Plant me!

Is what this section has been screaming for several years now, but I have no idea what to plant or what would look nice. The area has a slope, ground is on the acidic side, gettings morning sun and filtered sun in the afternoon. Got a grouping of pines there. The pic may not show it, but would say there a good quarter of an acre to plant maybe a bit more.


I kinda know what I would like to see, but have no idea if such a thing is possible or what shrubs to use to create such an effect. I would like if possible to see a little bit of color all year round. I would like to have it so that you could kinda wander up the slope and be able to stop and linger and appreciate the different trees or shrubs.

I would like to see it as some kind of nice display type garden. Got a big natural run off ditch on the left side of the photo which is being dug out deeper and will have little wooden bridge built over it to be able to walk up and through this area.

Would appreciate any ideas an suggestions. My artist talents and ability to invision are about siltch. Thanks!

You might post this in the Garden Design forum too...I've seen lots of people get great ideas of how to lay out their yard over there.

Man, if I lived in Alabama and had a lightly shaded pine woods with slightly acid soil, I would run--not walk--to the nearest azalea nursery and go nuts! I would also plant an understory of silverbells, styrax, dogwoods, redbuds. My perennials would lean decidedly towards Arisamaes, hellebores, epidmediums, and hostas. A deer population could influence some of the above. If so, I would learn how to hunt.

Scott

I was thinking the same thing only with rhododendrons and things like itea and fothergilla that have bright fall color.

Although I like azaleas and have plenty, you would be surprised at how many southerners have a dislike for them now. So many people are actually ripping them up. They probably were overdone as a southern shrub in the past four decades. Of the people who are still buying them, it seems that the white ones are most popular now. I think it was the pink ones that got old.

Thank you for the suggestions!!!!!!! I know what, Azalea, Redbuds and Dogwoods and Hosta and Hellebores look like, but everythign else suggested is new to me. Guess I will spend part of today googling to see what the others are.

Unfortunately deer are no longer a problem here. before so many people moved into the addition and got a bunch of dogs they don't pen up, the deer have moved on. I used to get up about 4 in the morning and sit on the back steps with my coffee and watch them come from from the pond on the neighbors place behind mine to my place for a mid morning snack before they moved on for the day. I love watching nature in motion. Now I have a six foot fence and though I do hunt I usually only go and take down one a year if I am lucky for food. Usually hunting is a great way to climb into a tre e stand and get the most peaceful 5 or 6 hours hours of sleep imaginable. Maybe that why I probably don't catch to much. LOL


I don't have any Azaleas. I have looke d at some, but when I tip the pots to check the roots, I find pot after pot of where the roots haven't been offered any kind of winter protection and are brown from freeze even though the tops look nice and green. Have to see if I can find a good source with some healthy roots.

I think that why people down here have quit planting them. Most folks look at the top and not the bottom of the pot and they start croaking on them or the aphids and lacewing bugs get to them from lack of care.

I would add Illicium henryi, a dwarf Cedrus deodora, Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Duke Gardens' , Chamaecyparis filifera 'Gold Mops", and dwarf Cryptomeria japonica for evergreens. Prunus mume, one of the new Calycanthus hybrids, Lindera benzoin , and oakleaf hydrangea for deciduous choices. As far as perennials go I would add just about everything that would grow well. I would want abutilons, carex, tiarellas, arisaema, hellebores and salvias- greggiis and microphyllas to start. You could grow so many things in the conditions you describe if you ammend your soil well. I'm envious since I have very little space that's not full sun.

I'm envious because I have no land and alkaline clay soil.

If the moisture and shade is adequate, you could try bottlebrush buckeye.

I suggest you lay out some paths through there coming from the bridge you have planned. This might help you visualize where 'beds' will be, then plan them with larger thingsin the middle and your smaller along your path edges. Adding some rock might be nice.



This message was edited Nov 25, 2006 12:41 PM

I found the old pic from the otherside. Put the two pics together and there a whole acre almost fenced in. Think I got about hundrd feet to go. Got a big old Mocker Hickory there in the front, then off to the left a nunch of oaks and then at the back some more pines.

The kinda green blob on the right and behind the hickory is a mound that I need to get rid of. At the time it was the only open place to burn leaves since their is no leaf pickup here and after years of raking and burning it kinda develope d into a mound. Behind the mound is the natural like creek from the rains and overflows of the pond and properties behind me which are on higher ground. Never by property when your on the inside of a " U". The old huge oaks and hickories is what attracted me. Little did I know I would be raking day in and day out.

