[flyer455]

I've got a lot of yard projects this year with a new house and one of them is to try and make 4 colorful low maintenance flower beds around four front yard trees that currently have dirt and thin layer of mulch. I live in Detroit and this area gets a lot of shad under these trees. I don't know much about gardening but it seems if I want something "colorful" then I'll need annuals, however if I want something low maintenance then I'll need perennials. ugh! I don't mind putting in the work, but I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with all the different types of plants and trying to figure out which one's would work with my situation. Any suggestions would be greatly greatly greatly appreciated!!!!! I've attached a couple photos of the area. The trees are pretty "rooty" below the mulch layer so I'm not even sure how much I can put in the beds. The beds are about 2'-9" from trunk to landscaping blocks.

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thanks!!!

 

[SeniorSitizen]

If you don't over water Vinca ( periwinkle ) is a annual that may suit your needs.

 

[de-nagorg]

I would install some 8" diameter PVC pipe pieces about a foot long, in the upright position, then get some Petunia pots from the garden shop, and use the upright pipe as a stand to place the "tunias" in until winter, then take them indoors, and if they survive , put them out again next year.

If not, buy some more and do it again.

Any plant from your local garden shop, will work in the pipe plant holders.


ED

 

[DoomsDave]

@flyer455, welcome!

I'm in California now, but I used to live further down the Mistaken Lake, in Cleavage-town, Ohio.

What kind of trees are those? You mentioned they were rooty. There's sorta rooty, a lot of roots, but not too aggressive, then there's run-screaming rooty, which is aggressive. Poplars and willows are in the latter category. Yours don't look like that.

I cautiously second @SeniorCitizen's Madagascar periwinkle recommendation, because they don't need a lot of water, and if your trees are rooty and greedy they might look good anyway.

But, when they leaf out, the trees will also give a lot of shade, and vincas don't like shade, in my experience; they often get fungus and wilt or die.

Impatiens like the shade, but they are thirsty devils, and they might be hard to keep watered enough in your situation.

There are tough groundcovers like pachysandra, or sedum, that would be lower maintenance, even if they're not as pretty as flowers. (I LOVE flowers. I also love my sanity.)

The stones are really nice, maybe just use some colored brick chips or gravel?

Do keep us apprized.

PS - looks like you're an Olds fan. You haven't lived (or nearly died) till you tried to shoehorn a 455 into a Olds Omega . . . . .

 

[flyer455]

Thanks everyone. I never heard of Periwinkle, but that looks promising and my mother in law is actually coming later this week and she mentioned wanting to bring some, so SeniorSitizen I think that is definitely going in the beds.

I never thought about putting pots out there but I like the PVC holder idea de-nagorg, maybe even making them different lengths to bring some dimension to an otherwise flat area. And thanks DoomsDave for the ground cover recommendations.

I had to look up pachysandra and sedum, but never new "ground covers' could be colorful like different types of sedum. Thats definitely something I'm going to research a little more tomorrow. I also have some areas near my house that the sedum might go nicely in. I'm going to post some pictures of that area after I get more organized. I was also thinking Impatiens too. I'm in the process of fixing a broken underground sprinkler system so hopefully the watering situation shouldn't be a problem.

I was also thinking Petunia's, but I just noticed they are a full sun plant? Are there also partial shade Petunias? If I was going with all annuals, I was also thinking of throwing in some Coleus.

Is it too much to add a little of everything? Also, if I'm going with Periwinkle and Impatiens and/or Petunias, how much should I get for each area? Again the circular beds are about 2'-9" from tree trunk to border edge. Do I pack em in, or space them out? Thanks again for all the help and information! I'll definitely take some pictures to show the final results, which I hope to finish early next week.

 

[DoomsDave]

@flyer455, a little experimentation won't hurt, but most of the pretty flowers need sun (including petunias, dianthus, dahlias, etc), and those that don't like impatiens or (gasp) pansies need plenty of water, which might be hard to supply. Maybe the tree roots won't get it, but all that surface rootiness will make it hard to put good soil there.

Soil grows your garden and you grow your soil. But, ad hoc can be okay.

Any ID on your trees?

 

[SeniorSitizen]

Being there are so many Sedums to choose from, a possible solution to consider may be a green low growing Sedum perennial for a ground cover around the tree and out to within approx 16-18 inches of the stone border then fill that outer periphery in with the color of the Periwinkle. That would reduce the labor and cost of re-planting so many annual Periwinkle each year.


EDIT: the Periwinkle may struggle just a bit because of the shade so this may be some trial and error.


I found this pic of several years back when i felt more in the vegetable a flower gardening mood. I was younger too.

 

[DoomsDave]

@SeniorCitizen has an idea worth considering!

 

[de-nagorg]

I have grown Petunias in areas that get full sun a few hours in the morning, and evening.

And partially shaded most of the day, and not had any problems, except "Wascally Wabbits," There is also very low maintenance " Russian Sage", it has small purple / blue flowers, and sage green leaves, takes very little water, and stays under 2' high.

I would plant 5 plants in your tree rings, spaced equal distance apart.

Many people want equal numbers of matching plants, but that is un-natural, in nature things are never equal numbered.


