June 8, 2020

East Nashville Border Four Years Later

Wow! Has it really been four years since I helped design and install this border? Because of the craftsman style home and low front porch I chose short plants. Carissa Holly is the foundation plant ( I know it’s hard to see now but in the winter time it’s all that remains because it’s an evergreen shrub). It only gets a few feet tall and grows slowly. In the center row is little lime hydrangea. I’ve learned you can space out this plant more so I would use less plants now if I started over. In front of the hydrangeas are pink drift roses. Drift roses are superior to knockout roses. In the corner of one bed I added Walker’s Low catmint. Remember you can sell extra plants on Facebook Marketplace now!

The Carissa hollies are blocked right now but they are the only thing visible in the bed during the winter.
You could use one or three hydrangeas in this bed and it would still look great.
Filed Under: Plant Install, Right Plant In The Right Place
January 11, 2017

Why Landscaping Matters

I just read a blog post by Seth Godin, entitled ‘The Reason.’ In it, he lists the reason for a front yard is to demonstrate to friends and neighbors “how much time you have to waste.”

As I have written my thoughts and analyzed them, at first I disagreed with Seth. Who is he to say that landscaping and gardening is a waste of time. Then the thought occurred to me. “Oh, he’s talking about lawn when he means front yard.”

He’s not talking trash about trees and plants. He’s talking about high maintenance landscaping like beautiful golf course green lawns. The kind that need the chemical trucks and door knocking salespeople to maintain them.

It’s clear the trend in new construction in Nashville is pushing community over privacy. Less lawn and outdoor space or the outdoor space isn’t landscaped like a deck or outdoor kitchen.

That’s fine, as long as people are still going outside.

That’s why I was so upset at first when I read Seth’s blog post. Being outside whether you’re doing yard work or just relaxing with friends and family is important. Whether we can quantify it with data or not.

I couldn’t disagree more. The reason you have a front yard is to connect nature with our sterile lives. Inside our dry air, sanitized lives, we control everything.

Outside, the birds chirp and the bugs pollinate the flowers. It’s real life, man. Too many people think this is luxury. Like we have a choice whether we just want sterile, germ free existence.

With the millennial generation beginning to buy homes, it’s clear the trend is that they value community over privacy. They (we) don’t want to mow the grass, prune the shrubs, etc. I get that, it can be hard work.

But back to Godin’s point that it’s just wasting time. It’s not, you’re expressing yourself, you’re creating outdoor space that benefits other small organisms and cleaning the water and air. What’s wrong with that?

Who can’t get behind cleaner air and water? So maybe Seth Godin has a problem with people mowing their yards. Maybe he secretly doesn’t want to see grass yards. I can agree, there is a time commitment.

So if you’re looking to reduce your lawn footprint, I can help. Trees take up a lot of space, followed by shrubs, and annuals and perennials.

That’s one thing we can agree on, Seth and I, we can do with less lawn.

Filed Under: Edible Landscaping, Landscape Design, Right Plant In The Right Place
July 24, 2014

Easy to Grow Hydrangea Varieties Part 1

Hydrangeas are simply stunning in bloom. Paired with a green background, their blooms are welcome during the hot summer!

I fell in love with hydrangeas several years ago. I’ve made a goal to collect as many as possible at my home. You’re getting to learn from my mistakes!

Hydrangeas come in many different types (shapes) of  bloom. Mophead flowers and panicle heads are two of the most common.

They can begin blooming in late Spring through Summer. (Blooming time depends on climate and cultural practices, like pruning and fertilization).

Sunny Location

Limelight

The best all around performer.

The best choice for large spaces.

 

Likes to grow large, easy to please, and beautiful cream yellow white flowers. The colors change as the bloom matures. Choose several of these to create a dazzling mass of mopheads! (Be sure to space the plants several feet apart). Or choose one and care for it to the 10′ x 10′ mature size!

Little Lime

I love the small mophead blooms!

I love the small mophead blooms!

It’s smaller than Limelight, and blooms are smaller. Flower colors are the same. I like to use this in a border.

Phantom

Phantom and Limelight are similar. Phantom reportedly can grow larger and has more leaf shine. It’s vigorous and performs well in hot, full sun. Large white mophead.

Vanilla Strawberry

Large blooms change color. This is the first stage.

Large blooms change color. This is the first stage.

This mophead changes colors as the flowers mature. White to pink and red. It needs more shearing than the two mentioned above. If the stems get too long, they will crash once the heavy bloom matures.

Pink Diamond

Not as showy as the above, Pink Diamond has a panicle bloom that changes from white to pink. The blooms last several weeks. Pink Diamond’s bloom shape is more conical and adds much needed texture change to an evergreen landscape.

Shady or Morning Sun Location

Endless Summer or similar blue hydrangea

Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) need shade or their leaves may burn. This plant commonly wilts in hot sun, but that doesn’t mean it’s thirsty. It just enjoys the shade. (Add sulfur and aluminum to achieve the blue flower color).

Whether you’re new to plants or not, hydrangeas are powerful in their simplicity. What’s your favorite?

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Right Plant In The Right Place