My "flower boxes"

First of all thanks for the advice in my previous thread. I think I should clarify the flower box thing though. They are not actually window type flower boxes. When you put a foundation on an existing manufactured home, the contractor is required to put 12 to 24 inches of soil around the foundation (not sure why but my guess is to give more support.) Anyway instead of having him just pile the dirt up, I had him put treated pine 4x4's around the dirt so it would look nicer and so I could plant flowers around the foundation. So I guess what I am talking about is a foundation garden--not flower boxes. I am posting a pic of my yard so you can get an idea what I mean! I want to plant along the house under the window area!

P.S. I heard that peonies, although extrememly pretty, attract ants so I am not sure I want to plant them close to my house!!

I'm certainly not an expert on peonies.. but from what i've heard, the ants help "open" the flower.
I recall at my old house (my mom planted them) there were ants on the flower, but not in the house.

I have only had my peony 1 season now... and only 1 flower, so i haven't seen ants yet, nor the effect of them.

is there a peony forum on Daves?

OH -- regarding your beds... i think you got some great advise in the previous thread.... and a splash of color will make those beds gorgeous.

What is that "bush" at the end? and are you going to pull it out or leave it?

you can get taller plants where there is no window, or even add a trellis and vines types (Clematis or morning glories) to fill it in with color.

If I had a blank bed to "play" with like yours.... i'd be having a lot of fun this spring/summer.

Looks like fun to me too. A blank canvas!

Thanks for the advice tcs! I do have a blank canvas. don't I?? Hmmmm..if only I had artistic talent!! LOL Fun! Fun!
I love peonies so maybe I will try them. You are not the first to say that the ants stay on the plant and dont get in the house so much. Besides, they will look pretty planted alternately with my roses. I want to plant them under my bedroom window only and then plant the big bright flowers in the area in the picture I posted.
One thing I have to consider when planting anything is the fact that I am allergic to bee stings. I will have to be very careful not to get stung. I love big bright flowers that attract butterflies and birds(hummingbirds especially) but not necessarily bees!
I like the trellis idea. I do have a place on the back side of the house that could use some color. I like clematis so maybe I will try them.
I will post pics as I progress with my blank canvas!

oH yeah--I forgot. I do not know what that darn bush is in the corner but I know it will be difficult to remove because it has a very large stump of roots! So I guess it gets to stay and be integrated into the rest of my landscaping! If anyone has any idea what it is let me know! Thanks!

That bush IS pretty ugly -sorry. How about growing a vine over it? That would hide it and you would have flowers - if a flowering vine - and that would be a plus. To have an empty slate and soil you can dig in would be my idea of heaven on earth. Good luck!

Ann

HI Ann, I totally agree--the bush sucks but I may consider the vine idea or maybe I can get my hubby to evaluate if it can be removed!
Ok I have some ideas on flowers to plant. I went to spring hill nursery's site and found the following flowers that I think would look nice together and give me flowers all spring and summer. I would welcome opinions on this!
Oriental Poppy mix
Rudbecka Toto Black Eyed Susan
Autumn blush coreopsis (to overplant with the oriental poppies)
Monarda (mixed colors)
Daylily (Kwanzo Double)

Let me know what you think! My idea is to plant these at random (sort of) in the flower bed under the big window and next to the ugly bush!!

I had an unattractive shrub like that myself. I gave it a "good haircut", as my sister would say, to shape it into something decent looking. If you can't take it out, you can use it as a background plant and plant pretty things around and under it. I'm always hacking away at shrubs/trees to shape them into something I like. I'm sure the neighbors wonder about me sometimes but it usually looks better when it's done. I'd probably try to find something tall to put between the windows. Maybe hollyhocks or a climbing rose, ornamental grass, something that would add a little height. That might also help draw your eye to that area and away from the shrub on the corner. Just a thought.

Well I believe that the flowers that I listed are all tall except the coreopsis. I like your idea about the bush. Cutting it back and planting something around it to disguise it sounds like a good game plan.

