debo320's ideas
The groundcover is Ajuga reptans 'Catlins Giant' and flowers in Spring. The flower spikes can be up to 15-20cm high and the ground is a sea of purply blue. It depends what your climate is as to what aspect it will thrive in. The hotter the climate the more shade the plant prefers. Your local nursery will be able to advise you on the conditions this plant prefers in your area.
Maples. Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is the showstopper of the maple family, but even if you don't live where it does well (though it's surprisingly durable), pretty much every maple you encounter will provide incredible fall color. And you're in luck — there are maples from as small as 3 feet to as tall as 100 feet that do well in a range of climate conditions, from the colder zones 3 and 4 to the warmer zones 8 and 9. In addition to Japanese maple, favorites include bigleaf maple (A. macrophyllum), paperback maple (A. griseum), Rocky Mountain maple (A. glabrum), red maple (A. rubrum) and sugar maple (A. saccharum).
Ginkgo. Most people these days know the supplement, but the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) is a longtime landscape favorite. It's versatile: tall enough, at up to 50 feet in height, to serve as a street tree but equally good as a patio tree. Even better, it's very long lived and relatively drought tolerant, has almost no pests or problems, and can handle pollution and other environmental issues. Most of all, it's a beautiful tree with lovely fan-shaped leaves that turn bright yellow-gold in fall. Ginkgo grows well in zones 3 through 8 in both full sun and partial shade. It needs well-drained soil and regular water until it's established.
Dogwoods. Dogwood is another popular landscape tree that's best known for its spring blossoms but also puts on quite a show in fall. Two good choices are Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), with red or yellow leaves, and Cherokee Sunset flowering dogwood (C. florida 'Cherokee Sunset') with red-purple leaves. Other popular choices include Cornelian cherry (C. mas), with yellow or red leaves and berries in fall; Pacific or western dogwood (C. nuttallii), with yellow-red or pink fall foliage; and Stellar dogwoods (C. Stellar series), known for outstanding shades of purplish red. Dogwoods grow in either full sun or light shade, with moderate to regular water, in zones 3 through 9, depending on the species.
Eastern redbud. Once the first frost hits, you'll be as impressed by the brilliant fall colors of the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) as you were by its spring blossoms. It's not as large as an oak or a large maple, usually growing to a height and width of about 25 to 35 feet — large enough to provide shade, but small enough to not overwhelm the rest of the landscape. It grows best in zones 4 though 8 and can handle both full sun and light shade. You'll need to provide regular water and good drainage.
Chinese pistache. Come fall a Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) can pretty much stop you in your tracks. The foot-long leaves are lined with narrow leaflets that turn bright orange and red, even in desert climates. You'll also have plenty of time to enjoy the color, as the leaves usually hang on for some time after they change. Chinese pistache is a slow grower that's a good choice for smaller spaces in zones 6 though 9. It's fairly drought tolerant but can also handle regular watering if put in a lawn.
SaveEmail Japanese persimmon. If you live in a warm-winter climate and despair of having the strong fall colors of colder climes, consider Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki). Come fall the leaf colors are shades of yellow, orange and red to match the color of the fruit, which will hang on even after the leaves drop. This is not a large tree, generally only 30 feet tall and wide, but the color and fruit more than make up for any lack of size. It's a good choice as a shade tree as well. Grow it in zones 7 through 10 in full sun. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) A classic woodland plant native to Europe with a light, airy feel. The soft, textured foliage has long stems with a unique pattern of whorled leaves. The leaves emit a vanilla-like fragrance when dried and may be used in potpourris. Plant sweet woodruff between stepping stones, among taller perennials or as a mass ground cover in moist, shady areas with rich soil. It will form a dense carpet in ideal conditions, which is difficult to eradicate once established, so consider the location carefully before planting. Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 29 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9) Light requirement: Full or partial shade Water requirement: Moderate to high Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall
Zagreb tickseed is a remarkably low-maintenance perennial that produces dozens of 1-inch-diameter yellow daisies over a period of several months without deadheading. In the first photograph you can see they have been used to flank the pathway leading to the cabin. Botanical name: Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' Common name: Zagreb tickseed Where it will grow: Hardy to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (zones 3 to 9) Water requirement: Low Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 2 feet tall and wide Seasonal interest: Spring through fall When to plant: Plant it in well-drained soil in spring or fall.
Botanical name: Hydrangea quercifolia Common name: Oakleaf hydrangea USDA zones: 5 to 9 Water requirement: Medium Light requirement: Grows in sun or shade; more sun is recommended in the northern zones, while afternoon shade is ideal in southern zones. Mature size: 4 to 8 feet high and 10 to 12 feet wide, depending on variety Tolerances: Requires fertile, well-drained soil to avoid root rot.
My favorite find of the past few years hands down is 'Little Honey' oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey', zones 5 to 9). If you know oakleaf, you know it is an easy-to-grow plant, works well even in dry shade and blooms in summer with big cones of white flowers. This honey of a hydrangea adds outstanding gold foliage to that mix, and at 4 feet by 4 feet, it's a smaller plant that will fit well in gardens of any size.
