Garden bed by classroom

Ewwwww, Pix, you have these surprising creepy areas of yourself. Ewww, you are interesting.

I would love to be distracted by hummingbirds! (I know....you meant the kids would be distracted, and do they ever get distracted by any little thing sometimes, especially when we are supposed to be seriously focused on reading or math). I would like to attract butterflies too. I have considered one of the dwarf buddleias for that. I have several challenges when it comes to figuring out what to plant. The spot gets really hot and dries out fast in the warmer months with the heat bouncing off the side of the building in our south-facing location. I got there about once a week to water over the summer, but I did miss some weeks entirely I admit. Also, the deer sometimes come out of the woods to munch on things. If anybody has ideas for sun loving, drought resistant, something the deer won't immediately destroy, and will attract hummers or butterflies, I would look into the possibility.

Pixy, I'd be game to try the carnivorous plants inside. Do they need an enclosed terrarium or are regular pots on a windowsill ok? There is actually a seasonal boggy area (read: large mud puddle) at the bottom of the slope where the path leads from my classroom door to the access road. It is a great source of fun for the kids to jump in, and greatly frustrating to the custodians and the school nurse who supplies dry clothes to someone who slips and falls in it. I'm not sure a garden there would survive the beating that spot takes.

Everyone: Thanks for all the interest and ideas. Even if I can't use all of them, or at least not immediately, it is helpful to consider many options and gets the thought process going. We did plant several kinds of bulbs which I hope start showing up soon (Daffodils, tulips, and snowdrops). There are dahlias along the back which were quite colorful into the Fall up to the freezeout in November.

If anybody has ideas for sun loving, drought resistant, something the deer won't immediately destroy, and will attract hummers or butterflies, I would look into the possibility.

Hesperaloe parviflora?

If I were to plant it I don't think that actally catniverous plants would work they need year round moisture. There are some plants that can take winter wet and drier in the summer. I think that would work. If you want an actual bod you could sink a little kid swiming pool in with some holes in the bottom and keep it a little full of water in the summer.

Hi suzy those are great. How about penstemons or zauchraneria. I spelled it wrong,. I don't think the deer eat those.

Herbs are always a good bet if you have drainage. The deer generally don't like lavendar or rosemary. Don't know about germander or sage, but I love those two. Bergamot (monarda) can have a strong scent and it's a butterfly pleaser, as are penstemon and agastache (did somebody already mention that?).

And I have variegated figwort (scrophularia) and the bees go crazy over it all summer. I expected something more from the blossoms, they are tiny, but they must produce a lot. It's no fuss, no maintenance once it gets established.

Six months ago I couldn't find anything on the Net about this. Hmmmmm. This site says it's a bog plant for semi-shade. I have it growing up next to the foundation on the west side of the house in partially-amended construction-gravely clay. Granted, I do get protection from fir trees after about 5:00, but I watered it only a few times and it was 3.5 feet tall by the time I cut it to the ground. It hasn't grown this winter, but it's stayed a mound of leaves through all the heavy frost. It's tough!!! Don't know about deer, though. And, apparently, it's a curative for hemarroids. Bonus!!

http://www.greatplantpicks.org/index.php?page=display&id=2827&searchterm=all

Coneflowers, Shasta Daisys, Gloriosa Daisys, Hollyhocks, Mallow, Dalhias, Rock Daphne. Deer don't eat them and they don't need much water, and they are either prennial or self sow.

Bad spelling. This needs spellcheck.

I agree with spell check. Maybe we should ask Dave. He corrects us with swear words how about poor spelling. That scrophularia I think is a bog plant but I grow it in the garden and It is tough. Nice plant.

I use Firefox, and it has a built-in spell check. I get a little red underline on words it's not so sure about. It offers suggestions for spelling if you right-click on the underlined word. Works fairly well, but doesn't correct my fumbling fingers, lol. At least we can edit our posts.

I'm floored (again) that the scrophularia is a bog plant!! Mine was totally dry last year and didn't even have a leaf curl.

I have that one, too, and it's in the moist bed.
Oh Laurie, carnivorous plants are only one of the 'more interesting' things I like! Here are some of the pitcher plants I grow in the garden. I admit I forgot that you would not be in school during the summer so it would not get any water. It does have to have water. I used a container from the pond section of HD, but I've also used a large tupperware tub and it works just as well. You just poke small holes to allow slow drainage. Mine is fairly deep, so it takes a long time for it to dry out.

I can set you up with some pinguicula to grow on the windowsill inside as long as it's not hot and dry in there. If it's hot and dry because of a radiator or something, you can grow them in an aquarium with the top open. The kids will be fascinated by the sliminess of the leaves, and for a cool science project, just let some kid leave a half-eaten piece of fruit on the windowsill over the weekend. You'll get enough fruit flys to feed the plant for a year. Actually, they do good pest control in the greenhouse. I've seen craneflies and moths caught up in the sundew.

Since you need something that can take hot and dry summers, how about a mediterranean type garden with excellent drainage? I'm not a 'deer' expert, but I did think that the were less likely to eat things that have furry or strong tasting leaves like lavender, oregano, santolina, rosemary. Lots of those plants attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The High Country Gardens website has some nice ideas. You could do part of it with alpine plants. Oh, wait. These are little kids we're talking about. Forget the alpine part. They would lose interest.

