What flower/plants for this spot? (flowers, growing, Hedges, Hibiscus)

[Idlewile]

In front our new home there are hedges and two pretty, red hibiscus plants flanking the front steps. The previous owners also planted purple and white petunias in front of the hedges and next to the hibiscus -- now they need to be replaced. (Ignore the long piece of wood and pots in picture)

Texas, high 90s now and for the next two months
Beds get major afternoon sun with no shade in afternoon, south-facing
Sprinklered-watered, can adjust schedule

I was thinking purple or blue flowers might complement the orangey-red hibiscus with its big green leaves.
Normally, I like to plant perennials but I was thinking annuals might be more manageable in this space and require less pruning.

Ideas for what might be nice in this spot? Would love your thoughts.

[Rtom45]

old fashion marigolds

[Icy Tea]

New Guinea Impatiens are tolerant of sun and have bright colors. I think tropical plants would go with the hibiscus. Dahlias also might be a good match.

[Mayiask]

I happen to like yucca plants. They are mainly found in dry areas, but I have had good luck with them in my yard in So. Dak. Just went out in a pasture and dug some up!!

Yucca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Idlewile]

Hey, thanks for these suggestions! Going off to google images

[Cattknap]

Pretty home! Personally, I would remove the hibiscus - they do nothing for the space - are rather shapeless, are not balanced and encroach on the steps. Then I would step back and take a look at the total space and then post some pictures. Don't throw good money after bad.

[kinkytoes]

I agree w/ getting rid of the hibiscus/mallow. The front yard seems too formal for them.

Pretty house! I'd stick a small columnar evergreen on the right after taking out the hybiscus. Personally I think annuals are a lot of trouble because you have to replant them every year...but I love wave petunias. There's a plant I haven't tried called calibrachoa which looks lovely, too. These are going to cascade..but at ground level...it may look pretty instead of simply messy.

While I think the hibiscus are a little wild...I don't think I'd be able to resist planting an annual vine up the downspout.

[J&Em]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

In front our new home there are hedges and two pretty, red hibiscus plants flanking the front steps. The previous owners also planted purple and white petunias in front of the hedges and next to the hibiscus -- now they need to be replaced. (Ignore the long piece of wood and pots in picture)

Texas, high 90s now and for the next two months
Beds get major afternoon sun with no shade in afternoon, south-facing
Sprinklered-watered, can adjust schedule

I was thinking purple or blue flowers might complement the orangey-red hibiscus with its big green leaves.
Normally, I like to plant perennials but I was thinking annuals might be more manageable in this space and require less pruning.

Ideas for what might be nice in this spot? Would love your thoughts.
Attachment 98973

Those pretty perennial hibiscus are most likely among the ones that are prized for making it through your sizzling weather. They look a lot like 'Flare' one of only three varieties that are highly recommended for your climate conditions. I'm glad you think they are pretty and want to work with them. It can be easily trained and pruned to get a better shape and keep them similar sizes for balance as it grows in every year and you can balance them a bit now.

Your Heat Zone of 9 indicates you have temps above 86 for nearly half of the year. Getting afternoon sun means it is even hotter overall for the plants you do pick. You may have a sprinkler system but planting annuals (for that matter perennials) right now is not a good idea much as those bare spots need filling! All the plants I can think of for the conditions you describe will not make it as small to mid size transplants simply because their roots will not have the capability to draw up enough water to make up for what they transpire out through their leaves in the continued hot and dry conditions over the next few months. Many experts on planting for your area mention cut off planting times for this reason and most specify before July 1. You will have a great extended fall season to plant some plants if you wait another 5-6 weeks. Use local nurseries, not the box stores, as a reference. The box stores often get plants that are not right for your conditions or early for the right planting times. When the smaller nurseries start getting in new plants it will be approaching the time to plant safely. You can also check in with the local Cooperative extension office of the Master Gardeners of your county for more planting advice that will have local experience to be more helpful than people from other zones who don't know your conditions.

If you must plant annuals and want to baby them the most heat tolerant and blue or purple plants I could think of would be: 1) Gomphrena (aka Globe Amaranth) which also can come in white and red as well as some bicolors 2) Scaveola (fan flower) which makes great hanging baskets but also fantastic mounded plants -they were great in the hottest driest part of my garden as a filler last year- and they come in shades of purple/lilac and light blue. 3) Angelonia which comes in pastel purples and blues among other colors and is often used in pots


If you want perennials that don't need attention or pruning they do exist and you might find purple homestead verbena or even moss verbena might make beautiful low growing fillers. If you change your mind about wanting annuals that don't fit the purple/ blue color requirement you could also try the Yubi version of Portulaca which are incredibly easy to grow in hot conditions (mine are in pots that sit on a patio getting sun from sunup to nearly sunrise and are the most forgotten pots I have when it comes to
watering.

