Landscaping: help!!

Replies: 33 Views: 285

Author	Comment
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK May 30, 2008 12:25 PM	i also posted this on the beginner flowers forum, but i think it is in a better spot here. i dont know how to delete the other one. i just wanted to know if i should rearrange this stuff or take some stuff out. or what would look best. right now it looks a hot mess!!! View Larger
Tir_Na_Nog Houston (United States) (Zone 9b) May 30, 2008 2:29 PM	Hi, we aren't allowed to delete our own threads, it might become confusing for anyone who's been following it. But clicking on the "contact us" link to admin at bottom: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] will often work instead. They are usually happy to move a thread to a forum better suited for it. You may want to let them know you've posted 2 of the same and have them delete the one you don't want. Make sure to provide them a link to your thread though. I'm having similar gardening issues here! Hopefully you'll get some bright answers :).
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) May 31, 2008 12:34 PM	Looking at the shadow in front of your house, I'm guessing this is either an east or west exposure? That could make a big difference in what you could grow there. In the meantime, I think some type of plant or flower that would tumble over the side of your brick planter would look real nice. And a trellis on the blank piece of wall to the right of the photo would add some height. Or, if you could afford to buy or build a trellis that would frame your windows, that would look really nice. Clematis would handle either the east or west exposure although the flowers won't fade as fast on the east side.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK May 31, 2008 12:50 PM	this garden is on the south side. would a clematis do good there? i love clematis.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) May 31, 2008 2:59 PM	I have clematis on three sides of my house: east, south, and west, and all three are beautiful. I also have one that's out in full sun almost all day long and it, too, is beautiful. I 'd say go for it. Post some "after" pictures for us--I'd love to see it when you're done.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) May 31, 2008 3:00 PM	I have clematis on three sides of my house: east, south, and west, and all three are beautiful. I also have one that's out in full sun almost all day long and it, too, is beautiful. The one I have on the south side of my house is pale pink with darker pink stripes and holds up very well to the sun. I 'd say go for it. Post some "after" pictures for us--I'd love to see it when you're done.
terichris Naples, FL (Zone 10a) May 31, 2008 5:14 PM	Some elephant eats can take some sun. I would go for something vertical in addition to what you have. Bacopa, ornamental sweet potatoes or helicrysthum (sp?) would fill in nicely & hang down & take the heat. I think I would also add a few small shrubs that would look nice all year.
zenpotter Minneapolis, MN (Zone 4b) May 31, 2008 5:56 PM	Several colors of clematis would be nice. Do make sure that you plant something in front of it that is short. Clematis like to have their roots in the shade. I have Tiarella wherryi, foam flower in front of mine. Mine get about 8 hours of sun, the Tiarella may not like the full sun check for your area. This message was edited May 31, 2008 4:58 PM View Larger
Smokey_SC Piedmont, SC (Zone 7b) May 31, 2008 7:16 PM	I don't think that is a hot mess. I think you have a great start. I agree you could use a few things for height. If it was me I sure would not take anything out. I agree with 'Nature', please post pics. Smokey
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 2, 2008 11:36 AM	okay, i got a clematis vine (H.F. Young). i got a trellis, but not the big arch one that i wanted, it was a little pricey. so now im just wondering if i should move the elephant ears to the other side, or should i just leave them there and put more on the other side to even it out. and i was wondering if the elephant ears and the petunias would shade the clematis good enough, or do i still need something else. i will post another pic here in a while. again thanks for everyones helpful ideas!!! =)
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 2, 2008 12:18 PM	im not diggin the trellis. =( View Larger
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 2, 2008 12:19 PM	oh and i forgot i moved the petunias. oops.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) June 2, 2008 2:48 PM	I would move the elephant ears to the right of the clematis. They will get very big and will most likely overshadow your clematis. I wouldn't worry too much about that trellis. I've learned that they can be the most beautiful and expensive trellis going but when they get all covered with whatever vine you put on them, you can't see what they look like anymore anyway, LOL.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 2, 2008 2:50 PM	that is very true. that little clematis i got looks so tiny. i cant imagine it covering that. i got it from walmart. not the best place to get plants, but i was there. : ) are clematis fast growers?
zenpotter Minneapolis, MN (Zone 4b) June 3, 2008 8:45 AM	Once they are established they grow fast. It could take this whole summer to get itself settled in and it might not. You just have to wait and see.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) June 3, 2008 4:38 PM	Three or four of my clematis are from Wal Mart and all are doing great. You have to take your chances with the color as they are so often mismarked, but that's true if you buy them from HD or Lowe's too so why not get them cheaper from Wally World. Zenpotter's right, it may stay on the scrawny side this summer but after it dies back and you prune it this winter, it will come back much nicer next year. I have two that are each three years old and they reached the top of the trellis and grew half way back down and they were beautiful in full bloom.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 3, 2008 5:36 PM	oh man, i never thought of the colors being mismarked. i guess it wouldnt be too bad, they are all beautiful.
zenpotter Minneapolis, MN (Zone 4b) June 3, 2008 5:40 PM	Before you prune them check what the pruning is for that plant. There are three different types and each has a separate way to be pruned. Mine all are the kind you only prune off the dead parts off.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 3, 2008 5:42 PM	well, in that case, i hope they were marked right. lol. i guess i will just have to ask for the id on that forum when the time comes if its not. lol. man, i love this sight. if i would have found it earlier, it would have saved me alot of stress!!!
