What do you have growing in your yard or garden here in the Triangle? (Raleigh: how much, home)

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

There are many nice plants that do fantastic here in the Triangle area climate. There have already been some great threads about this topic, but I thought I would start one where people would share what they are currently growing in their yards and or garden here in the Triangle and share pictures if they have them.

I have only just started landscaping my yard and I am still adding plants, but here are a few shots of those I already have in my yard:

FYI: While I am the "green thumb" in my household, my wife still gets the final word on what we plant in the yard!

Tea Olive Shrub (Osmanthus Fragrans ~ Will eventually grow to 8' - 10' tall)



Tea Olive Close-up





Floribunda Rose (we grow these in large pots)



Peony Plant (Plant died back to the ground this winter and rose from the ashes this spring)



Chianti Sun Flower (just started from seed ~ will grow 5' tall ~ cheap temporary privacy screen)



Moon Flower (just started from seed ~ vine will eventually grow all over my fence)



Purple Hearts (Came back from a planting last year ~ they do great in full sun)



Some plants I will be adding in the near future:

Eastern Redbud (Forest Pansy)
Butterfly Bush
Lantana

[Esperanza27713]

Our yard is high on a hill and the soil isn't wonderful, but we're having great luck with our butterfly bush. It's not currently in bloom, but it's shooting up like crazy. I discovered the bush is great for filling a large area in the back of your yard or something because it grows out. I'm having to cut it back a bit because I planted it next to the house. Going for that vertical look. I'll try to post a photo later.

[lamishra]

I don't have any pics but we have:
A butterfly bush
several peonies
several variations of Hydrangeas including a beautiful Oak Leaf hydrangea
hostas
day lillies
roses
lenten roses
bleeding hearts
irises
lots of herbs
a curry plant
several types of ferns (japanese holly fern, Japanese painted fern)
jasmine
camelias
azaleas

other stuff too, but I don't know the names of them all!

[VickiR]

I have a bed of Gardenia bushes all around my deck and when they bloom, they smell amazing. I can pick off a few of the flowers and bring them indoors and the entire first floor will smell like gardenais!

I'm having a landscaper come in next week and add vines to my fence in the back yard. She has recommended Jasmine and Jessamine (I have no idea what this is!).

Vicki

[MrsSteel]

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do in my very shady garden. Here's some of what I have right now.

boxwoods
azaleas
camelias
hostas
daffodils (all faded now, of course)
day lillies
one climbing rose
one knock-out rose (I should get more)
and many many many trees!

Within the week I'm planning on placing some shasta daisies, coreopsis, and maybe another groundcover in the bed near the mailbox. We used to have some short evergreens there, but they died in the drought.

I have a hanging basket of fuscia by the door right now & I want more hanging baskets, but I'm not sure what else I want. I'm paralyzed by indecision!

[RDSLOTS]

we were lucky that we bought a home built in 2000, and so much of the yard has already matured very nicely. Whoever did the initial landscaping did a fantastic job. Anything I choose to do at this point is like icing on a cake.

Our home is very traditional, Georgian, and much of the design of the yard is in keeping with that -- boxwoods, hollies, and other ornamental shrubbery that I need to look up the names of, but some includes spirea and a bronze/red one with barbs. The landscaper planned the yard such that something is always in bloom, and if it's not in bloom, the color comes from the play of the leaves of the different shrubs against one another -- lime green, dark green, the bronze and red, and even these are set-off with variegated hostas and liriope (a large monkey grass).

Seasonal color comes from the Stella d'oro daylilies, ornamental strawberries with their tiny but massive pink blooms, guaura, camellias, hydrangeas, and a wonderful plant I've only ever had here -- wigleia, with hot pink/red blooms on spindly, swirling branches, and the hot pink blooms of the crepe myrtles. The wigleia has to be one of my favorites.

The focal point in the backyard is a beautiful Japanese red maple with variegated hostas planted underneath. I have never been able to keep one alive, so I feel incredibly fortunate.

