I'm in zone 9. I'm moving from sunset zone 17 to sunset 15 or so and I'm trying to find beautiful foundation plants for a mixed border. I love abutilon and lavatera they flower year round here in sunset zone 17 but I don't know about trying to grow them in this new cold pocket. I'm looking for somthing that flowers most of the year and some interesting foliage plants for a border around a large lawn. I keep thinking of things that are borderline hardy for this little valley cold air drainage. Also. I want this border to be generally short about 5 feet give or take. I want to be able to see over it to the rest of the property. There will eventually be a 3-4 ft fence around it to keep in the little ones, and two arbors with gates. Any suggestions? I will be using foxglove, nicotiana, columbine, dahlias, blanket flower, money plant, lacecap hydrangia, zinnias, bacopa, baby tears, bleeding hearts, snow drops, windflower, blue cerinth, roses, lavender mist meadow rue, iris, campanula, daffodils, tulips, paeony, pansies, nemesia, fairy wand, sweet peas, coreopsis, rudbeckia, irish bells, clematis, etc.
suggested foundation plants for zone 9 cottage garden
Wonder.... I'm not in your zone, so i really would not be of much help ... but since this is still unanswered, you may want to copy your post into the California Forum, as there will be more folks that can help you.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/region_ca/all/
I could use some zone 9 right about now!
LOL--- tel me about it Sue.... zone 9 my be a bit cold for their liking, but it would be balmy for folks like us who have been in the deep freeze.
oleander (dwarf)
nandina
upright rosemary
euryops
baccharis (Coyote bush, get male plants, not female)
rhaphiolepsis (Indian hawthorn)
sarcococca (sweet box)
vibernum (some varieties are deciduous)
I had no trouble with Abutilon 'thompsonii' in a sunny but quite cold spot, but A. 'Savitzi' sulks and loses most of its leaves in winter even here in zone 17.
Depending upon how wide your garden bed is, you might want to think about at least one tall plant, or perhaps a small tree like a Japanese maple, to nicely 'frame' your view outwards.
I hate to mention it but we had a run of beach weather last week. We are getting some much needed rain now. There is one very large persimmon tree on the far end of the lawn that will shade a small part of this border and give it some dimension, but will not be part of the border, this will go around. Yes, a couple of taller foundation plants would be great. I've never built a garden from scratch so any suggestions would be appreciated. I was hoping to have some islands of permanent plantings in this six ft wide border with some space to do seasonal combos a la "annie's annuals". Does this sound like a weird strategy? All the abutilon in my garden now blooms right on through winter. Thanks for the info on those cultivars. Anybody have any favorite viburnums that are evergreen?
Vibernum tinus, easily available at any big box garden center, is evergreen but gets taller than your 5' requirement. Easily pruned, however, which will keep its ranginess in check.
I prefer to work from evergreen plants first, then perennials, then annuals. My preference is for evergreen so I have very little room for deciduous and annual plants.
Depending on how wide a stretch you have to fill in your 6' deep bed, group the evergreen plants that are your "bones" every 4-6' apart, gauging from the mature width of the evergreens. Vary the plants within the group by leaf shape/size/color: for instance, you decide on two V. tinus plants. Use one each to anchor two different groups, surrounding them with different evergreens/perennials. This will give the eye a reason to move across the bed, but give enough consistency without being boringly identical.
A 6' deep bed is sufficient to design your plantings in curving lines, which will be visually attractive.
Oh, if you like variegated plants, variegated euonymus is a fast grower, appreciates pruning, and sets off green-leafed plants very well. Here is a very young one, surrounded by (R-L) a white-flowered pelargonium, spikey bearded iris leaves with one in bloom, an 'Occold Gold' pelargonium with red blooms, and a pink-flowering coleonema in the background.
Here's an older photo that shows how you don't need anything but foliage to make a striking composition. I have heard that both strobilanthes (Persian Shield) and pelargoniums (this is either Mrs. Pollack or Skies of Italy) root easily from cuttings, so your colder zone shouldn't stop you from treating them as inexpensive annuals.
Hey jkom,
Is that your Persian Shield? I live in Livermore and have never gotten mine to look like that! Do you have it in full sun? Mine is more in filtered sun and looks punky. I love the look just can't seem to get it - grrrr!!
Have you tried the Euphorbia Diamond Frost yet? (http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?id=1645&plantid=39&plant=Euphorbia) I have fallen in love with this plant.
Wonder, have you looked at the Proven Winner website (http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?id=3)? It is full of great ideas.
Cheers,
Willie
sunnyCA, mine was in partial sun - it fades and burns in full sun. Where you are I'd put it in more shade, not less. Likes too much water for these dry times, though. It does not survive winters for me, even here in Oakland.
My Persian Shield is in no sun. As you can imagine it gets sizzling hot here May/June - Sept. I 'harvest' water from washing dishes, unused tea, anything I can to water this small area. I even have a watering can in the shower to catch the water as it turns warm/hot. 'Course, I don't have to worry about this effort in the summer. Tap water never gets cool. Its a project of mine. I don't use the hose on this area at all. Turf lily, Persian Shield, 'creeping' silver falls, Creeping Wire Vine and Passion Flower.
~This pic is about 1 year old and the area is much more robust and lush today.
Hey Aguane,
Beautiful shield! I just love the look. I guess I'd better give mine more shade. I'll be catching a lot more water during these dry times.
Wow! What a gorgeous Persian Sheild. Where can I put one? Hmmm.
I use jade plants for foundation plantings in front of my house. They seem to survive the hot summers with a drink every day or two. They've gone longer without water, in the heat of the summer, and survived. I love succulents, the ones in front get full sun until about 1:00 pm, the ones on the north only get full sun in the morning, for a couple of hours. They might freeze, but they come back pretty quick. Worst problem is that the dogs like to sleep in that area. Good news is that you can take the broken pieces, stick them in the dirt, and Voila! You have a new plant. I also like my four O'clocks. Even though I didn't intend for them to grow there, they sure are happy, and the fragrance is so wonderful in the evenings (mass planting).
You really should join us on the CA gardening forum. You'd get a lot of good suggestions.
Walk In Beauty!
SW
My jade plants are flowering. Thought I'd send you a photo of the flowers.
WIB,
SW
