corner lot ideas (landscaping, growing, grass, Ornamental Grasses)
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So, I wanted some ideas for a planting bed. It's a corner lot and we have 2 trees in the front of a large expanse of grass. It would get sun all day and need to be viewed on two sides. I was thinking of 3 knockout roses in a cluster, with perennials surrounding. Any ideas?
What part of the coutry are you in? Can you post a photo of the area? You need to provide a lot more information if you're going to get any decent advice.
Tina has a point. We don't know if you are in Maine or Texas, Washington or Florida, or somewhere in between. The answer to what would work depends on your location, your soil conditions and your willingness to keep things watered, mulched and fertilized.
So, I wanted some ideas for a planting bed. It's a corner lot and we have 2 trees in the front of a large expanse of grass. It would get sun all day and need to be viewed on two sides. I was thinking of 3 knockout roses in a cluster, with perennials surrounding. Any ideas?
I don't know Houston, Texas so I'm sorry I can't be of help. Here is a link to the Dept. of Agriculture for Texas. Perhaps if you called the Houston location phone # they can offer suggestions. Good Luck! TDA Locations
Okay, that helps. Are you looking to do this planting in your yard, right at the corner, or around the foundation of your house?
I would definitely plant some ornamental grasses, and if the lilies you're talking about are the Stella d'Oro lilies, you should know that their rebloom isn't that impressive, and they bloom best in cooler weather. Don't look for much action from them in the high heat of summer.
Have a look at your cooperative extension site -- it's terrific. Texas A&M pioneered the Earthkind program, which I believe gave us Knockout roses. From the link below, click on the "Earth-Kind Landscaping" link. It will help you quite a bit, and it's really great stuff. You have a very good resource in that Extension service, and it's free to you, so take advantage!
Hi Meyerland, I recommend doing an online search using Houston garden blog as your search term. You will see results for a number of people who blog about gardening in your area. By perusing their postings (be sure to read the older posts too) you'll get a lot of great info on what plants will do well in your area. They're fun to read too!
Meyerland,
Your plans sound wonderful, just remember, roses require a lot of
water during non rainy season, other than that, do it. They will all look
real nice.
Are your trees evergreen?
If they aren't mabey will will want to consider some evergreen plants
for the bed, unless you don't care.
The roses will love the sun and present a nice show most of the summer.
Your zone 9a by the way.
Knockout roses would be great especially for a grouping and center of your bed. They require almost no work on your part which is why they have become so popular with landscapers for both residential and commercial planting. There is a gigantic BUT following that and one both Tina and I have been through. Roses across the country are being infected by Rose Rosette disease and at an increasing rate. Knockouts are being especially hard hit because of their flowering characteristics. At this time I have stopped recommending them to people who do not know what to look for. The disease can only be prevented with a heavy spraying program at this time and once the plant has it the disease is fatal within a few years. If it goes unnoticed it can and does spread to neighboring roses and is carried on the wind to others.
You've had some excellent references to websites specific to your growing needs. If I were to look for something that blooms fairly long and doesn't require a whole lot of care I'd also try and narrow it down to something cultivated from a native growing shrub. In general they will thrive with less fuss on your part once they have been established. An example would be esperanza or "Yellow Bells" (Latin name is Tecoma stans) Texas Native Plants Database
There are other flowering shrubs like Hawthorne (several varieties and colors as well as height) and non flowering shrubs like Clarrissa Holly and some of the newer non invasive forms of Nandina that could make a good center anchor for the perennials you want to plant along the perimeter.
In your area you also have an advantage of advice for xeriscape plantings for both shrub and flowering plants. You may want to use it to narrow down the choices to plants that will survive the heat and humidity conditions for your part of Texas. Earth-Kind Plant Selector | Urban Landscape Guide | Aggie Horticulture
On the choices you mentioned:
Red Autumn Sage: It cannot tolerate sitting in moisture so if you have any clay soil or poor drainage in the area it will be planted it will more than likely die out. It can get scruffy looking if it gets any contact with foot traffic because of its brittle stems. It will also need a little light pruning/pinching back to keep it blooming so it is not care free. It is very pretty when it is blooming.
Lantana can get quite big and spread quite far. I had one go from a 3 inch specimen to over 4 feet wide in one season up here. It wasn't "supposed" to get quite that big but I guess it was very happy where it was growing. Keep it in mind when you plant small plants and follow the recommendations that come with it as to how far apart to space them so that your planting don't become overgrown looking.
Dayliles.... I could write a book on the possibilities, but Tina is right that some are just not great looking for very long. Stella D'Oros have been very popular for a long time but there are so many that have come along since that do just as well or better. Look into rebloomers if you want a longer season of blooms since many day lilies will only bloom for a shorter time and then just be a clump of leaves for the rest of the season. By chance I purchased some Happy Returns a few years back and they have been my most requested plant when I divide day lilies to give away. They are a paler, more yellow and less orange color than the Stella and the last ones are blooming right now. They are also slightly larger if that makes a difference in what you are visualizing.
Good luck with the new bed and please come back with some pictures to show us what you end up with!!
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