So. This is the much-maligned old veggie garden. My original plan was to put some perennial veggies and herbs here (asparagus, rhubarb, etc). But that has yet to happen, and so this are just keeps getting uglier and uglier. There are some perennial herbs: rosemary (infested with weed grass), lemon verbena, sage, and sweet annie. There is also a gaura that I moved when it no longer fit in its old location (and alllllmost killed in the process. I think it may pull through, but we’ll see).
I really need to do something with this area to make it less hideous. I am open to ideas, so throw them at me. Here are the options I am thinking of. I want something attractive, since this is clearly in my front yard and very visible from the road. I also envision it being maybe a cute place for Ainsley to wait for the bus one day…so maybe a bench of some sort, and shade? Easily visible from the kitchen and living room, not on the front stoop, and still close enough to the road be able to quickly get on the bus.
side garden + old veggie garden (in forground)…back in 2010. It used to look so different!
another view from earlier this year
Add one more large shrub?(The rest of the shrubs here are wiegla, holly, and gardenia that were all moved from being planted waaaay too close to the front of the house when we moved in. Kind of wish I had just left them in front of the house but moved them out further…but that is a separate issue. I for some reason planted them in a weird order: gardenia, holly, wiegla, wiegla, holly, gardenia. So I’m not sure which I would pick to fill out this space if I chose one of those. I could also choose a different shrub, but would prefer something evergreen.
Plant a small tree here. Maybe a crape myrtle (I have some at the front of the house) or a dogwood? Maybe even an apple tree or other fruit tree, like a Paw Paw? (But do you have to plant those in pairs to get anything from them?) I would also have to do some underplanting here, but it would be a nice focal point and provide some height to the garden. Only problem here is that it might be a pain to plant. The soil here includes a lot of large chunks of asphalt from previous owners filling in the area. There is also a woodsy area right behind there, so I wouldn’t want them to compete or look silly.
Black eyes susans or other spreading perennials. The area right beside here is filled with them. I could easily just move a couple over and allow them to spread and take over this area, too. Easy weed control! …well, except for crabgrass and bermuda grass, which is just a lost cause.
Daylilies! If I move them from the front of the house (see upcoming post), I can relocate them here and just create a big ol’ patch of them. I could also use them as underplanting if I do a tree.
Any other thoughts? What do you vote for? Fall is the perfect time to make changes like this, so I kind of want to try and get it done soonish (we’ll see…)
jennahw_
jennahw_
jennahw_
jennahw_
jennahw_
jennahw_
I like the daylily idea, probably because I am a daylily enthusiast to say the least. Their foliage always looks good even after they bloom. If you plant ones with staggering bloom seasons could have a display of flowers for several months.
I have a TON of daylilies, but I do hate that you have to pull off the old foliage to keep them looking really nice (it tends to be dry here in the summer, so especially in their full-sun spot they can look pretty rough).