Pughbear7 Tulsa, OK (Zone 6b) June 3, 2008 6:03 PM	Hi Jess: I suggest a trick, if you will. Take the end of the runner of your sweet potato vine and bury the stem at the leaf node (where the leaves connect to the plant). it will cause it to root and you can cut the stem once it has rooted and take the new rooted part and place it on the other end or else where in the landscape. My wife is a CPA and she watches every penny so I try to use as many tricks as I can to streach the dollar. Just an idea. Dave
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 3, 2008 6:29 PM	hmmm...thats interesting. my mom told me that i just needed to cut the end off, take the bottom two leaves off, and stick in in the dirt. well, i tried that and it is wilting away! then my grandma said you can just put it in some water by a window in the house and it will root in a couple of days, then just stick that in the ground. either way i do it, im hoping to have it everywhere by the end of the summer. i will try that way though, cause i don't like trying things that don't work and killing the poor thing. thank you for the advice though!
PAMSPACE Temperanceville, VA (Zone 7a) June 6, 2008 2:03 PM	You could make the bed more interesting by adding some different heights and more texture.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 6, 2008 2:14 PM	here is how my garden is coming along. im thinking im just gonna add a few shrubs and be done with it. my plants are getting big. i cant wait to see what happens. my poor little clematis vine didnt do to well in these crazy windy days we've been having. ; ) View Larger
PAMSPACE Temperanceville, VA (Zone 7a) June 6, 2008 3:29 PM	Looking good!
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) June 7, 2008 7:41 AM	I agree--looking good. Dont' give up on that clematis. I've had a couple that struggled to get started but once they got down good roots, they did very well. It probably won't get very big this year but next year it will grow much better. By it's third year, it will look amazing. It just needs time to set down some good strong roots.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 7, 2008 10:47 AM	that is good to know. i probably would have just thought it wasnt in a good spot sun wise and moved it. i wont expect much out of it this summer. will it not bloom at all? im just anxious to know if it was marked right when i bought it.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) June 7, 2008 1:15 PM	Both of the new ones I bought this year (from Wal Mart) were quite small but they both put on a few blooms--enough to show me what colors I had. The first one shocked my socks off--it actually bloomed the color they had marked! They showed a pretty pale pink with darker pink stripes and that's what it is. The other was marked "Assorted," so of course, it's purple. But that's O.K.--I like the purple too. Try putting a little Super Thrive on it. Wal Mart sells it. It's not a fertilizer--it's a mix if vitamins and hormones and does wonders for new plants. I wouldn't put any fertilizer though as it can burn the new roots.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 7, 2008 1:32 PM	oh crud. i put some fertilizer on it already. it did burn some of the leaves. and it burned the leaves of my sweet potatoe vine cause it accidentally got it on there. how do i know what to fertilize and what not to fertilize? i will definatley get some Super Thrive. i have alot of new stuff that i would like to give a good start. thanks so much.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) June 7, 2008 5:44 PM	Don't fertilize anything you are just planting. The best thing to use is something like Miracle Grow Quick Start. It doesn't have any nitrogen in it which is the culprit that burns roots. It's designed only to give the roots of newly planted things a jump start so they can develop a good root system. For the plants you've already added fertilizer to, try flushing them with lot's of water to help dilute the ferts. After that, don't add anything else (except perhaps some Super Thrive) for the rest of this year. By next spring, all of this years new plants will be ready for fertilizer.
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 7, 2008 6:56 PM	okay thanks. im so glad you told me that!!! im gonna go start flushing!!!
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 11, 2008 2:02 PM	i just rearranged my flower bed and the flowers look aweful!!! are they gonna die? what should i do????
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 11, 2008 2:05 PM	here is a pic View Larger
ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) June 11, 2008 4:35 PM	The pic isn't close enough to show what's going on, but I suspect it's just transplant shock. Digging things up and moving them stresses plants, especially if your weather is getting hot. Now you'll need to treat them as if they were newly planted--baby them along, make sure you get them enough water, etc. Depending on how hot is is some of them may die, this time of year is not the best time to be planting/transplanting, but if you're really good on the watering then hopefully most of them will make it. (and don't default to watering them if they look like they're wilting--make sure you stick your finger in the soil and check that they actually need it, sometimes plants will wilt even if there's plenty of water in the soil because their roots can't take it up fast enough to keep the plant from wilting on a hot sunny day)
jessnjus Oklahoma City, OK June 17, 2008 2:58 PM	there has been rain the last few day. it has done wonders. i still need to mulch again, but other than that it looks great, i think. View Larger