I've been working on designing an ornamental garden bed that blooms in yellow and purple as a mental exercise since I can't start on my yard in real life yet. ( Read more... )
*grin* Good thing this isn't in Seattle; I read "yellow and purple" and went "AAAGH Husky Pride, wait brain, it's Boston, chill out" :^)
Does purple heath/heather grow there? It's a nice low evergreen groundcover and has pretty purplish flowers. I think the species we have in Seattle usually is one of Calluna vulgaris or Erica carnea, depending on when it blooms. But it may count as an annual-type, bloomwise, since it does bloom for a very long time.
I hadn't thought about it being any sports colors, that's amusing. :)
Purple heather is good idea. I'm not sure I'd want it in this bed, but I have a couple others I might use it in. I'm trying to come up with lists of plants I like with various properties, like flower color, evergreens, etc, so that when I'm actually confronted with the empty spaces it's not quite so daunting.
Heh. Normally I don't pay attention to sports teams, but UW is overwhelmingly purple and gold everywhere. Even the hospital landscaping is purple and gold (daffodils, pansies in appropriate colors, irises, etc).
Makes sense - lists of plants rock. Will you keep posting them here? Would love to read them.
One thought I've been working on recently is that I'll want benches and other places to sit outside, so I'll want to think about sight-lines and sun for those.
Vinca minor is nice low groundcover that blooms a bluish purple. There's one gorgeous yard on Hancock St on my way to the T that's full of it -- gorgeous in bloom, as it is now, and a mat of gorgeous glossy dark green when it's not.
There are yellow coneflowers as well -- they're a native in Iowa. A flower about half the size of an echinacea, maybe less, and lighter center part, a bit bushier, but still not too large. They should grow well here, I'd think.
Purple-and-yellow pansies and violas might overwinter here. They sometimes do in Iowa, which has harsher winters (Zone 4).
I didn't realize there are yellow echinaceas; I thought all the yellow ones were rudbeckias/black eyed susans. I expect I'll want several varieties of both echinacea and rudbeckia.
I've never been a huge fan of vinca minor. I know many people really like it, but for some reason it doesn't quite appeal to me. Since it's evergreen, and I think there should be more evergreens in a city as cold as Boston, I should possibly reconsider that.
I want lavender somewhere. I'm not sure this bed will wind up being the right place for it. I don't want to go in too many directions and have it look disconnected and scattershot, and I'm trying to balance that with wanting to have color over as much time as possible. I'm also going to have a back yard, where I want to put in wisteria along a fence (assuming I can find one of the less invasive varieties), so I'll definitely also be using purple as one of the colors back there. I think I might use lavender in the back yard.
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*grin* Good thing this isn't in Seattle; I read "yellow and purple" and went "AAAGH Husky Pride, wait brain, it's Boston, chill out" :^)
Does purple heath/heather grow there? It's a nice low evergreen groundcover and has pretty purplish flowers. I think the species we have in Seattle usually is one of Calluna vulgaris or Erica carnea, depending on when it blooms. But it may count as an annual-type, bloomwise, since it does bloom for a very long time.
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Purple heather is good idea. I'm not sure I'd want it in this bed, but I have a couple others I might use it in. I'm trying to come up with lists of plants I like with various properties, like flower color, evergreens, etc, so that when I'm actually confronted with the empty spaces it's not quite so daunting.
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Makes sense - lists of plants rock. Will you keep posting them here? Would love to read them.
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I'm also trying to figure out what I want to do with all the space I have. I had some early thoughts that I put here:
http://www.directionless.org/blog/2012/01/03/garden-plotting/
One thought I've been working on recently is that I'll want benches and other places to sit outside, so I'll want to think about sight-lines and sun for those.
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There are yellow coneflowers as well -- they're a native in Iowa. A flower about half the size of an echinacea, maybe less, and lighter center part, a bit bushier, but still not too large. They should grow well here, I'd think.
Purple-and-yellow pansies and violas might overwinter here. They sometimes do in Iowa, which has harsher winters (Zone 4).
Hardy mums in purple and yellow for fall color.
Oh! The obvious -- lavender, if it's not too big.
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I've never been a huge fan of vinca minor. I know many people really like it, but for some reason it doesn't quite appeal to me. Since it's evergreen, and I think there should be more evergreens in a city as cold as Boston, I should possibly reconsider that.
I want lavender somewhere. I'm not sure this bed will wind up being the right place for it. I don't want to go in too many directions and have it look disconnected and scattershot, and I'm trying to balance that with wanting to have color over as much time as possible. I'm also going to have a back yard, where I want to put in wisteria along a fence (assuming I can find one of the less invasive varieties), so I'll definitely also be using purple as one of the colors back there. I think I might use lavender in the back yard.
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Yeah, focus in plantings is good. Good thing you have lots of garden space to fill. :-)
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