Sunday, June 10, 2007

Calling all green thumbed gurus...

...or anyone with an opinion, really!

We are trying to figure out what to plant here:There use to be four Boxwood bushes here (green and growing) and even though it goes against my personal policy to never remove anything green that grows on it's own without any more assistance from me than remembering to turn the sprinklers on, Husband and I both agreed that it would open up the front of our house to replace them with something less imposing and...well...less boxy.

Only now... we don't know what to choose. Our first problem, not being plant people, is that we aren't very familiar with the names of different plants. I so admire those people who can look at a plant and say, "Oh...that's a non-flowering Dwarf Gableroot and it looks like a male from what I can tell." If you are one of these people, please come over and tell me what all this green stuff is and whether I should let it stay or not!

Husband likes tall flowing grasses like this that remind him of sea grasses and the ocean:
I like things with color other than "grass green" and texture like what-ever-this is called:Both of these plants are native plants that we found on our Spring Walkabout but I don't know what they are called. I like the tall grasses too and I am wondering if we could do a mixture. We also want to add some color and texture with flowers. This area gets full on sun from about 11 AM until sunset. Any suggestions?

OH.....and speaking of "grass green" remember this? Well look at it now!
Amazing what a little hard work and 11 inches of rain can do!

7 comments:

  1. I think the plant looks like dusty miller. It's hard to tell without seeing the flowers. If it isn't it's possible it's in the same family (Aster). Can't help you with the grass, I purposely stay away from grasses (I like flowers). But I'm sure you'll be able to find it on the eNature site.
    I'm glad to be of help! Happy Gardening!
    Peace and Laughter,
    Cristina

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  2. We have some of the tall grasses and a few of them are a greenish gray color. That may suit both of you. They don't need any maintenance either -- just cut them down once a year. Just be careful picking a type -- some of them get really tall.

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  3. No advice but your new grass is most impressive! Congratulatons!

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  4. I highly recommend going to your local garden supply center (not Home Depot, but a place that actually has landscaping so you can see things growing) and asking a pro for ideas. Perennials are good - low maintenance. You want to select a few different textures and a few different colors (or shades of color) and a few different heights to have interest.

    Grasses are excellent for texture and color and as a backdrop, but you'll want something else for visual appeal and impact - lower and in front.

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  5. Hey Girl, you should run over to Mike's Garden Center on 114 (near Carroll I believe). They are super nice, and have a great selection. We get a lot of our stuff from them. You might want to try bulbs. Our gladiolas, tulips, and irises are so easy... once in we don't have to worry about them except to water and they come back every year with more than the year before.

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  6. Matilda, please!
    Visit my blog. I profile must-have plants.
    All are EASY! What's your zone?
    Since Dusty Miller is an annual around here I wonder if you are warmer.
    Ever see Knock outs? Roses--beautiful easy care no spraying...goes well with the dusty miller
    Penstamon Mexicali Red Rocks
    Salvia Purple Rain
    Jolly bee geranium
    all low maintainence and non stop bloom
    I could go on...
    okay just a few more...
    Lamium Beacon Silver for a ground cover
    Rozanne geranium
    I have pictures but never thought to post the heights and widths...which may vary from area to area.
    I'll shut up now! I could talk all day about plants!

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  7. I want to be one of those too, but I just can't seem to do it. I've finally got geraniums down pat. :) Anyway, I can't wait to see what you end up planting. I have a whole yard that needs landscaping and I've not taken a single step. I think I'm a bit petrified.

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