All I have added are perennials including Miss Huff Lantana, some canna lilies, more daylilies, some creeping fig on a piece of a brick wall, some ivy, both variegated and English, and mums that come back of their own accord and are huge now. I added two Knockout roses at the gate into the backyard that are spectacular now that they are about three years old. I wake up in the mornings and see the color of them from my side of the bed. Heavenly.

My plans are to re-do some of the things already established that need thinning and/or transplanting now, and moving some to others areas of the yard. The biggest challenge are the stupid window boxes on the house, which I am beginning to understand now 'why' the builder had silk plants in them!

My wish list includes some vines, like jasmine contained to a trellis, and if money were no object, digging up about 3/4 of the silly lawn and establishing sweeping beds of formosa azaleas and additional perennials. I miss my azaleas from down in Wilmington, and would really like some of the privacy the big formosas provide.

[Esperanza27713]

Here are photos of my wonderful Costco lillies, in bloom last year. This year they have spread and there are more buds than ever before. None have bloomed yet, but I think we'll have plenty of action in a few weeks.







I forget what kind of bush this is, but it's doing great!

[JQ Public]

I love that Osmanthus Fragrans. They have several @ NCSU and every fall it would produce the best apricot-ish smell. It took me a while to figure out what it was. Good choice! How much did those cost you?

We have Peonies, Confederate Jasmine, Clematis 'Elsa Spath', Gerbera Daisy (over winters at the mailbox), Azaleas, Day Lilies, Balloon Flowers, Hostas, Astilbe, Impatiens, Petunias, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Liatris, Mixed Sunflowers, Hyacinth, Tulips, Daffs, Japanese Iris, Gladiolus, Hydrangeas, Calla Lilies, Columbine, Eggplants (Fat and Japanese), Tomatoes, Okra, Beans, Beets, Corn, Zucchini, Bitter Gourd, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Mint *ugh*, Southern Red Oak, Northern Red Oak, Magnolia "Black Tulip", Southern Magnolia, Japanese Snowbell "Emerald Pagoda", Hickory Seedlings (Shagbark, Mockernut), Hican 'Lecont', Southern Pecan, Dogwood, and a Fescue Lawn. All on our little 0.20 acre lot!!! I'll still make room for more

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by Esperanza27713

Here are photos of my wonderful Costco lillies, in bloom last year. This year they have spread and there are more buds than ever before. None have bloomed yet, but I think we'll have plenty of action in a few weeks.

Nice shots Esperanza!

Originally Posted by JQ Public

I love that Osmanthus Fragrans. They have several @ NCSU and every fall it would produce the best apricot-ish smell. It took me a while to figure out what it was. Good choice! How much did those cost you?
We have Peonies, Confederate Jasmine, Clematis 'Elsa Spath', Gerbera Daisy (over winters at the mailbox), Azaleas, Day Lilies, Balloon Flowers, Hostas, Astilbe, Impatiens, Petunias, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Liatris, Mixed Sunflowers, Hyacinth, Tulips, Daffs, Japanese Iris, Gladiolus, Hydrangeas, Calla Lilies, Columbine, Eggplants (Fat and Japanese), Tomatoes, Okra, Beans, Beets, Corn, Zucchini, Bitter Gourd, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Mint *ugh*, Southern Red Oak, Northern Red Oak, Magnolia "Black Tulip", Southern Magnolia, Japanese Snowbell "Emerald Pagoda", Hickory Seedlings (Shagbark, Mockernut), Hican 'Lecont', Southern Pecan, Dogwood, and a Fescue Lawn. All on our little 0.20 acre lot!!! I'll still make room for more

Yeah, my wie and I are looking forward to the tea olvie smell. We have four of them spaced out along our fence. I got them at Logan's Nursery in Downtown Raleigh. They are nice sized plants and they were only $19.99 each! I was very happy with that!

By the way, how does the Confederate Jasmine do in this climate? Is there any die back in the winter months? I am seriously considering getting some.

Thanks!

Oh by he way, I've added a butterfly bush today. I got it at Lowes in Wake Forest for $7.45 including tax. Looking forward to watching it take off!

Newly Added Butterfly Bush

[lamishra]

My Butterfly Bush has become a complete monster. I hope you all realize that they get HUGE. I cut mine back almost to the ground every year and in one season, it's over 6 ft tall again!