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Is that a road? Roads can throw heat. Also roadside gardens can take lots of abuse in winter if they get buried by a plow or have gravel/cinders/sand tossed on them.
Not to forget the salt as well which burns anything.
I like Rock garden idea with maybe a fountain or lighthouse in middle.
When it rains the soil wants to run downhill.
Leaves from the overhead oaks drop a ton of leaves in the area in the winter.
I want to do something simple but pleasant to look at.
So, I'm looking at what appears to be a sloping area that comes down to a public road and is flanked on the sides by 2 driveways. It has some kind of utility pipe, which I presume may need to be easily accessible from time to time by a utility company or the property owner. The area between the pipe and the public road is a flat and hard, packed down shoulder, might be used to park a vehicle on.
If it was my property I would plant either (first choice) Arctostaphylosuva ursi (bearberry) or (second choice) Cotoneaster dammeri (bearberry cotoneaster) on that slope. Either one of these plants is a low-growing, hardy, attractive, slow spreading evergreen groundcover with an abundance of tiny dark green leaves, pretty flowers and long lasting red berries. Attractive to all pollinators and birds. Acts as a groundcover that prevents erosion in rainy season, needs little to no maintenance and withstands the acidic tannins in dropped oak leaves, and withstands road salts, asphalt and traffic pollution.
Water Use: Low Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8) CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium Drought Tolerance: High Cold Tolerant: yes Heat Tolerant: yes Soil Description: Rocky or sandy, acid soils. Conditions Comments: Soil should not be compacted around the plants and they should not be fertilized.
Sun Exposure
Full Sun or
Partial Shade Soil Type
Normal or
Sandy or
Clay Soil pH
Neutral or
Alkaline or
Acid Soil Moisture
Average or
Dry or
Moist Care Level
Easy
So, I'm looking at what appears to be a sloping area that comes down to a public road and is flanked on the sides by 2 driveways. It has some kind of utility pipe, which I presume may need to be easily accessible from time to time by a utility company or the property owner. The area between the pipe and the public road is a flat and hard, packed down shoulder, might be used to park a vehicle on.
If it was my property I would plant either (first choice) Arctostaphylosuva ursi (bearberry) or (second choice) Cotoneaster dammeri (bearberry cotoneaster) on that slope. Either one of these plants is a low-growing, hardy, attractive, slow spreading evergreen groundcover with an abundance of tiny dark green leaves, pretty flowers and long lasting red berries. Attractive to all pollinators and birds. Acts as a groundcover that prevents erosion in rainy season, needs little to no maintenance and withstands the acidic tannins in dropped oak leaves, and withstands road salts, asphalt and traffic pollution.
The first thing I check, is to see if it is invasive. Looks like this plant has a clean bill of health, except for Idaho county, Idaho. Good choice Zoisite!
Sunny when the photo was taken but, being under trees, how much light does it really get?
Is that a road? Roads can throw heat. Also roadside gardens can take lots of abuse in winter if they get buried by a plow or have gravel/cinders/sand tossed on them.
That is ... 'I think' the phone company thingy?
It gets real sunny there.
The area looked great for years but something killed the junipers.
As a collector of rocks, beach stones, shells, that area has a great deal of potential! There are so many types of sedum which would work, creep Jenny is a great idea, too. If it gets wet, Siberian Iris loves damp. Area is big enough for 3 levels of plants and a medium rock or two!
Looks like fun to me! I would do a search on the internet for small rock gardens and you'll be amazed at all the photos!
susancruzs ... You're Hired!
(When can you start?)
That ubiquitous juniper. Seems to be popular in Va's hard reddish clay. After many years it just gets old and needs to come out.
I enlarged the pic to try to get a sense of your area. The light color ground sort of between your porch hedge and this swale...is that a paved/gravel area ?
Several thoughts and questions come to mind from my years we lived in a few places in Va.
The pipe in the middle of the junipers...is that a utility pipe with lines inside it?
And what is that matted beige stuff in the small clumps of green where the driveway seems to meet with a roadway? Old grass clippings? An area impossible to grown anything?
I can't really tell from the one picture but this looks like a mini grotto effect...is that right? With the pipe in the middle at the lowest center. Looks like a tiny hillside area growing upward around that pipe.
It looks sort of like a wall - or is it a bit of a sloped hill - that wraps around behind that pipe. In other words a very quick, although low, elevation.
I'm trying to make out if you're on the roadfront. From years in Virginia, the front yards in subdivisions can be utility 'beds'. VDOT has rights to the first so many feet in from the road and doesn't allow permanent/overly heavy things in that area like no hard surface, no large rocks nor a wall . The idea is that the utility companies can come in at any time and easily dig in the soil without hitting landscaping hard surfaces and without moving any thing of the homeowners' by hand out of their way. At any time a utility company can show up to lay cable, dig looking for the gaslines they used some faulty method to id in the past, etc. (Some areas we nicely got lots of notice, other areas none at all.) Is that an issue?
