Garden Design Dilemma, What Should I Do?

[mmt]

Hi guys

We moved into this new home and I have this gladiolus here in the forst picture, creamy yellow and pink when they were blooming. Forgive my puppy, she's sunbathing and wouldn't move.

The Gladis, I feel they don't fit there, the bluish purple new plant on the right side is Russian Sage I just put and it'll grow like 4 feet round.

The second shot is just for the better view of the surrounding.

1. Gladiolus, What would be good there? OR Should I leave the ground bare and fill with rocks or wood mulch? , The space got full sun all day.

2. I want Russian Sage there one way or another, should I move? What would be your ideal?

2. In the third picture, it's the space on the east side on the house next to the fence, what would fit there?, it's bright place got around 3 hours of sun from 11:30 to around 2:30 pm.

I can only attach only 3 photo at a time, so to be continue....

Thanks guys!

Meme

[applestar]

Looking at your pictures, I keep feeling like the glads are too far in the front of the border while the low growing mounds of white flowers are too far to the back. Where the low plants are it feels like you need more height -- I'm seeing too much fence.

Also, in the corner, are those glads around the tree? They look like they are crowding the tree and don't work together. The glads are too tall to be planted surrounding the trunk like that.

...are these the kind of thoughts you are looking for?

[rainbowgardener]

And where are you located? I googled North Delta and got results in Mississippi, Louisiana, California, and British Columbia... I'm guessing Miss. or LA, but it would be nice for you to tell us; there's nothing distinctively Southern about your garden.

If you are in the deep south, perhaps you want something more tropical that would look like a southern garden?

To start with re design principles, I am personally opposed to straight lines. There's no reason why your row of fence line plantings needs to be a straight line; nothing in nature is.

[mmt]

To Applestar : Thanks so much.! I want to know what would you replace with. The corner ones are not gladis, they are peacock lilis, fragrant and white and deep purple flowers coming out soon.

To Rainbowgardener: What a fabulous garden ya have? I'm still in primary level in gardening and going to be holding you guys hand here, like it or not

Fabulous! You open my eyes, why should I keep it straight? Thank you!

The fence is for the reason to keep my dog out of the garden area.

You're right. I'm in southern BC, Canada. I'll edit my signature.

Cheers!

Mimi

[applestar]

Hard to wrap my head around zone 8 when you are so far north of me LOL
Here, glads will freeze in the ground over the winter so they have to be lifted and stored in fall.

To be companion to russian sage, you will need drought tolerant full sun plants adjacent to it or you will drown the Russian sage trying to keep them watered. I assume drainage is good there? Sedum is another drought tolerant late summer/autumn bloomer. Lambs ears are nice, as are silvermound artemisia if you want to go for all frosty look.

It would be a good idea to fill in with other season bloomers, too. How about tree or herbaceous peony? Maybe add a trellis and well mannered annual or perennial vines up the fence. Clematis could make it there if the roots are in the shade. I like height in the back.

You could widen in a curve and add lower height plant and ground huggers like tulips, grape hyacinths, portulaca, sweet alyssum.... (what are those white floweing mounds?) If butterfly garden is your aim, Russian sage is a good start, maybe add asters to complement the Russian sage, sundrops and coreopsis for yellow splash. Agastache. Penstemon....

If you want edibles, you could consider black and raspberries and strawberries, asparagus.... Herbs like lavender, oregano, and thyme... Rosemary? Flashy culinary sages like tricolor or variegated.

You could grow ornamental hardy banana and palm too if you wanted. Thinking you need to come up with a theme -- color, function, geographical, etc. and think about different seasons, foliage textures, and heights.

P.S. Still not loving the grouping of tall plants so close to the tree....

[rainbowgardener]

Sorry, I forgot to put the picture credit under it. That is not my garden, it's just a picture I found on Google images to illustrate what I was talking about it. There are pictures of my garden posted around here. If I get a chance I'll try to find a link. Applestar has given you some good suggestions, including that it has a lot more impact if you find a color scheme / theme. You could do all purples and blues with some white accents for a very cool, peaceful effect.


https://st.houzz.com/fimgs/602100440f4ea ... dscape.jpg

If you are really disciplined, you could go for all white, with lots of white and silver foliaged stuff, for the ultimate in serene elegance.



https://www.invectis.co.uk/sissing/wg2.jpg

Or you can do something high contrast like purples and yellows for a very dramatic, energizing effect. ETC.


https://www.makeitandmendit.com/wp-conte ... lowers.jpg

The nice thing about landscape design is that you can't go wrong. It's flowers, it will be beautiful!

