I've been talking about changing this section of the yard since I bought the house. I threaten to rip out the rhody's every year. But I can't make up my mind on what I want to do, so, year after year, it stays the same.
So here's what we've got.
This skinny little bed, right up against the front of the house.
Kitchen window on the left, dining room on the right.
A rhody under each one of them.
A Japanese Holly, that I stuck in several years ago, to fill the void in the middle.
Wooly Lamb's Ear and Grape Hyacinths are all underneath.
And a random iris thrown in to bug me.
I went after the rhody on the far right last year pretty bad, and it hasn't quite recovered.
I hate when it gets up above the window.
Okay, I'll show you a bunch of pictures, so you can get your bearings, and then you get to give me free design advice.
Hahahahahaha.
Don't pull that card - I know how you gardeners are.
You looooove to tell people what they should do with their yards. :)
'kay, here ya go:
My plan is to put a window box under the kitchen window.
I can use the sprayer at the sink to water it, so annuals would be fine there.
This area needs some height.
A vine?
Something columnar?
The big green beast on the left needs a haircut somethin' serious.
How could I not use this as a way to sneak Baby pictures in?
And there ya have it.
The thorn in my side.
The area of yard that I've hated since day one.
As for growing conditions, the house faces west, so this gets the hottest part of the day, in addition to the heat reflecting off the house.
They've gotta be tough little suckers.
In addition to plant names/suggestions, feel free to leave links to photos/posts etc. in the comment section.
Pimp my yard!
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Hi Mindy, What a neat garden space and I love the color of the rhody flowers. Question: Does the walkway go from the driveway (gated) to your front door? If so I imagine the plants will need to stay narrow. It looks like the rhodies are too big but I really like the Japanese Ilex. One thing I noticed right off is that on the other side of the gate I see two tall golden conifers. Maybe, for continuity sake, another one like it would be a good candidate for the spot where you want something tall. Another really nice evergreen plant for this area would be hebe. There are many different types and they can all take full sun but do well in shade too. They grow fast and need very little maintenance. I'll give it some more thought and send you an email with some ideas. And by the way, the window box is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteGoodness is that little sweetie getting so big!!! She is a doll! Ok as for this bed....I love the idea of the window box and would agree that you should go up for height to the right of the kitchen window..and depending upon what you use for height whether it be a vine or shrub/small tree I think that will then lead you to what you should go with under the dining room window...Do you want winter interest there because it is under the window??? .I will pull some things out and shoot some things to you via email....your space is stunning even if it is a thorn in your side! Love this! Nicole xoxo
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