Look for the xeriscaping plants.Here's the link to high country gardens: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
Just for reference, you understand. Between the plant swap plants and stuff from our gardens to yours, we'd probably have you covered plant wise.

You know Pix if I hadn't filled my old bath tub with soil and potatoes, I should of moved it to Woodland and made a bog tub like Heidi's and yours kinda, but I have a big problem with mosquitoes as it is, would this make more of the little devils or help? I am very allergic to them.

A tub would have been perfect! I love heidi's and I love her bog. I am considering one like hers in my yard.
Carnivorous plants help with mosquitos. They eat them if they get the chance. There is no standing water, so they do not cause a mosquito problem.

Never done one,
so you fill it with soil?
small drain holes?
or no drain holes?
how do you keep the rain from filling it?

Heidi, Willow
As far as spell check, don't you have a tool bar up on top, that shows a ABC check button? I have Int. Explorer

Tills, check it out:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/597368/

Life is too short for spell check - type with enthusiasm then get out to the garden! The rest of us can decipher!

I love my carniverous plants I don't know why they always wind up by my check out area, Nad one day one had a huge fly in it and you could hear it trying to get out the whole thing was moving. Some lady payind asked what was happening and I said he's eatting then went into pretty good detail on the whole process then the look on her face was pricesless, She'll never be back and hasn't. She was very grossed out. A---- for every seat. I think they are great. Tills they mostly eat flies tons of them. I notices if you can keep the taller grass cut that helps with mosquitoes. We used to let the front pasture grow for hay and couldn't even make it to the cars before being inhaled by the buggers. Love em love em love em. Heidi

Oh, good job with the lady, Heidi! What kind of real gardener can she be if she is not interested in cool plants? To me, these are the architectural plants of the world of the tiny! We humans have melianthus, gunnera, etc to add architectural detail to the garden. These are the structural plants for the wee folk.

Love High Country Gardens - lots of beautiful plants there. Pix, I just might have to start a little bog garden this year. I'm going to post on freecycle and see if I can't get a pond liner with a crack in it to start.

My only request-keep the carnivorous plants away from my hummingbirds, lol!

I spent a fair amount of time in the carnivorous section at the Huntington when I visited a year or so ago. They had a lot of different ones and it was pretty interesting but they weren't displayed like that little bog garden of yours. It was very plain-a display, not a garden.

Thanks Pix, I have a great idea brewing, how would one of those fiberglass kiddi pools work? I may not be able to dig down far enought to make it level, can always make it slope with rocks, the pool is 3' feet across and round about 12" deep.
Its Ester cooling pool in summer.

My brother and I were talking about this tonight and he made the same suggestion. I just thought that the swimming pool might not last as long . . . but I don't really know.

We had that pool in the yard for 3 years so far, and its stiil good as new even freezing.

The swimming pool would be fine. But wouldn't the dog miss it??

I know more people who get pools for their dogs than for their kids. Of course, that may just say more about the people I hang out with than about the general "pool" of pool purchasers. LOL

Don't worry was going to get another one for her a little bigger, if I can find one.
she does love it. and she is getting to be almost be herself now, what a long time its been.

Tills -

I'm so sorry. I completely forgot that she wasn't well. So what exactly was going on? Did you ever really find out?

Yes we did after $$$$$
She somehow, in getting out of the car got her foot caught on the seat belt strap and fell out of the car on her head, My DH didn't think anything more about it at the time, till she couldn't even hardly move. She had twisted her spine really bad plus she was over weight didn't help much. 96 lbs. after all the treatments with acupuncture and massage has help. also giving her vitamin C. Its been 7 mos.
Of having to think of puting her down, and did not want to go there.

Okay. I guess I knew that she was limping, but I didn't realize that the limp was caused by something so serious. Acupuncture is awesome - Nick (my whippet) loved it. He had swim therapy, as well. Didn't like it, but it would have been good for him long term.

I've been thinking that he only has another year, at best, from his running injury. And I don't want to go there, either.

Bless your hearts - you're good owners. So glad that she's finally on the mend. Hope your pocketbook mends soon, too. I know how costly it can be.

Poor baby! and pocketbook, too. I'm glad she has her little swimming pool if it makes her happy.

She is a wonder dog, when I got her she was a kennel dog and never had her freedom to be a real dog, Its along story best said in person. She is my love and I am hers.

Now you have me sniffling. I know exactly what you mean. It's so nice to know you can give them what they never had before, but it always feels like you're behind, trying to make up for the mistakes of the humans that didn't treat them well before they were with you.

Sounds like you two were meant to be together.

So sorry to hear you are having trouble with your doggie Hope you have a good recovery.

Amen to that.

We posted at the same time, She is doing alot better.

I love the picture of Mary's babies. Even Tyler got his nose in the pic!

Your good, I didn't even see that, and I took the Pic. LOL

That's funny. I had to bring up the pic again to see that. How's Scrappy today? Any new pictures of the Superpuppy?