[mmt]

Thanks a bunch ya two ,make my day with a flowery list to go on . Will come back for sure again.

Mimi

[imafan26]

Since the glads and irises do not bloom year round and they have the same shape and texture. I would break them up into groups minimum of three to a group. Plant the alyssum in the front of the glads and something taller behind the glads to soften the height of the fence.

Use different textures shapes and layers. Limit the color palette to two or three colors unless you like the cottage look. Blue and yellow or blue and pink go together well. White goes with everything. You can get some pink from foliage color and choose plants that bloom to complement each other or bloom in succession so you will have color all of the time.

I don't know what grows in your zone but here are some that I grow
Blue plants:

Blue daze (evolvulus) perennial in zones 8-11 low growing ground cover. azure blue flowers almost constantly open up in the early morning but close when the sun comes out at midday. In the afternoon, the leaves will evert themselves and it looks like a completely different plant.

Russian sage, blooms nearly constantly with pale blue flowers. Blue flowers are hard to showcase unless you have a contrasting background or you are looking at them up close. My Russian sage is in an urn so it does not get taller than a couple of feet and it is in with a marjoram plant that has tiny white flowers. You could also plant thyme to cascade down the front of the urn. All of these plants like pretty much the same conditions.

Lavender large mounds three feet high and wide with white to varying shades of blue flowers in the early summer. I grow lavender multifeda (zone 10 and up) it grows better than lavender augustifolia, it is ornamental and blooms nine months of the year.

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) blue or white flowers in early summer. strap leaves the rest of the year.

Yellow and white plants

Alyssum , white or saxatile (yellow spreading mounds good also good for softening the edges in front of the border. grows about 8 inches high

Lanceleaf coreopsis yellow flowers in early summer. Spreading mounds. Native wildflower. Deadhead. attracts beneficial insects. Perennial. Can take some shade but will bloom better with more sun.

Daylily Stella D'oro for me they bloom March-Nov.

Along the fence I would put something taller. My border is wider so I have shrubs in the back. I have a dwarf crepe myrtle "little chief", it does not reseed and flowers in summer (pink) but it is deciduous.

Musaenda glabra (dwarf mussaenda) zone 9-11. yellow flowers and bracts most of the year. Shrub to 15 ft but can be pruned back.

thryallis (shower of gold) zone 9-10 yellow flowers pretty much year round.

Roses grandiflora (iceberg) white flowers, New day, sunsprite, Peace can give some height 5-6 ft.

You could also put a vine on the fence to soften it. Something like climbing First Prize. (pink rose), or honey suckle.

Or some other narrow but tall shrub, annual or topiary for height.

Depending on where you live and your micro-climate, you can cheat one zone up or down.

Whatever you choose, make sure it is safe for pets and kids. Some plants may be toxic. I had to fence off my garden and orchids because my dog liked to chew up the oncidiums so I would chase him, and he liked to sit in the garden especially after I weeded and tilled it. I had to move every bromeliad I had to a no dog zone. He even punctured his tongue when he got a small branch stuck in his mouth and he panicked trying to get it out.

[pinksand]

I don't have the experience under my belt that posters above have, but I've been taking on some similar projects over the past year (with the helpful advice I've received here!).

Since you received a lot of great plant suggestions I figured I would mention some tips for the overall process. I worked with a friend to add curves to her straight little narrow garden. I sprinkled flour on the grass to outline the new garden edge (some people use a garden hose to outline it), similar to the style in the photo Rainbowgardener referenced. We then dug out all the grass within the flour boundary. I'd recommend digging a day after a decent rain so that the soil is soft and easy to work with. We added some good compost and top soil to build the garden bed back up, planted, and mulched. I'd recommend maybe layering some newspaper around the plants before mulching to help suppress weeds and any grass roots from pushing back up.

