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Decorating Unique Areas of Your Landscape with Flowering Plants
Today I’d like to provide some great planting ideas for two areas of your landscape and outdoor living space. First we’ll review some ideas for vertical plantings that will add more color to your landscape. Then we’ll review some great combinations of flowers that are ideal for use in the same pots around your patio or deck. Blooming Vines Some homeowners are fearful of vines or just don’t understand them. Vines can add a lot of color to very narrow areas in your yard. Some do best in sunny areas while others adapt well to shade or ½ day of sun. Different vines cling to surfaces in a variety of ways. Some vines naturally attach themselves to the closest structure available; other vines need support of a structure to remain upright. Vines do not grow vertically into thin air. That structure could be the side of your house, a wooden or plastic trellis, or an arbor. It could be soft jute twine attached to something at both ends. It could even be a chain-link fence which we all know could use some landscape help. You can control the height and spread of your vines by pruning. Pruning should be done anytime a particular vine starts growing out of your set boundaries. You should never plant self-attaching vines to painted wood or the siding on your home. These vines hold moisture and can cause deterioration of painted wood. They can also cause permanent stains on siding. The following is a list of some of the more popular vines that can add a lot of interest and color to your landscape. Clematis This vine is pronounced different ways but is beautiful regardless of how you say it. Clematis does need a supporting structure to grow on such as an arbor or trellis. Some varieties of clematis bloom on old growth, some on new growth, and still others bloom on both new and old growth. When you purchase your new Clematis, you need to know how your new variety blooms, does it bloom on new or old growth or both. This information will be important when it comes time to prune (if you must). If you have existing Clematis in your landscape and you are not sure of the answers to the previous questions, just prune what grows beyond the allotted space. The following is a list of some great varieties of clematis: Ramona – Blue Flowers Tie-Dye – White and Purple Flowers Suzanne – Pink Flowers Jackmani – Purple Flowers Henry I – White Flowers Climbing Roses There are many new varieties of climbing roses, most of which bloom several times during the season. Roses also need a structure to grow on; they even work well as camouflage for an ugly chain-link fence. Climbing roses should receive at least a half - to a full day of sun. Keep climbers contained to their allotted space by pruning. Here are some great varieties to consider: Pinata – Yellow Flowers with an orange edge New Dawn – Soft Pink Flowers with glossy leaves White Dawn – White Flowers Ramblin’ Red – Double, Deep Red Flowers Bright Eyes – Dwarf growing with salmon colored blooms Golden Showers – Yellow Blooms with glossy leaves Other vines that deserve your attention include: Climbing Hydrangea - self-clinging with white spring flowers. Serotina Climbing Honeysuckle - fragrant red flowers with a pink throat. Trumpet vine and Wisteria - two fast growing vines which need very strong support structures. Patio and Deck Combination Pots Container gardening has become quite popular over the years. It’s easy to explain its popularity, when you look at all the new and existing annual flowers currently available. Having such a wide selection of flowers to choose from can be a problem if you don’t do your homework. When picking out a variety of different flowers to combine in a pot you need to ensure compatibility (i.e. light and water requirements). The following is a sample of plants that work well together. You can cut this article out and take it along with you to the garden center for reference purposes. Sun – likes it hot and dry Mexican Heather Vinca Portulaca Lantana Verbena Geraniums Begonias Wax Leaf Angelonia Ageratum Sun - Water only when dry Zinnias Marigolds Petunias Calibrochoa Certain varieties of coleus Allysum Morning sun/Afternoon shade – Keep moist, not Wet Osteospurmum Bacopa Lobelia Begonia Dragon Wing and Bonfire and Bellfire Fuchsia Torenia Coleus Gerber Daisies Shade – Keep moist, not Wet Begonia Dragon Impatiens Coleus Torennia |
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