beth777
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Marigold Ideas

I recently bought a house with a pool. Around the pool is all dirt and I have been trying to research and find the best plants to plant around it. I live in Columbus, Ga, which is south of Atlanta so it does get very hot here. There is shade in the morning and then full sun after that. I would really like to plant marigolds along the side. The space is 63' x 3'. My question is what can I plant behind the marigold and/or in front of them? I am on a budget so please keep that in mind. I am open to all suggestions. Just something pretty that doesn't break the bank that includes marigolds. I am so exhausted from researching and just need a little guidance. This is my first house and landscaping task so I'm new to all of this.

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rainbowgardener
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OK.... marigolds are true annuals, which means they have to be replanted every year. 63 feet is a long stretch to keep re-planting. The marigolds will self seed somewhat, but they come back later in the season than you might plant them and you have to keep it weeded, so they don't get out competed by weeds.

Are they the dwarf, short marigolds? If they are tall, it would be harder to grow something behind them. Perennials to plant behind short marigolds that should do well with your hot afternoon sun and come in similar color ranges to marigolds include butterfly weed, blanket flower, black eyed susan, coreopsis.

If you didn't want to replant marigolds every year, ice plant is a low growing ground cover that handles those conditions and comes in similar colors:

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another perennial substitute for the marigolds would be hardy geraniums (these are not the big geraniums they commonly sell everywhere, which are actually pelargoniums), but the hardy geraniums come in pinks, purples, white, not the yellows and oranges of marigold.

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If you just gotta have the marigolds (the heart wants what the heart wants! :D ) you could consider doing your 63 feet in sections, with some sections marigolds and some sections something else. (Can you tell I'm a lazy gardener!)

beth777
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Oh, I did not know that I would have to replant them every year. I was going to do that because they help keep away mosquitoes. Okay, so scratch that idea...I will find another way to incorporate them in my back yard. What are some things I could plant that would come back each year?

I like the ice plants. I wouldn't have to plant those every year? Also, any suggestions on what I could plant behind them? Aren't you supposed to have a tall plant and then like a shorter plant?

Thank you for your imput!!! I'm so ready to just do this...I have been researching for so long and there are so many options haha

beth777
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What about lamb's ear for the side? I really really like them...what would pair well with those?

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rainbowgardener
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beth777 wrote:Oh, I did not know that I would have to replant them every year. I was going to do that because they help keep away mosquitoes. Okay, so scratch that idea...I will find another way to incorporate them in my back yard. What are some things I could plant that would come back each year?

I like the ice plants. I wouldn't have to plant those every year? Also, any suggestions on what I could plant behind them? Aren't you supposed to have a tall plant and then like a shorter plant?

Thank you for your imput!!! I'm so ready to just do this...I have been researching for so long and there are so many options haha
That is a total myth about marigolds keeping mosquitos away, anyway! Scented geraniums* (e.g. mosquito-shoo geranium) are often advertised as keeping mosquitos away (marigolds are not!). But there is NO plant which will keep mosquitos away just by growing there. Some plants are mosquito repellent in the sense that IF you rub it on your skin it will help keep mosquitos off you. However, mosquitos FLY and they have no trouble flying over a plant they don't particularly like!

Yes, I suggested the ice plant because it is perennial and will come back every year. I also suggested perennial hardy geraniums and showed you pictures of them.

I gave you a list of taller perennials to plant behind the marigolds/ice plants : " Perennials to plant behind short marigolds that should do well with your hot afternoon sun and come in similar color ranges to marigolds include butterfly weed, blanket flower, black eyed susan, coreopsis. "

Lamb's ear is pretty tolerant of heat and drought, but even so may tend to burn up a little in hot afternoon sun. If planted with something taller, it should be OK. It is a nice silvery gray color that provides good contrast to lots of other things. But it has small, pretty inconspicuous flowers. Now we are getting into strictly personal preference, but I think too much lambs ear (like a 60 foot row of it) gets pretty boring. How about mixing clumps of it in with other stuff?

*Note: these are actually pelargoniums, not the true hardy geraniums I was recommending. Sorry, confusing! :shock:

beth777
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Okay thank you for all of your suggestions!! It 's so confusing, because there are so many options. It's really overwhelming. And since it is 63' that's a lot of plants I need to put in there haha

imafan26
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A ground cover is a good idea because you want something to hold the soil and keep it from running into the pool in heavy rain. If your pool is maintained and the pump is working mosquitoes don't like running water or chlorine.

You need to make sure the plants that surround the pool can handle splashes from chlorine from the pool and the reflected heat from the water and the concrete surrounding the pool.

Plants should not have a lot of small leaves that will blow into the pool so either choose plants that are salt tolerent and mostly evergreen or plants with large heavy leaves that drop straight down and are not going to blow small leaves in the pool. You will still probably have to skim debris out of the pool as bees and leaves are not going to be totally excluded. A pool cover helps when you are not using the pool.