As far as plants go, Applestar mentioned "Russian sage is a good start, maybe add asters to complement the Russian sage, sundrops and coreopsis for yellow splash. Agastache. Penstemon" I have all of the above in a section of my garden and they have been very happy together, requiring very little water to thrive in a full sun location. I also have catmint and abelia shrubs in the same space. The purple lollipop looking flowers in Rainbowgardener's second photo are allium bulbs. I have the "Purple Sensation" variety and just love them! They should do well with the other plants mentioned and will look stunning I would think with that white fence as a backdrop to make them really pop!

[rainbowgardener]

Some more easy care flower suggestions that should do well for your situation:

blues and purples: bellflower, lupine, asters, perennial salvia, liatris (also comes in pinks and white)

hot colors (pink, red, orange, yellow): bee balm, penstemon, yarrow, coreopsis, columbine, black eyed susan, goldenrod (but watch out, it will take over your yard), blanket flower

white: yarrow, anemone, pussytoes, mariposa lilies, daisies

Fall is the time to plant some bulbs for spring flowering.

don't forget to come back later and show us what you created!

[rainbowgardener]

If you look at the first picture I posted, with the curves, it illustrates several design tips and tricks quite nicely: Tall things at the back, like the blue flowered hydrangea bush in foreground, sloping down to low trailing things in front. The hanging basket of purple petunias puts a pop of color at eye level, where it has a lot more impact. There are some plants in containers mixed in with plants in the ground, which automatically gives different height levels, as well as some material contrast. Some things are kind of hidden, so your eye can't see everything at once. In this case, in the middle (behind the little stone fountain, a very nice touch) there's a large tree?/pole? and a bunch of viney/branchy stuff. Everything behind that is kind of screened so you can't see it all at once. And there's some little statuary tucked in so it isn't all visible. There's a diversity of shapes and textures, with rounded stuff and spikey stuff.

This is not a garden that was created over night. You need to have patience and keep working towards what you want. But I thought I would point out the principles behind what was done in that illustration.

[mmt]

Thank much Green Thumb,imafan26 and Pinksand too. I'll copy some of your plant choices and for my puppy's safety. I'll definitely post after I turn over the place. I'm hoping to do after the peacock lili's bloom, in November.

Meme

[mmt]

Is this a vegetable or plant? Annual or perennial ? Weed or herb?

[applestar]

Do they look like garden sorrel?

[rainbowgardener]

Just so you understand the system:

Re "Thanks much Green Thumb,imafan26 and Pinksand too"

If you meant me, my screen name is rainbowgardener (sometimes abbreviated as RBG). The words under our screen names are ranks that the forum automatically assigns, based solely on the number of posts you have made.

So I'm Super Green Thumb, you are currently full member, imafan is greener thumb, pinksand is senior member. None of us picked those. The only point of having them is that you can look at someone's post and see whether they are a regular around here. But since the date of joining and the number of posts are also shown, it doesn't seem like the "rank" adds any info.

Applestar is Mod (Moderator) which is a function. The mods help keep the Forum working smoothly, remove spam, moderate disputes, etc.

[mmt]

. Oops! I don't know how did that happen, my bad...I think I was quite tired (from picking and washing rocks from my side yard) Rainbowgardener. Thanks for pointing me out. Or may be my eyes get confused from scolling down to copy each names and go back up and type or replace again.

Mimi

[mmt]

To Applestar

[Do they look like garden sorrel?]

I don't feel they are and I've never seen them before either in vegetable or any plant. The thing is it could be from the seeds that I bought from Vandusen garden and may be one of them, But it's been living for over 2 months and no shows for flower so I post here to ask my honored geeks.

They come out quite healthy and I think it can't be weed and I decide to replant there to watch till the flowers show.

But I also think they looks like annual, that's all I can think of till now

Mimi

[applestar]

Raibowgardener -- Yeah, but if I had my way, I would give you a special rank of your own
...considering you have the highest post count of all of us to date. Thanks for your contributions.