Michele,

>>I do not know what that darn bush is

take a photo of it and post it in the http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/plantid/all/ Plant Identification forum.

I agree a nice "hair cut" may make it look a lot nicer. I have a "bush" looking thing way out back and i plan to plant morning glories and have them climb all over it for color.

If you post it on the ID forum, try to get a closer up shot so we can see the leaves, also any info you have around if/when it blooms, what the flowers look like, etc will be helpful. The picture in this thread is too far away to really tell what it is, but if you can get a couple closer shots too I'm sure someone in the ID forum will be able to tell you what it is.

Ok I will take a better pic and post it! Thanks everyone!!

I just posted a question on your previous thread. Didn't realize you had started a new one.

There is a Black-Eyed Susan vine, too, if you are interested in that. Pretty tough to conditions from what I can gather. I am planting it this year for the first time, but actually in three different gardens: mine in NC, my daughter's in SC and my grandson's in Florida. I know those are all hot southern areas, but you said you have hot summers.

Cannas are another good possibility as a backdrop. Some of them have gorgeous foliage and they all do well in the heat. You could also plant miniature roses along the front, and I certainly would plant something that cascades as someone else has suggested, such as Wave petunias or creeping phlox, but also consider Candy Tuft and dianthus (which comes in a lot of different colors), both of which will reseed themselves. They will add to the random look you are trying to achieve.

You have a beautiful blank canvas to work with. Keep sending pictures.

Michele,
You have a charming home and have been given quite a few wonderful ideas for plants but I am going to suggest that before you choose one single plant you google your State Agricultural Extension Service and download instructions on how to get your soil tested. The results of soil testing will tell you specifically what fertilizer and how much you will need for your flowers, it will also address your soils ph, meaning if you have acidic soil for example you will want to add ground limestone. They will also make other recommendations to improve the quality of your specific soil. The test is typically not very expensive $4-$7 and will take you no time at all to gather a sample. Keep in mind what is typically around a foundation is construction sand so the large quantities of water coming off roofs don't cause problems. The soil at the soil you saw your contractor adding is top soil (hopefully from your site and not brought in from somewhere else). I would also like to suggest that you make this bed at least as deep the deck for your stairs, I know it must seem like an impossible amount of work but I think in the long run it will make all the difference. kt

The mother in me wants you to put an epi pen in your pocket when you garden. No joke! Bee stings can be fatal to those that are allergic to them, and I don't know of any flowers that aren't attractive to bees.

I am super-allergic also, but I've made a deal with the millions of bees in my yard. That is that I won't bother them if they don't bother me. They seem to have passed the word. I have an epi pen just in case, though.

my son is allergic -- we found out when we were camping in Luddington, Mi and he got stung -- and swelled like a balloon.

he just carried liquid Benadryl(sp) with him. I think he's only been stung twice in 20 yrs.... so not bad.

though my MIL carries, or used to carry the Epi -- never had to use it... and she complained about the cost... so IMHO -- i dont think she has it anymore.

but with allergies.. you can never be too careful - especially if your life depends on it.

You got that right!! My pen has expired, come to think of it. Guess I'd better call my doctor tomorrow.

Michelle,"bee wise" you want to be carefull then with the Monarde. This is the plant that smells wonderfull isn't it? Earl Grey tea is made out of. But may be there are different kinds?
I would also trim the bush down as to make it a background for something very colorful, let a clematis climb into it. BTW I used to have a Peony in yard in Holland, did great the first year HUGE flowers (2) but all the years after that indeed the buds were blacked with ants and it didn't bloom very nice. Peonies are very sensitive too, I think.
Good luck. Keep us posted!

Just a note about the peonies....we had some when I was growing up, and they do attract ants. I'm sure this won't cause a problem with ant infestation in your house....unless you have a wonderful daughter who LOVES to bring her mom bouquets all the time(I was later banned from the peonie bush!).