Landscaping Possibilities?
Jas
18 days ago
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ShadyWillowFarm
18 days agoJas
18 days agoRelated Discussions
Weeping Katsura Tree
Comments (3)gardengal, thanks for the photo of a more mature tree. When I ordered this tree from Wayside, they indicated it would be a larger tree, but I sure wish I had saved the info so I would know what the cultivar is. I think I will need to move my Katsura from it's present site anyway. Our yard is fairly good sized. I guess I am attempting to kill 2 birds with one stone. I might be able to move it furter away from the patio as a backdrop to a smaller tree like the laceleaf maple you mentioned. That would allow us even more privacy from our patio to the neighbors....See Morenew to lillies, some questions please
Comments (10)Hi Lora, There are no reblooming or continuous blooming lilies but some have more buds and hence a longer bloom time. Trumpet lilies are good for that. As Lainey's list indicates, the progression is, Asiatic - Trumpets -Orientals. There is a spread within each group. There are also hybrids between these groups that fill in the gaps. The Lily Garden has a link for "bloom times" that will bring up a long list of lilies. But exact times vary with location and garden conditions. Oriental and Trumpet lilies do better in part sun (4 or more hours of direct sun) than partial shade. They will grow in shade but with a reduced bud count. Later blooming lilies won't leave bare spots in your garden like the Asiatics (since their foliage doesn't yellow until late), but lilies like to have cool roots and sunny buds and so shading by lower growing plants is good. I plant annuals among my lilies. They don't have deep roots systems and since they die at the end of the season I can add or move lilies without constraint. Some of my combinations: Lilium Speciosum "Rubrum" and Hybrid Oriental "Stargazer" Lilium Speciosum is the latest Oriental (August - early September). It comes in a speckled pink called "Rubrum" and a white form Speciosum "Album". It's a species lily with a smaller more recurved bloom but otherwise similar to the hybrids. I interplant Rubrum with Stargazer which blooms early August and has a similar color (Rubrum is one of its "parents"). This extends the season in that bed. You could interplant "Album" with a white Oriental such as Casablanca to do the same thing. "Elegant Lady" with Oriental Hybrid "Aruba" Elegant Lady is a Longiflorum Oriental hybrid but maybe because its 3/4's longiflorum, it looks more like an easter lily than other LO hybrids I've seen. It has the most beautiful pearl pink color with an easter lily shape and a "tropical" scent very different from the Orientals. It's an early to mid June bloomer (mine started June 1 and will be finishing up soon) and is a moderate size (about 3 1/2 feet). Behind it I have a tall Oriental "Aruba" which is over 5 feet which blooms in mid July for me. It has very large pale pink (unspeckled blooms) carried well above the Elegant Lady foliage. I also have less organized combinations of trumpets, species, and orientals, squeezed in wherever I can get them to grow well (my yard has a lot of shade). Since lilies can grow in non-ideal spots without dieing straight up - you can experiment and move them around if they're not working for you in one spot. -Helen Here is a link that might be useful: bloom times...See MoreA worried rain garden winger . . .
Comments (13)The plant list is similar to what you have described Nandina! Chionanthus is definitely on the planting list, next to the bench. Did not know it has both male and female plants. Have already planted several viburnums down below--Sargent's viburnum. And dwarf fothergilla (witch hazel's cousin) in the front, and some red twig dogwoods but I think I will transplant them, I don't like them in this setting. The larger shrubs are mostly our witch hazel collection, so Hamamelis species and varieties. We surveyed a local native high quality natural area to come up with some ideas on plants that would naturally be growing in this situation. One we are going to try along with the viburnums is pagoda dogwood, but keeping deer off of it will be a challenge. We found native currants in our reference plot but staying away from them due to lots of white pines nearby. Hence the maple-leaved viburnum choices. Debating on Illex verticullata because they don't do well with the excessive deer browsing problems around here. Am trying to solve that problem as well! I am planning on perhaps wild blueberries but so far haven't found any low growing ones and I have enough high stuff for the back. They would replace the redtwig dogwoods. The ones I got are cute, with small leaves close to the stem, so very ornamental but they look too contrived in this natural setting. I have a more formal place for them. As for the salt, YES, there are alternatives, but to get the grounds crew to coordinate and think out of the box may take some doing. I have had to re-do the plant list a couple of times. It's sometimes like searching for the needle in the haystack--native, deer resistant, salt tolerant, shade tolerant . . . I mean c'mon!! :) Our soil is limestone base so somewhat forgiving on salt. I have a huge compost stash for ammending and that helps. Also helps to counteract juglone, which thankfully is not really a problem in that area with the one walnut tree. Anyway, I will post the plant list in a bit for anyone interested. Lots of wildflowers, some ferns and grasses, not all for the rock garden, some for the hill down below. Am focusing on shrubs and trees first though. So far I've shown the two schemes/layouts to a lot of folks for feedback, some like the busier one, some like the more formal one. I'll probably do a hybrid. My MS Paint skills are deteriorating so not sure how many more versions I will play with. Eventually I will map the whole thing. Actually doing a map with grid paper next week with my class. Would love to find a site where you could download standard graphics for trees and shrubs and forbs. That would save me having to draw or try and find clip art for them....See MoreWho is best to help with outdoor water issues?
Comments (5)We had to address similar issues with our property. One of the problems was a neighbor who had "built up" his property over the years. This is actually illegal, in that, "you are not allowed to do anything to your property that causes a problem for someone else" (i.e., water runoff). But it was also a priority to maintain the friendship. We used a commercial landscaper who specialized in drainage and irrigation. It was an expensive project, and most of it is unseen, but it solved all the runoff, erosion and water seepage in two corners of the foundation. {We had bids from at least 6 residential landscapers, but none of them really knew how to solve the problem.}...See MoreShadyWillowFarm
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