Just moved here and have a built-onto-house stone planter about 14 ft long, and 2 ft wide, about 2.5 ft tall.....Of course, nothing is alive in it, but some weeds, for it is in shade all day thanks to the roof overhang....Any suggestions welcome as to plants for this, perennials , designs, annuals or whatever....Would like color and variety if possible....Thanks much!.....Chuck....Pics from sold home in Pa......Starting anew!!
Plants for a raised planter ought to look especially nice, so yes, annuals, perennials...
Showy leaves and flowers. Most of the perennials will have something there all year round, though a good clean up and trimming will be needed once in a while.
Plants that are especially nice, and work well in zone 9b:
Annuals for summer:
Impatiens are my number one choice. If you can get the New Guinea type that would look really impressive, they have large, fancy leaves as well as nice flowers. The regular ones are nice, too, covered with flowers all summer.
Coleus- Fantastic leaf colors.
Primroses, several types. They tend to wimp out in the heat of summer, but may make it through the winter, certainly great for Spring and Fall. Obconicas have big round leaves and tall flower stems. (Many primroses are actually perennials, but look so bad in the heat it is better to treat them as annuals)
Viola/Pansy- In the winter these will grow well in full sun, but in the summer they are better with a bit of shade from the hot afternoon sun.
Lobelia- not dense shade, but bright shade is good.
Nasturtium
Nicotiana (Very fragrant)
Clarkia (for the spring, not into the hot summer)
Forget-Me-Not (Mysotis)
Begonia (leaf and flower color)
Perennials for shade:
Ferns- there are some that have colored leaves- look into Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium) for example.
Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
Astilbe
Columbine (Aquilegia- some morning sun, not total shade)
Hybrids of Coral Bells (Heuchera, something like Caramel, Palace Purple, Key Lime Pie)
Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla- GREAT leaf texture)
Campanula- many species and varieties from low, spreading plants to upright.
Candytuft (Iberis for spring flowers, and deep green background the rest of the time)
Brunnera - there are some really nice leaf colors as well as dainty flowers.
Chinese Foxglove- Rehmannia elata is short lived, but reseeds freely. The flowers are nice, but the plant is a bit sparse. Great grouped with slightly lower plants to hide the bare stems.
Geranium- these are the true species types, many varieties, hybrids. Not the smelly zonal geraniums.
Ivy Geranium (Actually the species is Pelargonium)
Berginia
Liriope
Lamium with colored leaves such as White Nancy and many others.
Diana.....I want to thank you so much for your very detailed and informative response.....WOW!!!....Now there's a lot to decide and choose from.....If I were back in Pa., zone 6, I pretty well know things there.....This will be a new adventure because of the totally new climate plus humidity.....Retired, so I moved south because of the bitter cold up there......Minus 15 at times this past year...Had enough of it....If you ever get the chance, my final project will be a 9ft by 9 ft area that is dappled shade-sun all day.....I assume all of these will work for them too?.....Maybe something tall in back, even a shrub,and I'd probably like a nice groundcover....Thank you very much and continued happy gardening!!!!.....It's what keeps me going!.....Chuck.....Pic from my place back home.....Miss it as I put so much time and care into it.....I bet my dogwood is flowering brilliant white flowers now!!!!...From what you wrote, I know your place must be super nice!!!!
charmingchuck, moving from Pennsylvania to Florida a primary gardening difference is more months for planting and growing. Palm Harbor has plenty of rain like PA (55 inches) and the 9b zone as you mentioned. From looking at your photos, it's obvious you are an excellent gardener. As for the 14 x 2 planter, what kind of drainage does it have?
I guess it would be difficult to lift it, so I would test its capacity to drain water by adding several gallons and see how long it takes to drain. I recommend digging to the bottom to see if it's a frame or has a solid bottom. I suppose you could always drill holes on the side as well. Also, check the soil if it's clay, loam, or sand.
Once you know about the drainage, then decide about irrigation. For about $15 you could get a patio drip irrigation system to connect to the hose outlet. Also consider plants with a narrow width because there is only 2 ft. from the outer edge of the pot to the home wall and too much humidity could damage the wall depending on the material. A splash of color in the darkness would look great such as Amethyst flower (Browallia hybrids).
If you want to replace the soil, put some hay or straw bales at the bottom and cover with potting mix or garden soil. That will turn the bales into humus quickly. I use composted straw all the time in pots and it works great. Plus it's about 1/10th the cost of potting soil.
Nancy Groutsis
edited plant recommendation
This message was edited May 8, 2014 11:19 AM
My place is not that nice. I spend more time drawing plans for my clients. Not much time gardening. Plus, my version of zone 9b includes very low humidity, and periodic droughts, when watering may be curtailed. My lawn went in the last drought, never replanted.
All I do is to deep soak the trees monthly.
Florida is such a different type of 9b they ought to come up with a different system that includes the concept of 'What time of year do you get the rain'.
Hi Diana K, I took pictures of my front yard and is thinking how to change the garden beds. # 4 bed is at the left front yard and # 5 is when the Azalea is in bloom.I was thinking about making the beds curved.
Can you give me some ideas, thank you.
I would do a couple of things, no matter what shape you ended up with.
1) Bury the bricks and concrete edging so that you can run your lawn mower wheels over it. This will make maintaining the lawn a LOT easier.
2) Use natural stone as a wall (if needed) to keep the planter area gently mounded. Natural stone looks so much nicer than a mix of concrete edging and brick.
Alternate:
If you like the brick, then stack it properly, and add more. I will add some drawings later today.
Are there other materials on the house that you could match? I see concrete walkway, nicer steps (Is that material a possible wall material?), wrought iron and chain link fencing, and wood (or reasonable facsimile) siding, stucco garage with wood doors. I do not see any brick on the house, so you do not have to stay with brick.
Since one picture shows curving concrete, I agree that the planter beds can be curved, too, though that is optional. Sure softens things, though.
Take a garden hose out there and try some layouts. When you find one you like look at it from all angles. Walking along the street, looking out the window...
If you can take a picture of it, then reverse the picture, or look at it in a mirror that can help you see if it is a nice layout.
Here are some hints:
Do not just sort of ramble around making bumps and dents in the outline.
Start with a straight line, and add half a circle so the straight line continues on the other side.
Start with a square corner and make a smooth transition to a curving corner that is tangent to the straight lines. (I will add pictures tonight)
Keep the lines simple, especially in a small garden. Random curves rarely work well when the space is tight.
Looks like you have a nice mix of flowers and shrubs in there!
Thank you Diana K , you are saying to remove that square bed of bricks , use natural stone and mound the garden bed and remove the brick edging too . I do not think I have enough natural stone .Can I use the same type of bricks I have by the Hydrangea bush?Then I can make a curve bed .My house is 80 years old and it has wrought iron and chain link fence which I have no plans on changing them since I am now a retiree .That garage belongs to the neighbor , it's concrete with red painted doors,yes the house has stucco .
Those blocks will work well to make curves. You can also add a rock or two here and there in that sort of material, if you can make it work. The ones I have seen were made by professionals with the right kind of tools to cut the blocks so the rock nestled into the wall. Really impressive! The rock would be large enough to stand up a bit higher than the wall, and might take the place of at least 4 blocks.
A gentle mound in the garden beds can add to the interest, but be careful. Do not mound the soil in a way that makes water run toward the house. Do not add more soil around established plants. Shrubs and trees do not like having soil added around their trunks. Do not add soil near the wood structure of the house. Termites can climb and build protected tunnels 6" high pretty fast, so keep the soil at least 6" below the wood.
Next time you have some questions you should start your own thread.