Oakleaf Hydrangea - (Hydrangea quercifolia) With subtler blooms than their flouncy mophead cousins (H. macrophylla), oakleaf hydrangeas make beautiful foundation plants and additions to woodland gardens. The 8-inch-long clusters of blooms emerge in late spring as pale green buds, opening to show star-shaped white or pink flowers.
This native plant (fringe tree) has a high wildlife value because it provides food to many different animals throughout the growing season. Many birds eat the olive-like fruit of fringetree during autumn, and the fringe flowers attract pollinators in spring. Additionally, fringetree is a confirmed host plant for rustic sphinx moth (Manduca rustica) larvae. The rustic sphinx moth is a generalist, so you may find the larval form on many plants in your garden.
The beautiful native White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) in its mid-spring, fragrant bloom.
Fringetree prefers moist soils and can even tolerate some periodic water inundation. Protect it from dry conditions with a 2-inch-thick layer of pine-bark mulch. Be sure to give this tree room to spread if you are keeping the multistem form. It is a low-maintenance tree once established, because it does not need much pruning and is mostly disease free.
Fringe Tree - (Chionanthus virginicus) Native to the Southeast but hardy to colder zones Best small, flowering tree. Native fringe tree is a fragrant, small flowering tree suitable for courtyards and small spaces. Lacy white flowers cover the tree in spring and later develop into vibrant purple fruits in autumn.
A vibrant perennial border with lady's mantle, foxglove, geranium, and salvia.
I see yellow lantana , chartruse sweet potato vine, red caladiums, purple wave flowers yellow celosia and not sure what type banana-like tree
Flower gardens around Atlanta
Flower gardens around Atlanta,
Indian gay feather (Gaura lindheimeri) and Geranium "Roxanne'
This lush shaded garden has a diversity of plant types with different root systems, and it looks lovely. (From Clay soil.)
Bradford Pear Alternatives Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’) has gotten out of hand for many, popping up in woods and meadows everywhere. Instead, consider our native serviceberries (Amelanchier spp). Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) shown. Like its relative downy serviceberry (A. arborea), it produces brilliant white flowers in late spring and loads of red to purple berries in summer that are quite tasty to both humans and birds. Fall color can be great, too. Serviceberry grows to about 15 to 30 feet tall and wide, preferring moist to slightly dry soil in sun to partial shade. It’s native from Minnesota to Alabama east and north into Canada. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) might be a great drought-tolerant alternative to Bradford pear, particularly the cultivar ‘Red Select’. It has white spring blooms and bright red fall color after its green leaves turn maroon. There’s no reason we need to keep planting Bradford pear when we have so many attractive and adaptable native alternatives.
Daylily Alternatives Daylily (Hemerocallis spp) is an easy plant to grow, but we see it everywhere — and I mean everywhere (it’s a lot like hosta in that way). The deep-throated flowers are not very appealing to the majority of insects, and insects are vital to birds, frogs, crops and more. Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) shown, grows in dry, sunny soil and is diminishing in its native range of the northern Plains, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest. Plants will bloom all summer long and reach 1 foot to 3 feet tall, depending on moisture. Blanket flower is a favorite nectar source for the threatened Dakota skipper butterfly. Scaly blazingstar (Liatris squarrosa) is an underused, carefree native that thrives in dry, sunny conditions, like most daylilies. It forms a clump that’s about 2 feet wide and 2 to 3 feet tall, and is native from Nebraska to Virginia and south from Georgia to Texas and Oklahoma.
Burning bush alternative: Southern arrowwood(Viburnum dentatum ‘Red Feather’), shown, also called arrowwood viburnum, is one of my favorite medium-size shrubs for medium to dry soil in full to partial sun. It’s native from Maine to Florida and west to eastern Texas. At about 8 to 10 feet tall and wide at maturity, the cultivar ‘Red Feather’ puts on a great fall show. Clusters of white flowers appear in May and June, followed by midsummer blue berries the birds devour in a day or two. (Note that you need two different cultivars of arrowwood to get berry production — ‘Blue Muffin’ is a good choice.) For wetter soils you might also try Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), which has stunning red foliage in autumn and white bottlebrush blooms in summer. It’s native from the Great Lakes region south to Texas and east. There are many red and black chokeberries (Aronia spp) that also have some top-notch fall color, spring flowers and winter berries. Why plant burning bush when you can plant these wildlife-benefiting and noninvasive natives?
Hosta Alternative: Choose wild ginger (Asarum canadense) shown, if you prefer thicker leaves and a lower habit. Plus, deer don’t like it, and pipevine swallowtails use it as a host plant. With a height of just 6 to 12 inches, and preferring a medium soil in shade, it is pretty easy to care for. It’s native from Minnesota to Mississippi and east. You might also consider wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) as an attractive and quick-spreading ground cover. It blooms anywhere from late spring to early summer and loves dry soil in full shade.
Hosta Alternative: Try native Solomon’s plume (Maianthemum racemosum, syn. Smilacina racemosa) instead. It spreads slowly, blooms in late spring, likes medium to dry soil and gets about 2 feet tall. It’s native from Minnesota to Arkansas and east, and will support more wildlife than hosta — plus, it’s just as carefree.
Dry creek rock bed
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