[rainbowgardener]

PS re design tips and tricks. I noticed something else about that picture, very subtle and advanced design, but easy to replicate, once you notice it. Note how the curved out portions are wider at the front and narrower at the back. It's called false perspective. You know, if you are drawing a picture of a street, you would make the lines showing the edges of the street closer together at the back of the picture than the front. That is perspective in drawing; it indicates to your eye that the back of the street is farther away than the front. So you can do the same thing in your garden. The false perspective makes it looks like the back of the garden is farther away than it really is.

You can do the same thing with other garden design elements, like paths. Make your path just a little bit narrower at the far end than the near to make your garden look longer/ deeper.

[mmt]

You guys are super genius! I don't know how to thank more! I'm so happy to be a member here and even thinking to dare a small vegetable garden next year. . Wish me I won't screw it up or teach me the spell if you have one! LOL

I'm starting my project now in old garden and guess what happen? it rains heavily today out of the blue. Well that's part of our live and help me easy to move gladi's after, I believe. I'll keep posting when ready.

Thanks you guys a bunch!

Mimi

[ElizabethB]

No specific plant recommendations just some general thoughts on design. No straight lines. The front of your beds should have gentle curves. Mother nature does not do straight lines. Plant spacing is critical. Always allow for mature size. When planning consider both sun and water needs. Group plants with similar needs adjacent to each other. Plant in odd number groupings. Stagger your plants - again no straight lines. Work your way back to front with taller plants in the back. Gradually decrease the height of your plants as you move to the front of your bed. Also consider bloom time. Glads have a relatively short bloom time so when they are done you will have a color blank spot. Scatter them throughout your bed in groups of 3 and incorporate longer blooming perennials.

You may want to make a plan on paper. Use 1/4" = 1' graph paper and draw your bed. Place your plants allowing spacing for mature size.

Good luck

[ElizabethB]

I just looked at your pictures again. I agree that the plants - iris? around the tree are to concentrated. Again these are short lived blooms and need to be scattered through out the bed. You edging is cute but not very functional. I use steel edging but stone will work as well. Much easier to mow and weed eat around. The tree in your side bed looks half dead. The roots are breaking up the side walk. That will get worse with time. If that were my house I would remove the tree and use that space for low growing and cascading annuals and perennials. Maybe incorporate prostrate rosemary and cascading juniper for year round green. That would also be a great place for herbs.

The soil in the side bed does not look very good. I would install steel edging then bring in fresh soil. Remove the rocks first. It is OK and actually very attractive if you build the bed up several inches taller than the edging.

[rainbowgardener]

Hi again, Elizabeth.

Re: No straight lines. The front of your beds should have gentle curves. Mother nature does not do straight lines

Did you like the example picture I posted, illustrating that? (previous page now)

Farther down that page, I did a post describing some of the other design principles illustrated in the photo.

[CatNippy81]

Sorry, I forgot to put the picture credit under it. That is not my garden, it's just a picture I found on Google images to illustrate what I was talking about it. There are pictures of my garden posted around here. If I get a chance I'll try to find a link. Applestar has given you some good suggestions, including that it has a lot more impact if you find a color scheme / theme. You could do all purples and blues with some white accents for a very cool, peaceful effect.


https://st.houzz.com/fimgs/602100440f4ea ... dscape.jpg

If you are really disciplined, you could go for all white, with lots of white and silver foliaged stuff, for the ultimate in serene elegance.



https://www.invectis.co.uk/sissing/wg2.jpg

Or you can do something high contrast like purples and yellows for a very dramatic, energizing effect. ETC.


https://www.makeitandmendit.com/wp-conte ... lowers.jpg

The nice thing about landscape design is that you can't go wrong. It's flowers, it will be beautiful!

What are those lovely blue and yellow flowers?

[rainbowgardener]

It's just an image I found to illustrate color schemes, so I'm not sure. The purple-blue could be a perennial salvia which comes in colors like that:


https://www.burpee.com/images/product/pr ... 357_lg.jpg
Salvia, Cathedral deep blue


https://www.flowersgrowing.com/wp-conten ... a-victoria[/b]-300x300.jpg



https://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/pla ... salvia.jpg
blue salvia

The yellow is some kind of yellow daisy.