Another consideration is soil. Some areas have been worked well. Others...hard hard clay.
I wonder if that front area where the driveway meets the what looks to be a road does not do well because there are bits of asphalt, fumes, tires running on it?
To the left and right of the area (in the picture) are driveways.
The 'pipe' is a phone company or maybe comcast utility.
It, as well as the water meter is on that slope.
It is a semi steep slope that levels out to a flat area that used to be grassy.
There is no set-back or 'easement' restrictions.
Some ground cover plants like hostas grow very well in the area on the left side of the flat area by the driveway but all of the junipers have turned brown and died!
The soil is not soil but as you guessed .. Clay! Argggg!
I am originally from south florida and I just can't grow anything in this stuff!
The rest of my yard is beautiful because I have Virginia Green lawn service taking care of it. lol
I love the idea of a rock garden, but I would put in a rock stream. It would start at the base of the big tree and have an S curve ending at the edge of what looks like the drive way. It looks like there's enough sun for some Iris. I love the light purple variety. I planted some blue lobelia around them and it was stunning. I would hollow out a tee stump to place over that pipe. I have a small tree stump in my garden in the front of the house and I found this resign devil in a thinker pose to put on it. It goes well with the gargoyles on the fence. Tree stumps can be fun. You need some way to add some whimsy to the area. Maybe a small bridge over the rock stream? Ostrich ferns grow really well here, but plant some colorful annuals close to them to take their place when they fade. They are best in the spring here. I took my fish pond out last summer and made a rock stream in it's place. I left part of the liner in place and poked holes in it. If we have a good rain it will remain filled for a day or two. The liner keeps the weeds out. I'm limited with only shade plants but I really enjoy that area. Your ugly hole could turn into something quite beautiful and a focal point. Have fun with it
So, I'm looking at what appears to be a sloping area that comes down to a public road and is flanked on the sides by 2 driveways. It has some kind of utility pipe, which I presume may need to be easily accessible from time to time by a utility company or the property owner. The area between the pipe and the public road is a flat and hard, packed down shoulder, might be used to park a vehicle on.
If it was my property I would plant either (first choice) Arctostaphylosuva ursi (bearberry) or (second choice) Cotoneaster dammeri (bearberry cotoneaster) on that slope. Either one of these plants is a low-growing, hardy, attractive, slow spreading evergreen groundcover with an abundance of tiny dark green leaves, pretty flowers and long lasting red berries. Attractive to all pollinators and birds. Acts as a groundcover that prevents erosion in rainy season, needs little to no maintenance and withstands the acidic tannins in dropped oak leaves, and withstands road salts, asphalt and traffic pollution.
Water Use: Low Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8) CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium Drought Tolerance: High Cold Tolerant: yes Heat Tolerant: yes Soil Description: Rocky or sandy, acid soils. Conditions Comments: Soil should not be compacted around the plants and they should not be fertilized.
Sun Exposure
Full Sun or
Partial Shade Soil Type
Normal or
Sandy or
Clay Soil pH
Neutral or
Alkaline or
Acid Soil Moisture
Average or
Dry or
Moist Care Level
Easy
.
Zoisite, I really like your idea but of course, I like everyone's idea on this forum!
It is the doing part that is going to be difficult for me.
I don't know if you can tell from the photo that this is in a swale area?
My yard is in great condition 'except' this one area!
That 'used' to be some really nice junipers but something wiped most of them out.
Those dead junipers are on a small hill that flows down to a low-lying area.
I guess that I am going to rip out all of the growth and start over.
I just don't know .. with what?
When it rains the soil wants to run downhill.
Leaves from the overhead oaks drop a ton of leaves in the area in the winter.
I want to do something simple but pleasant to look at.
I was thinking that a professional landscape designer wouldn't have a problem with the area 'but' I would because it would probably cost a small fortune?
As I said .. I need some suggestions!
It appears this is somewhat an extension of the mulched area behind it. Because of all the asphalt bordering the area, the temperatures will be hotter in the soil than the rest of the lawn. You mentioned it gets a lot of sun which would rule out a number of plants people mentioned. Virginia sun isn't as bad as SC but it still is pretty intense. With the pipe and the fact of it being an easement likely, plus the run off and the like, you might considered getting rid of any greenery and utilize some hardscape here. A birdbath might work ; some mulch and some rocks; not the big expensive ones but just nice rocks. Add some lirope/monkey grass - one that can tolerate the sun - some cannot so check which ones you get. Don't do them in soldier plantings. Plant randomly, and with rocks, bricks or whatever, build up some interest in the incline. Wouldn't be real expensive and if you anchor the mulch with some planting or hard objects that will help retain the mulch, you might have a really neat looking area. I always try to build inclines in areas where there are none and it adds interest. So you have the incline. You're ahead of the game!
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I would do a search on the internet for small rock gardens and you'll be amazed at all the photos!
