help me greenfreak! you're my only hope!

tonksy

tonksy

New Member
...ok...so not really...but you're very knowledgable on such matters. here's the scoop:
back yard bald spot at the junction of a stone fenceline and a stucco fenceline. it's maybe 3 feet, probably less, at that point. it is near a drainage pipe leading out of the yard so it is rather moist most of the time. it is partial sun to full sun. we have lariope growing around the yard but for some reason it just doesn't do well at that spot. i want to put in something that will hide the junction of the 2 walls, fill in the bare spot where the lariope won't grow, and be colorful and low maintenence.
so lets recap: full/partial sun, moisture loving but not overly affected by a little drought, preferrably a perennial, colorful and easy, with a height of 3 ft when fully grown (this has some play room but no taller than 4 ft)
what do you suggest...oh! we are in hardiness zone 7.
 
i was thinking of fuchsia magellanica .
fuch.jpg

to gauge flower size:
magellanica1.jpg
 
They're gorgeous. And the first plant I ever had an allergy to. :lloyd:

It was easy to keep alive in a pot in those conditions.
 
I think just me :D

Hubby took me and the kids to a nursery to pick a plant for Mother's Day.

It was on my lap on the way home...and my eyes began burning, and streaming, hell on earth. Since then I have many allergies. It was lovely outside though.

Moral of the story is, bring it home in the trunk.

Oh...and it doesn't like 'extended' drought :lloyd:
 
I took the liberty of posting a thread in the "Georgia Gardeners" forum at GardenWeb. Here's a link: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/gagarden/msg021110297508.html


I also found a gardenweb member that has a really helpful site, including plants for moist sites, containers, etc: http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/gardennotes/index.html


I have a similar situation that is slowly killing a lilac bush at the corner of my house. The gutter drains right there and like you, I can't get anything to grow there and have an unsightly bald spot.

I honestly don't know of any plants that like moist soil, except moss. But you don't have to be deterred by that, what about containers? You could line the bottom of the pot with styrofoam peanuts so that the plant inside the pot drains well out the bottom. Then you could plant whatever you wanted and if it didn't do well in that area, you could move it and try something else. You could also spread some mulch or rocks down on the ground to cover up the lack of grass. I would only recommend that if you have sprinklers though, because you don't want to be watering your containers every day like I do in the summer.

So if you're not restricted by the soil, you are only restricted by your sun exposure. Do you have any gardening books? I have a great book that is currently on sale in Border's, I think it's $20. or less: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853919896/qid=1108829733/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-7912850-4303057

I bought mine two years ago and refer to it constantly. It's a great resource to have for this stuff. I go through it every year and put post-its on the pages of things that I could grow and then pick and choose them for the gardening season.

Now, as far as combining container plants, there's the 3-rule. One focus plant which is usually vertical or very colorful like ornamental grass, a clumping/low growing plant like coleus (Rob knows all about coleus), and a trailing plant to cascade over the side like sweet potato vine or million bells.

A few of my containers: http://www.greenfreak.net/greengallery/displayimage.php?album=10&pos=22


Ok, one last thing (because I could go on forever). Go to the nursery, with no intention of buying anything. Take a pad and pen and write down the names of plants you like. If they have tags, check that they match your conditions. Then come home, go online, and do a google search on them. This is how I do most of my research before I buy anything.

I'm open to any questions, I never get tired of talking about gardens. :D
 
thanks for your input :D
i'll be interested to read the replies to the thread you posted! and i'll be interested to peruse the site. this is my 2nd spring in zone 7 and i'm interested in trying some plants that i could have never gotten to survive zone 10....the sad thing is is that the spot PERFECT for a canna...but they'd freeze up here.
the spot is troublesome. i thought about containers but the land is a little uneven, sort of a natural slope off towards the drainage pipe. the containers would be a little unsteady...it needs a bush type plant to smooth out the appearance. that's kinda what got me interested in the fuchsia and i think it will go well there. i have a couple of books i can cross reference my information to to make sure it's a good fit. it is terribly pretty.
 
i'll try and get rob to snap a shot of it later. :D
the bad thing is that picking the fuchsia has sent me on a search for more plants to accent the colors of the fuchsia. it's addictive as heck.
we already had a ton of planting to do. here's what we are planting this year:

gladiolus
calla lilies
purple liatris
more black eyed susans
delphinium
tree peonies
periwinkle
2 varieties of dwarf canna
a skaugum begonia
yellow dwarf lilies
purple phlox
and triplet lilies.
 
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