A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Help needed

My daughter lives in Milledgeville, GA where it is unbelievably hot and dry. She wants to landscape the front of her house with something "other than bushes that just stay green; that don't die in the winter and nothing that gets too big." These are my instructions.

They're not in a drought just constantly have dry weather. The place gets full sun most of the day. Right now she has little boxwoods that she's going to takek up - she doesn't like them. She also has crepe myrtle trees - they seem to be everywhere down there.

She would like something with more texture than plain green. Plants that don't get too big and she's not home a lot to care for them much. Any ideas Joclyn?

she can plant almost anything, I like Hollyhocks for a tall in the back and usually do some more short up front, cosmos are good for a middle folwer and then usually to that bed I add marigolds to the front for short, plus they are there til frost.

She sent me a picture put I can't figure out how to get it from her email to my photos to post it.

Anyway, picture across the front of a house. She doesn't want a flower garden. She wants some type of greenery with some color - any color - that is low mainteance. She doesn't want it to get tall say like my Hollyhocks do. cactus might be a good idea. I'll throw that out there.

Maybe I can get this picture thing to work.

She will add a few annuals occasionally.

Thanks joclyn. I'll have to wait until I get home but I'll do it. You're a life saver - well this isn't actually life and death - but thanks a bunch.

You can't tell but her front yard sharpely slopes toward the house. They're putting in a french drain to divert some of the water.

Short easy care flowers, dwarf marigold, annual
4 oclocks .. Spread and have a great fragrance.

Petunias

A flowering quince or two would look nice by the entrance, but away from the dripline.


This is a closeup view; it grows to three feet tall.

Do you eat the fruit off that plant?

I started one from a friend, they dont know what it was , new place and old trees.

The ones I'm familiar with, the landscaping sized ones, didn't have fruit; the orchard quince, though, looks like a pear but stays hard and is too tart to eat. May be the same with the flowering species.

Ok..

I got it wrong I suppose. But the flowering shrub or what it is, blooms in the spring only one time.. I loved it .
Yours is lovely.. Is it an old plant?
Like pre historic?/LOL kidding.

It's not mine,Dodge; It was the best I could immediately find on Google, and it appears deceptively large from being photographed up close to detail the flowers. Here's a better picture I had on file- again not mine- and is more typical.


I'm too far north to have one,unfortunately.

I like the marigolds they stay pretty til frost if you dead head

I've got a flowering quince. It's pretty.

Oh I see........Your just quoting from the Bible.
Thanks anyways. I just found out about this one a couple years ago. Bloomed so nicely.

What color is yours Sheri?

PS.........I sent you seeds today.

Mine is the same color. I don't think it comes in different colors. I emailed the picture to my daughter.


seeds for the money plant? Thanks. Do you want some of mine?

I arent wild of marigolds, but miss them if I dont plant ..
They stink.

LOL

No , I arent wild of the money plant.. It blooms one time an quits.. I have a whole bouqet up in my garage , I forgot about . Seen them today.

Yes we raise cattle.

b

I think marigolds smell bad too but they keep bugs out of the garden.

Don't you like the money plant after the flower dies back. They're good to use in decorations.

I sprayed some red for christmas 2 years ago.. No one was impressed..

I have a whole bunch in my garage yet.

Not my greatest adventure.

Sometimes I'm asked to bring flower arrangements to work for a special luncheon or something and I stick some in there.

Thats a great idea. DId you ever spray paint them with a red color? I did that for christmas, and put a bow on the vase.

Well anyone who comes to my house never leaves with out some flowers.. It is my main gossip area.LOL

b

I've never even thought of that but it's a good idea.

The front of her house faces west but without trees, except way in the back, it gets full sun all day. It's so hot and dry there. Her soil is clay. Hopefully when they put in the french drain the water won't be a problem. But the water has killed a few of the shrubs that were there when she moved in. I was hoping they could move the left side (facing the house) out and make the area bigger, but the landscape man said because of the slope it would take some major excavation and since this isn't their forever house they don't want to invest in that.

She doesn't want azaleas - think they're ugly when not blooming and so do I.

I wondered about some small gardenia bushes by the front.

Just remember , you dont want to cover the pretty house with tall stuff on the front.. 5 years later you will be pulling them out .

the tall stuff would go on the one side or in the spots in between the windows.

thanks Joclyn. I'm going to email your suggestions.

I have some red sage salvia on the west side of my house in full sun--and it does well. the 'bush' gets about 2 feet high, about 1=1/2 ft wide that would be nice. and what about some coneflowers---she could do many colors or just the color she wishes. they do well on the west side as well.

Once we get the base plants settled we'll think about annuals and flowers.

I had flowering quince in Port Orchard Washington and it did very well up there. The thorns are long and sharp though.

For easy care and interest I'd look at some of the Ornamental Grasses. And for easy care I'd look for those plants that will naturalize in your area.

Agave geminiflora Agave, Twin-flowered
Agave virginica 'Spot' Rattlesnake Aloe
Berlandiera lyrata Chocolate flower
Callicarpa americana Beautyberry, American
Caulophyllum thalictroides Blue Cohosh
Ceanothus americanus New Jersey Tea
Cheilanthes argentea Silver Cloak Fern
Cheilanthes lanosa Hairy Lip Fern
Cheilanthes sinuata Wavy Cloak Fern
Cheilanthes tomentosa Wooly Lip Fern
Gaultheria shallon Salal
Hesperaloe parviflora False Red Yucca
Hesperaloe parviflora 'Yellow' False Yellow Yucca
Lomatium dissectum Fernleaf Biscuitroot
Mahonia repens Creeping Mahonia
Osmunda cinnamomea Cinnamon Fern
Vaccinium ovatum Huckleberry, Evergreen

I hope something on this list interests your daughter.

No peonies they require a chill period and they won't get it in Georgia. Same thing for many bulbs they require a chill period to rebloom. And I wouldn't do yucca near a foundation. Their roots go on for about forever and once planted you have them for life. sorry to put a damper on some of the suggestions.

thanks TK. I looked them up and sent her pictures. Many of them would be great in my book.

I hope they will work for her. I love many of the plants that will survive down there. Unfortunately I couldn't survive down there lol.