains and it only gets midday sunshine - lots of shade around it. Located in north Louisiana so it gets pretty hot in summer. Also, the porch is several inches higher than level of the driveway. Any help is appreciated!
I think your idea of a stepping stone is best. A real, natural stone. Get a couple of really big ones so they will be stable. I could see almost filling the space between porch and driveway, leaving only a couple of inches on each side of the stepping stone. Maybe 2-3 stones to fill almost the whole area.
If the concrete of the porch is deep enough, set the stones level with the driveway or just a little higher (1/2") if you can. Do not undermine the porch. The natural slight unevenness of the stones will make it OK if they are set just a little higher.
Another way to set them would be level with the porch, if you can find thick enough stones. They would have to either sit on the driveway just a bit, or be even deeper and dig them in next to the driveway. A gap between driveway and stone is just fine. This could be done by stacking up 2-3 stones that are very flat so they nest together very smoothly.
Then, in between the stones plant something that stays really low. Tricky situation, but try something like these:
Creeping Mint, Mentha requinii (probably the best)
Baby Tears, Solierolia solierolii (Shade is just fine, but heat?)
Irish or Scotch Moss, Sagina sublata (Not at its best in shade)
Blue Star Creeper, Pratia pedunculata (AKA Isotoma) (Not at its best in shade)
Any of these will need to be watered.
That looks really awkward. Does the dirt keep washing into the driveway? I totally agree with the stones suggestion if you're not able/interested in just filling in that area with more concrete. A shepherd hook for a hanging basket might help add some interest above ground level. Outlining the area with bricks could help with the washing-out if you're not into the larger stones idea, as well as make it visually obvious people aren't supposed to step there.
A couple hours of mid-day-only sun is a tough spot to pick plants for. Usually not enough sun for the full sun-sters, but too hot for many shade-prefer'ers, as Diana mentioned. I might try basil there, it's pleasant to look at, soft to touch, and of course yummy in many dishes! You might find there's not enough sun for it, but it does love heat.
It looks like some Hostas and Palace Purples would fill it in nicely. Throw in some some dwarf golden Cypress or Crimson Barberry and it would look nice. Provided you get at least 2 or3 hours of sun a day, all of the, will grow nicely.
I should add I am in NJ, zone 7b, so not sure about the zone differences. Best to you,
Danny
Looks like that is a high traffic area. Crimson Barberry have sharp thorns, and do not maintain their color in part shade.
The other plants could work, as long as it was not where you might want to walk.
Hosta: More of a shade plant. The 'hot sun; part of the day might be too much.
Purple Palace (Heuchera micrantha 'Purple Palace' and others) is pretty adaptable and is a very good idea. Try it, see if it works.
Dwarf Golden Cypress might work, if you can find a REALLY small variety. Make sure it won't grow out of the boundary. They look bad when poorly pruned.
How about some Black eyed Susan they grow well in most areas and they give a nice showing when in bloom.
