Advice request

[thistlebloom]

Are you still thinking of putting in that brick planter Smiles? That would keep the flowers untrampled for sure.
I'm putting in a vote for coneflowers and beebalm too. Especially beebalm. You'll make the hummers very happy with that.

Steve has a compelling argument in favor of annuals. And like Mary said, a perennial bed with a mix of some annuals can't go wrong. If you do grow a vine, clematis are a large diverse group. And my favorites!

Just be very, very, careful, because you might get sucked in to being a flower nut once you get started!

 

[897tgigvib]

Oriental Lilies are real beautiful...

 

[so lucky]

One of my best performers for hot sun is lantana. They really attract bees and butterflies, have bright vibrant colors and make a sturdy shrubby plant about 2.5 feet across and tall. I think some of the bi-color lantana interspersed with Stella d'oro would be fantastic.

 

[Nyboy]

When do you get to sit out there? If you mostly use it at night white flowers show up best. White flower gardens are very cool!

 

[Smiles Jr.]

When do you get to sit out there? If you mostly use it at night white flowers show up best. White flower gardens are very cool!

That's a very good point Nyboy. We probably only SIT out there maybe twice or three times a month. But it is usually in the evening. Our back porch is our main entrance that gets used all the time. Our front entrance is for traveling salesmen (do they still have them?) and other strangers. We park in the back so the front is not convenient.

Thursday is our shopping day and rarely go out any other day except to church on Sunday. Today we went all the way to town and I got to roam around in Wallyworld. They have displays out in the aisles with early, middle, and late blooming bulbs for fall planting. Some of the pics on the bags were beautiful. Are bulb flowers much trouble and do they require much maintenance?

Oh, I almost forgot - I do plan to make a raised bed along the edge of the porch where I have the soil turned. I plan to use stone (to match the rest of the old house) and it will be about 16" deep. I don't want it to be too tall because when we do sit out there we like to look out over the farm yard back there and I do not want to block too much breeze.

 

[seedcrazy]

Just remember with it being raised and in sun you will have to water it a bit more but if you put wood chips down (I put leaves and then the chips) it will help retain moisture. I would tuck in the very back against the house a few bulbs for spring, I suggest some rudbeckia, coneflower, gaillardia, bee balm, agastache (bees love it), phlox, lily, just a mix of perennials oh and salvia, I bet I had 100 bees buzzing this past weekend on them, you could hear the buzz LOL) and then tuck in the very front some annuals. I LOVE the profusion zinnia for an annual, tough little boogers and by summer's end they are huge and so pretty. I will post some pics later tonight for you when I get home of a few things I have had growing this year. If you would like a vine I would suggest NOT putting morning glory (they reseed and choke things to death for years later and all the beautiful one do not come back true from seed, they are invasive here in Kentucky BAD and trumpet vine NEVER plant up against your house (I won't even have it in my yard as the roots are so invasive and run feet upon feet out into your yard, under your house, our neighbor's yard). If you sit out in the afternoon, I suggest a moonflower vine. One vine will make a LUSH canopy of foliage and it will not reseed itself (not a long enough summer here in Kentucky so doubt in Indiana but saucer size white round flowers with the most soft heavenly scent - hummingbird moths love them. I will post a pic of that tonight too). I also love my clematis too, but you have to make sure you have a plant that will cover the roots base, they do not like having sun on their feet but want their vines and flowers in the sunshine.

 

[baymule]

Definately bulb flowers. Try daffodils and narcissus. They come up when everything else is brown, bloom beautifully, then still have green foliage for awhile. Just let the foliage die down as that is when the plant stores the nutrients for next years blooms. Iris and daylillies are very easy keepers, have pretty blooms and foliage. Marigolds are bright, cheery and hardy in heat. They will bloom right up to a killing frost. Yes, you will have to replant them, but they are worth it. My marigolds draw butterflies in the fall on their migrations as many other flowers have already given up for the year. I love my marigolds!

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Good advise about the raised bed drying out quickly, seedcrazy. I'll have to remember to apply an extra deep mulch blanket.

baymule - when DW was able to get around several years ago she planted Marigolds all around one of my veggie gardens and they were beautiful.

Choices, choices, too many choices. My head is spinning and I gotta go take a nap. Oops, I already had one of those today.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

My flower garden update:

I purchased 90 mixed bulbs at a garden store and planted them about three weeks ago. It was unseasonably cold at that time but we have had some very warm and wet weather since then. Now many of the bulbs are growing about 4" tall right now. Is the winter weather going to hurt them?

 

[Nyboy]

I had that happen here in NY, they wintered over fine and flowered well in spring.