If this was my garden I would wait and plant lower growing perennials that are not in need of much care once the temps drop in early fall. Minimal care gaillardia come in a few solid colors now, one of my favorites in the garden right now is 'Mesa Yellow' which has had a wonderful mounding habit covers itself in all yellow flowers and if I don't get to dead head have yellow seed heads and will still keep flowering away! Mine are growing with several other varieties in a garden which faces southward and gets sun all day and is the hottest and driest soil. They mix well with some short ornamental grasses and very hardy daylilies that are predominantly red in this garden.

picture from : All-America Selections

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by kinkytoes

Personally I think annuals are a lot of trouble because you have to replant them every year...but I love wave petunias. There's a plant I haven't tried called calibrachoa which looks lovely, too. These are going to cascade..but at ground level...it may look pretty instead of simply messy.

While I think the hibiscus are a little wild...I don't think I'd be able to resist planting an annual vine up the downspout.

Thanks for the calibrachoa recommendation -- I love those, they remind me of smaller petunias. Also, what a nice idea for a vine up the downspout

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by J&Em

Those pretty perennial hibiscus are most likely among the ones that are prized for making it through your sizzling weather. They look a lot like 'Flare' one of only three varieties that are highly recommended for your climate conditions. I'm glad you think they are pretty and want to work with them. It can be easily trained and pruned to get a better shape and keep them similar sizes for balance as it grows in every year and you can balance them a bit now.

Your Heat Zone of 9 indicates you have temps above 86 for nearly half of the year. Getting afternoon sun means it is even hotter overall for the plants you do pick. You may have a sprinkler system but planting annuals (for that matter perennials) right now is not a good idea much as those bare spots need filling! All the plants I can think of for the conditions you describe will not make it as small to mid size transplants simply because their roots will not have the capability to draw up enough water to make up for what they transpire out through their leaves in the continued hot and dry conditions over the next few months. Many experts on planting for your area mention cut off planting times for this reason and most specify before July 1. You will have a great extended fall season to plant some plants if you wait another 5-6 weeks. Use local nurseries, not the box stores, as a reference. The box stores often get plants that are not right for your conditions or early for the right planting times. When the smaller nurseries start getting in new plants it will be approaching the time to plant safely. You can also check in with the local Cooperative extension office of the Master Gardeners of your county for more planting advice that will have local experience to be more helpful than people from other zones who don't know your conditions.

If you must plant annuals and want to baby them the most heat tolerant and blue or purple plants I could think of would be: 1) Gomphrena (aka Globe Amaranth) which also can come in white and red as well as some bicolors 2) Scaveola (fan flower) which makes great hanging baskets but also fantastic mounded plants -they were great in the hottest driest part of my garden as a filler last year- and they come in shades of purple/lilac and light blue. 3) Angelonia which comes in pastel purples and blues among other colors and is often used in pots


If you want perennials that don't need attention or pruning they do exist and you might find purple homestead verbena or even moss verbena might make beautiful low growing fillers. If you change your mind about wanting annuals that don't fit the purple/ blue color requirement you could also try the Yubi version of Portulaca which are incredibly easy to grow in hot conditions (mine are in pots that sit on a patio getting sun from sunup to nearly sunrise and are the most forgotten pots I have when it comes to
watering.

If this was my garden I would wait and plant lower growing perennials that are not in need of much care once the temps drop in early fall. Minimal care gaillardia come in a few solid colors now, one of my favorites in the garden right now is 'Mesa Yellow' which has had a wonderful mounding habit covers itself in all yellow flowers and if I don't get to dead head have yellow seed heads and will still keep flowering away! Mine are growing with several other varieties in a garden which faces southward and gets sun all day and is the hottest and driest soil. They mix well with some short ornamental grasses and very hardy daylilies that are predominantly red in this garden.

picture from : All-America Selections

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide all these great suggestions. You know, I really like the hibiscus, I think they are pretty and cheerful and I really like thier big glossy leaves. I know they seem a little wild and one is a lot smaller than the other (don't know why) but they are so hardy in our heat and my kiddos love watcing the the big flowers open and close every day. We also don't have a place to transplant them to since our whole backyard is very shady with live oaks. I'd like to leave them if possible. The one on the right is huge and the other tiny... do I just cut back the big one to pair it better to the little one?

I know the hedges also make it look more formal as some of you have mentioned - I'm not a huge fan - but it's too much for us right now to think about ripping them out and doing something completely different... also we are under water restrictions here. And we're on a 17,000 sq ft lot with a lot of grass, mowing and doing all the upkeep ourselves, so I must spread out my gardening dollars and time.

So, I could wait 'til fall and plant some low-growing perennials then? That really appeals to me. I would rather have perennials, but nothing that gets too crazy or tall since it has to complement those hedges, nor anything that has to be pruned a lot. Love the Mesa Yellow and it's prefect for fall! That would be lovely.

Do you think I need to wait 5-6 weeks to plant any perennial? When I rip out the petunias it'll be so bare... I had really liked a few perennial grasses I saw at my local nursery the other day - they said full sun and drought tolerant. But I don't want to waste my money now if they will do much better if planted in another month in a half.

Also, for this space how many different types of plants is TOO many considering the hedges? I am so intimidated by this... the hedges, grasses and one other flowering perennial? More or less? Also, since the edges are so symmetrical, do I plant everything else spaced out evenly in a line versus free form clusters of three etc.?