The area between the two photos is wide open except for my shed and a an old cherry tree of soem type that needs to be removed. It was old and diseased when I came here and it has goten worse over the years. Can't eat the cherries, but the birds do so it has stayed. That and next to the mound is a 10' by about 20' American Beauty Berry tree. The thing I always thought was a weed and just somehow never got to pulling it out that over the years I nevr got too and discovered a beautiful tree and glorious purple berries.

I can't really do much with the left side cuz last year I was taking a walk and discovered literially hundreds and hundreds of bloodroot plants. Also every year that area in the spring gets covered with yellow and white daisies that came from out of the blue. I have no idea what will happen to them if I dig around to much. Every year is a surprise to see what the winds and birds have blown in.

PraireGirl. Don't be envious of me. Ya got a little bit of land, but it hard work raking it and mowing it and trying to keep it half maintained. Guess before folks move d in here this all used to be cow pasture land. The cows moved out and the pines, hickories and oaks all moved in and tons of weeds. Other than raking around part of the left side, I leave all to nature every year. Been building up a good O horizon, which goes down about 18"-20" and then you start hitting sand and soil and then about 3 to 4 feet down from that is pure clay. I do what I can and what I can't is left naturally til the time I can get to it. But I made myself a promise that this year come heck or high water, I was gonna do the back yard.

I miss my Ohio dirt. LOL Had my Dad send me down a little bag of it just so I wouldn't feel homesick. He thought I was crazy, but he sent me some.

Lots more ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you... Thank you!!!!! I appreciate them all!!!!!!!!! Ya really just don't how much. The back I can tackle, it gonna be along time for I start on the front. It loaded with hundreds of oaks and pines. And one year got a present of blueberry seed from the birds probably from the farm 7 miles down the road so I have this huge patch of wild blueberry growing all through that area. Would be nice if I could beat the birds and the bees to them.

Good idea Sally.. I can get a bunch of free rock, just gotta go down to the guys river bed area and he lets ya have what ya want but it a back breaking job hauling it up a steep incline. The rocks would help keep a natural look .

When I get all the suggestions together then I will see if I can't get a drawing of some sort up and if you'll all be kind enough to tell me whether I have them in the right places or not.

I'm with Decumbent - I'd be putting in a good selection of deciduous and evergreen azaleas, some rhodies, fringetrees, a red buckeye or two, maybe some mountain laurels in the sunnier spots; and probably some camellias. Wouldn't hurt to intersperse a good rabbiteye blueberry here and there - they usually sport pretty good red fall color. If there aren't any sourwoods or blackgum in the mix, I'd probably want at least a couple of them in appropriate spots.
I'd quit raking, and I sure wouldn't be burning my leaves/pinestraw.
We always raked the pine needles out of the front yard and mulched around the azaleas & camellias dad had planted. Wish I had that pinestraw now...

Since anymore I seem to have viburnum on the brain, into the mix I'd add some native viburnums. I'm with Lucky in that I'd quit raking any leaves and just let them fall where they may. I can only wish I had some of that pinestraw.....we lived in TN for awhile and it was pretty common every spring to go buy some pinestraw. You can't find that up here. I don't know why, but it isn't available. This last spring, when I asked around, everybody had already raked it up and burned it.

Thank you both for some more ideas. I don't know that I have ever even seen a Viburnium, ( hangs head and ducks : ) ) Guess I will google that one too. Just realized I for got to add the pic to the left side. Dah!

When I grew up , up North, the cemetary in Akron that has family in it had beautiful Rhododendrons all through it, but the few I see down here all look terrible. The leaves are usually spotted or blotched and I don't know if it from disease or insects and they look all sraggly. Was taking a walk through the Memory Garden and there is a big section of them planted and the ends of them all looke d burnt and crispy like and all the buds were just about dead. I wonder if there are different cultivars that would better down here?

There is an old man here who bales up pine straw on the side of the road all by himself. Every now and then he comes past my house, slowly working his way down the road. He has one of those pickups with the cover over the back, like a produce stand truck. I think he charges about three or four dollars a bale.

Well escambia, pick me up about a dozen and you can deliver them next spring. Sounds like a plan, don't you think? :o)