Some palm trees are cold hardy. Natal plums are good in frost free zones but can be grown in pots and overwintered indoors. It makes a good bonsai as well. Succulents might be good choices since they don't require a lot of water and can still provide interest in their rosette forms and shapes.

You might want to avoid a lot of flowers since the flowers will eventually drop off or need to be deadheaded.

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rainbowgardener
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Most things that she could plant in a 60 ft row are going to need some maintenance!

Here's a little article about pool landscaping with some things to think about and some plant suggestions. It mentioned container plants. That might be something to think about, to cut down on the maintenance is to plant containers. Might be a little more expensive at first having to buy containers, but in the long run be more manageable.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/specia ... -pools.htm

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I didn't have a pool, but my last house, I had a kind of difficult strip to deal with. It was just a little strip between house and driveway, the length of the house and about 3' wide. Terrible soil next to the house foundations and not good sunlight. I ended up mulching the whole strip and then putting in containers. It turned out nice, required less plants that way, looked neat and organized, was easier to take care of.

imafan26
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Most tropical trees don't shed much, but they still drop a few leaves at a time. The bees though are always around the pools, I think they are looking for water to drink. There are always a few bees floating in the pool.

The yards here are small and most people who have a pool don't have much yard left so they usually cement or put pavers around what is left around the pool and plant in raised terraces or in pots.

beth777
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We have a creek behind our privacy that is not kept up by the city so mosquitoes are a BIG problem for us. I'm also allergic. The pool is maintained, but that does not deter mosquitos from being in the yard, so anything that might help get rid of them I always jump at!

I have several planters already so I'm not sure if I want to go that route, but it is def something to think about. We also have huge trees behind our privacy fence so I don't mind if the plants I plant have a few leaves that drop off or flowers, because I have to scoop the water out daily.

I really want to plant some lamb's ear in that strip...that all I know thus far. Anything really that I don't have to plant yearly and aren't toxic to dogs...

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rainbowgardener
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If the creek is fast flowing, it shouldn't be a mosquito breeder. If it is slow moving and has pools perhaps you can get some mosquito dunks.https://www.planetnatural.com/product/mosquito-dunks/ These have a bacterial toxin that is specific to mosquitoes and harmless otherwise. Put them anywhere you have standing water (bird bath, etc). Try to remove any water collectors in your yard-- empty saucers under flower pots, regrade low areas, keep gutters clean and unclogged, mow your lawn regularly. Think about getting a bat house (bats eat millions of mosquitoes) and definitely get hummingbird feeders (hummingbirds eat the nectar, but they also eat lots of mosquitoes). Many nurseries and garden stores sell beneficial insects, such as dragonflies and damselflies, which are predators on both adult mosquitoes and larvae.

There is a product called mosquito barrier spray https://www.mosquitobarrier.com/ which is just a concentrated liquid garlic spray. It does not kill mosquitoes, but it does repel them from your yard. I haven't tried it, but some people swear by it.
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

beth777
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The creek barely flows. it is backed up and trying to get the city to come out and clean it has been a hassle. We have had several professionals come out and tell us that that is what is causing the problem. We recently put the mosquito dunks in the creek, but we haven't seen that much of an improvement. I"ll def try that spray though.

We have tiki torches everywhere, I diffuse oils that repel them, candles, the yard is treated professionally which has helped a little bit, we have a mosquito zapper that we are now trying.

There is absolutely no standing water in our yard. It's been a battle since day one and since we barely have a winter anymore here the problem has been getting worse :(

Trying to find nontoxic chemicals to spray is really difficult! I'm going to buy that mosquito barrier stuff today!

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rainbowgardener
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Wow, what a hassle! :( Definitely takes some of the enjoyment out of your yard!

Have you tried these:

https://www.gardeners.com/buy/portable-m ... 8-782.html

I have a version of it, that I really like.

It is a little geranium oil cake with a tiny fan that blows across it to push the scent out. It will definitely not keep mosquitoes out of your yard, but if you have a small area where you like to sit and eat dinner or whatever, it makes a big difference. It helps if you turn it on half an hour before you want to be out there, so the scent can build up a bit. It should keep at least a 10x10 area relatively mosquito free.

Also do you have any elevated areas? My last house we had a big natural pond (mostly stagnant) at the bottom of our hill that was a big mosquito breeder (same deal the city kept saying they were going to come clear it out, but never did). Our deck was one story above ground level, over the carport. We found that that ten feet made a big difference in the amount of mosquitoes. The deck stairs went down to a ground level patio and there would be lots more mosquitoes on the patio level than the deck level.

beth777
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It's terrible. I'm about to order that fan. Also, I'm going to order some geranium oil. I had no idea that it repelled bugs so well. Thank you for telling me about that product!

I don't have any elevated areas....it's all flat and my house is a one story house....I don't live in the right area to be allergic to mosquitoes haha. I hate that creek!!!!



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