Garden in zone 8 (flowers, landscaping, growing, flowering trees)
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We are just buying a house in Zone 8 and it has a moderate sized back yard. the house is very tall and the fence is about 6 1/2 feet tall. it looks like it will get sun thru the afternoon.
I want to have flowers and vegetables and a couple fruit trees.
does anyone know of any good garden planning software? I don't know if I'll want to add trellis's or not. I was thinking of climbing roses for the fence.
I heard that in zone 8 Cherry trees were guaranteed to be diseased.. is this true? I wanted some cherry trees but if they won't produce fruit there's no point
Can we grow peaches in zone 8?
I've gardened before but in the past it's always been an inherited garden from who ever owned the house last. this back yard is a completely clean slate.
I appreciate any direction that can be given. I don't want to be haphazard about this
Gardening by software? Is this what you really want?
To me, gardening and software are not mutually inclusive.....gardening is a labor of love. Software is a product.
Perhaps you're more thinking of *landscaping*? This is something that one hires a firm to install to increase the curb appeal and value of the property. It is not directly akin to gardening.
Even though a great deal of the PNW is zone 8, many warm climate plants hate the pacific northwest as it is usually cold and wet. Zone 8 is indicative of expected winter low temperatures, and not necessarily a good climate guide. Seattle is zone 8 and so is Alabama. Outside of the expected average winter low temperatures, there is no commonality between the climate of coastal Washington and Alabama.
Where in zone 8 are you, which county and town..Your best bet on these types of questions is to talk to your local Ag extension office/Master Gardener information help line..they can correctly answer your tree questions and other questions..I'm in zone 7 Willamette Valley..What I can do here friends you live just east have a harder time because of altitude and so on..
Good luck and enjoy.
I wanted to plan a garden out in a way that would be intelligent. throwing stuff in the ground isn't going to give you ultimate results. trees will put off shade and if put in the wrong area might shade an area that you want to put a plant that doesn't like shade. I think it would be helpful to have a program that showed the plants growing and the effects they would have on each other. it also helps to plan it out to see what it will look like.
Before you spend money on gardening software, check out some sites online that have free designs. Better Homes & Gardens has a lot of designs on their site. Here's another site loaded with ideas. There are also some sites that have free planning software; I think Better Homes & Gardens has one.
Cherry trees have more trouble producing in zone 8-11. Depending on where you live, they are prone to mold and don't like their feet to be wet, so high humidity and lack of drainage is a problem. When I lived in Zone 9, I went with the "sand cherries" - tough little bushes that get to be 10-12 feet high, have hundreds of pretty sweet white blooms, and produce large crops of small sweet cherries that make excellent syrup and jams. The birds love them too, though!
Honey, you don't need software, you need inspiration! LOL Gardening is messy and pretty and totally individual. To learn about what you like and what you don't, go to garden product websites, and look at zone plantings, bloom times, spreading potentials, height requirements, soil, sun and shade requirements, as well as watering requirements for plants and colors that you think you might like. Some folks are partial to daylilies and roses (that would be me), some to flowering trees (me again) some to beds and boxes and planters of endless color (again, me!)! LOL Perennials will give you permanent color that returns year after year, annuals will give you hot summer blasts of color. Don't forget compost and mulch to keep your soil soft and full of nutrients. Really, it's not as hard as it looks! As Bob Ross says about his painting - "We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents!" Gardening is living art - be creative and express yourself!
Cherry trees have more trouble producing in zone 8-11. Depending on where you live, they are prone to mold and don't like their feet to be wet, so high humidity and lack of drainage is a problem. When I lived in Zone 9, I went with the "sand cherries" - tough little bushes that get to be 10-12 feet high, have hundreds of pretty sweet white blooms, and produce large crops of small sweet cherries that make excellent syrup and jams. The birds love them too, though!
Honey, you don't need software, you need inspiration! LOL Gardening is messy and pretty and totally individual. To learn about what you like and what you don't, go to garden product websites, and look at zone plantings, bloom times, spreading potentials, height requirements, soil, sun and shade requirements, as well as watering requirements for plants and colors that you think you might like. Some folks are partial to daylilies and roses (that would be me), some to flowering trees (me again) some to beds and boxes and planters of endless color (again, me!)! LOL Perennials will give you permanent color that returns year after year, annuals will give you hot summer blasts of color. Don't forget compost and mulch to keep your soil soft and full of nutrients. Really, it's not as hard as it looks! As Bob Ross says about his painting - "We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents!" Gardening is living art - be creative and express yourself!
Well said!
When I moved to the Caribbean 25 years ago I made a LOT of gardening mistakes by importing and trying to grow plants which were supposed to grow in this climate/zone. I've always had a pretty good green thumb and was disappointed that it was turning black.
It didn't take me long to figure out that what grows best is what's growing right around me and is used to the prevailing conditions. Over the years I've taken cuttings from friends' thriving plants, seeds from their tomatoes and peppers, etc,. and no problems since then although I'm not as active in the garden as I used to be.
Beware of plant outlets which import, too. I bought a beautiful gardenia which came from the mainland and it simply curled up and died within a few months. A few months later my neighbor pruned back his gardenia BIG time and, from a good-sized branch I rooted about a dozen cuttings, eight of which "took." I have four big and tall gardenia bushes/trees growing now and filling the air with their perfume when they bloom (planted in the same area where the imported gardenia failed so miserably) while friends are happily enjoying the others.
I'm about to put into the ground two plumeria which I grew in pots from local cuttings and although I'll probably have to wait for a while before they settle in and start blooming (a gorgeous deep red) the wait is well worth it and the sense of accomplishment priceless!
I just moved here from New Yorl state. the one thing that i will miss is the lilac. is there anything comparable to this.
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Is this what you really want?