ED

 

[Old Thomas]

I go to a Mennonite or Amish produce auction and I buy 12 to 15 flats of marigolds for less than half what retailers charge. I put them in my flower beds solidly close together so they are all flowers with no room for weeds. They are colorful and maintenance free until the first frost.

 

[Two Knots]

Well, in front yards I prefer ground covers that come up in early spring.
The one that I am particularly fond of is vinca vine. It’s lush and beautiful.
If you want some color in the area you can always bury flowers pots in the
vine. That is what we do.

 

[Colbyt]

As others have mentioned things that bloom under trees can be a problem.


So to add to your selection woes some plants with interesting texture or foliage work just as well.



There is a wide variety of Hostas out there that are perennial, multiply, and aren't very picky about growing conditions. Some like mostly shade and some like more sun so picking the proper one for the proper spot can be tricky. Under the right conditions all will bloom in late summer but the blooms aren't special.


Liriope is also perennial, multiplies, and isn't very picky about growing conditions. It gets bigger and fuller in sunlight but tolerates shade. Big Blue will get to 12-15" in full sun and 6-9" in dense shade. Also blooms late summer with a lilac like bloom.

 

[DoomsDave]

Hi, thank you for your interesting and useful comments, I'm also looking for low maintenance flowers for my new garden.

Where's your garden? I'm in California now, but I'm from Ohio and gardened there for a long while, too, and still have friends and family.

Location is what matters. Low maint in Cali is different from Ohio, and different from Florida.

Hmm.

I suspect you have at least one cat . . . . .

(I have five.) :vs_cool:

 

[DoomsDave]

Hi, I'm in Atlanta, born in Russia (Far East). I have 2 cats. And my garden is not yet a garden, there are only a few plants. But I plan to fix it.

Nice to meet you, maybe take and post an overall picture of the area you want to garden in.

Though I'm in California now, I used to live in Ohio (too much like Russia in winter, a bit like Atlanta in the summer) and I used to manage a garden shop and try to get my customers to have happy gardening experiences.

And, the rest of us will chime in too! :vs_cool:

 

[flyer455]

Update:

So I didn't achieve what I wanted, but I learned some lessons. First, keep a close eye on your girlfriends mom when she offers to help. I came home and found she had planted a bunch of periwinkle she brought from her house. Although I was thinking periwinkle would be good, I've now changed my mind. Maybe I don't understand it, or maybe the time of year, but when she planted it she said it had already bloomed (but would be back next year) and it really just looks like weedy ground cover. Second, be careful shopping with a six year old. I set out to either find Begonias or Impatience to fill in between the periwinkle and I came home with 4 flats mixed with white and red Begonias and red, pink, orange, and white Impatience. Next year I think I'll stick to one (probably begonias) and no more then two colors. Maybe if I do Impatience three colors. And I learned that they do wilt fairly quickly without watering. And I probably should've mixed in some kind of nutrient/food in the soil to give them a stronger start.
Thank you everyone for your ideas!!!!!
I have some more gardening/landscaping that I'm currently doing and I'm going to post somethings later to try and get so more great ideas.

And I have no idea how to straighten these photos...

 

[DoomsDave]

@flyer455, begonias are a lot tougher than impatiens. Don't see any periwinkles in there though.

The flower beds around the trees look really nice! Nice finish and layout, great composition. You just need some plants that will look good for the whole season. Begonias might work if they're watered enough. Impatiens are cute, but they're thirstier than [thirsty epithet] after a long day.

 

[3onthetree]

Doh! M-I-L! I think your 6 year old did mightily fine, maybe inspriation from Fruit Loops.
The good thing with so many annuals is you can change the look each year, or with amount of sun it may be experimenting before moving to perennials. If you have rabbits, round my yard they eat impatiens like candy.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

***********************************

 

[flyer455]

Hey DoomsDave,

Do you mean begonias are tougher to grow/maintain, or tougher as in can take more mistakes from a beginner....me. :vs_laugh:

The begonias are currently looking healthier than the impatience.

The green weedy thing between the flowers are the periwinkle (according the the girlfriends mom) that already bloomed in April/May. Honestly, I'm not even sure she's correct that it's periwinkle. Needless to say, I think I'm going to yank them out at the end of the year so I can have a fresh start next year. I think I've come to realize and accept the fact that if I want those beds (which surround rooty trees) to stand out with some colorful flowers, that annuals are the only way to go, and that I just need to commit one day at the beginning of the season planting those beds, one day at the end of the season cleaning/removing the dead annuals, and additional watering throughout the week. Really not as much work as I was making it out in my head (after I figure out what I'm doing).

Now that I mentioned it, should I pull all the annuals out at the end of the season or just let them die and maybe there's nothing to pull out at the beginning of the next season?

Thanks again everyone

 

[3onthetree]

Now that I mentioned it, should I pull all the annuals out at the end of the season or just let them die and maybe there's nothing to pull out at the beginning of the next season?

Since you missed a month or two of growing, your annuals' root ball will probably come out in the exact same shape as when you planted. But they should be pulled, or it will look ratty and be harder to plant next year. Next year you can try just a perimeter snug along the back of the blocks and growing onto the top of them, may steal some more sun there. The year after that try . . .