Gardening!

[nyreak]

So, I finally gave in and decided to let someone else clear out my flower beds. I tried, I really did, but the flower bed is so huge and was so overgrown that I just couldn't tackle it myself. I made Ken call to get them to come out for the estimate, because I hate talking on the phone to people that I don't know. They came out, said $225, I hired

Comments

[keristars]

I really need to get my stepmom to tell me the name of the flowers she planted around the palm tree in their front lawn. (I think it's a juvenile sabal palm - you know how enormously tall they get when they're old, and this one's just at the height of the house.) They look like wildflowers and are very colorful pink, purple, yellow, orange, but they're little shrubs. Well, they were little, and close to the ground when she planted them two years ago. Now they're quite tall and they bloom just out of control in the spring with the colors. She doesn't really bother to keep them checked, though, so they could probably be another option to put with the liriope or gardenias. Or even in your back yard

[keristars]

Er, I always have to ask her what they're called, because I want to plant them in our back yard (which is really barren and sad looking), but I can never remember the name when I do get a chance to go to the gardening center. Sheesh, I started that thought and never finished it.

[nyreak]

Would they maybe be lantanas? http://goo.gl/FaAk

I'm going to do some of those, too. They start out as little plants and turn into wild little bushes if they aren't pruned every year.

[keristars]

The lantanas look close, but they have flower bunches and the leaves are a bit bigger and more spear-like, I think. I don't really remember the flowers in Peg's bushes being in bunches like that, though maybe I'm remembering wrong (lord knows I can't remember the name and I've asked her about once a month since last summer). The thing about pruning every year is definitely the case, though.

(Actually, this one looks pretty close, so maybe they are lantanas: http://ncfarmsinc.com/store/images/Lantana-Fantacy-Basket.jpg)

[nicefinalbeam]

OOOOOOH! I really love the look of the rocks and water. ♥ AND LOL this must have taken some time! But definitely a good way to visualize what you want for your yard. :D

[nyreak]

This is proof that I spend more time than I should at the computer during the day. Joc was happily playing by herself in her playroom, so I amused myself. I'm not all that experienced with dealing with landscaping, but I'm trying to figure out what will look nice (hence having evergreens of various sorts as the big plantings) and won't be too difficult to upkeep.

Jocelyn will love the rock/water area. The hard part there will be making Ken help me get it done soon. I'm the type of person that wants things done as soon as possible, and he's the type that wants to sit around and wait for things to be done on their own. I'm researching and hopefully can make the process go more smoothly.

[kalanthe]

Very cool!

A little warning with the camellia... Double-check which variety you get, because they vary widely with how big they grow. It sounds like you don't want a tree there, and some of them do grow into trees. I love camellias. They're so pretty. And if you can get one with a scent, that'd be even more awesome! I bought a camellia but it's still in a pot. I need to put it in a larger pot. I do know where it will eventually go, but there's a lot of work to be done before I can plant it for good.

Another plant I wonder if you might like is a penta. Low-maintenance, pretty, almost always in bloom. They come in different shades of pink, red, lavender, and white. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them.

Here's a photo of mine (they are a little bigger now): http://www.flickr.com/photos/ysaleth/3932470123/

I really like the liriope! And a water feature sounds fun. :) I like the idea of it at the front of the house.

[nyreak]

Camellias: That's why I haven't bought one yet. The kind we had at our first house were very tree like, with a tall thin trunk and a sort of ball of branches up at the top (around 5 or so feet tall). I really liked that, and actually think it would be nice over there, with some lower flowers down in front. The trick is making sure I know how far out from the window it needs to be so that I have room to maneuver behind it. The space on that side of the porch is huge, so I have a good deal of space to work with

[kalanthe]

Pentas do well with lots of sunshine, but they're supposed to take partial shade as well. I was wondering how the shade went at your house with what times. Sounds like the perfect schedule for gardenias. You probably wouldn't want the pentas in the inner corner, but they might work on the side with the liriope.