# A bush to pull things together



## mystang89 (Apr 13, 2018)

I've already asked in a few other landscaping forms but I figured I'd ask here just in case to.

We are doing our landscaping finally and purchaseda few plants I thought would go together. My wife thinks they clash and so I was wanting to find a plant that brought them all together.




That is the front of my house where I am landscaping. In the middle is where I want to put the 2 plants (same plant, just 2 of them). They will be the entrance to my door so I wasn't something that brings everything I'm planning together, something that isn't too tall (3 or so foot tall). 

I'm planting Carmel Coral Bell in front of a Japanese Painted Fern. Those are really going to be what people see but then the smaller plants are in the picture along with hostas.




My wife says that the Bell and Fern are too much of a fall color and that the other flowers would stand out to much. I need something that will help here.


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## Baymule (Apr 13, 2018)

I like all of them, but what do I know. We have pine trees and sand, sand, more sand, I am envious of your green grass. Want some sand?


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## Alaskan (Apr 14, 2018)

If your wife doesn't like it... ask her what she wants that will make her happy.  


Landscaping is super subjective.  Different people like different things, I really don't think that there is any right way.  Some like going with bold colors... and others like muted. 

What does your wife think of plumbago?  It kind of gives a soft feel... airy kind of bush with muted blue flowers.  It might work as a nice background to tie it all together. 

Wait a minute!  You are in Indiana.  What zone is that?

Your grass was so green, I was thinking zone 8 (where plumbago grows... there and further south actually).

Are you zone 7?


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## promiseacres (Apr 14, 2018)

I like rhodenderns, peonies, roses. 

That's just my favorites I have had around our homes. 

Just whatever you plant make sure it has plenty of space, our current home has so many bushes that the previous  owners planted so close to the house....now it just looks ugly..


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## Latestarter (Apr 14, 2018)

Yeah... envision what it will grow into 5-7 years from now, and plan accordingly. Lots of folks plant with spacing based on the present plant size, and in 3-5 years, the whole space becomes overgrown and crowded. I wonder if Promise was meaning _Rhododendron..._ If so, be real careful as there are over 1000 different kinds, and some are TREE sized! Many also shade out under-vegetation or poison the ground under their foliage, so nothing can grow there. They sure do have some pretty flowers though...


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## Bunnylady (Apr 14, 2018)

Sooo, maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not seeing shade around that door (other than the porch roof, that is). Almost all of the plants you have named prefer at least partial shade; are you sure they will even grow there?


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## mystang89 (Apr 14, 2018)

Baymule said:


> I like all of them, but what do I know. We have pine trees and sand, sand, more sand, I am envious of your green grass. Want some sand?



lol, actually YES PLEASE!  I actually had to buy a tri-axel of sand not too long ago for $250.  If you come to southern Indiana bring a load with you .



Alaskan said:


> If your wife doesn't like it... ask her what she wants that will make her happy.
> 
> 
> Landscaping is super subjective.  Different people like different things, I really don't think that there is any right way.  Some like going with bold colors... and others like muted.
> ...



You are completely correct on all accounts.  Landscaping is super subjective.  Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.  However, I made a deal with her and she got to make up the inside of the house however she wanted and I gave her an island outside where I would plant whatever she wanted, whereever she wanted.  The front of the house which acts as the first thing people see and "speaks" to people about what type of person lives there is mine.  But I am trying to concede a bit with her which is why I've taken to the forums for suggestions on what might be good here 
Also, I am in Southern Indiana which is still considered zone 5.  Technically, 5b.
The Plumbago is a very pretty plant but the varieties of it don't seem to be what I'm looking for.  The ground cover grows to only about 6-12" which is shorter than I want but the bush seems to grow to 6ft which is taller than I'm looking at.  The way the porch was designed gives it a "smooshed" look as my wife says, so anything too tall, (over 3 1/2 ft) she is afraid would make it ever more "smoooooshed" Had to.  Sorry.



promiseacres said:


> I like rhodenderns, peonies, roses.
> 
> That's just my favorites I have had around our homes.
> 
> Just whatever you plant make sure it has plenty of space, our current home has so many bushes that the previous  owners planted so close to the house....now it just looks ugly..



We seem to have plenty of space right now but I know it doesn't take anytime at all for that to disappear.  It's like chicken math.  Just...one...more...
The rhododendrons might be something worth bringing up to her.  The ONLY thing that I disliked about the description was when it mentioned Azaleas were a sub genus of Rhododenrons. I will NOT plant Azaleas again.  Do the Rhododendrons have the same soil requirements as Azaleas?  

Peonies are pretty and I will have them on the property, (actually replanting one on the side of the house now, but they die back too much in the winter leaving an empty presence and not a long flowering period around here from what I had in Kentucky.  
Roses are my favorite.  I love them, but I have a whole area in the back of the house dedicated to all sorts of roses.

Out of all those I think the Rhododendrons might be able to pull all the colors together, both the subdued and the more flangrant.  We'll see what she says.  When I get a bit more time tonight I'll try to be more specific on my layout so that you all may be able to get a better picture of what I'm going for.



Latestarter said:


> Yeah... envision what it will grow into 5-7 years from now, and plan accordingly. Lots of folks plant with spacing based on the present plant size, and in 3-5 years, the whole space becomes overgrown and crowded. I wonder if Promise was meaning _Rhododendron..._ If so, be real careful as there are over 1000 different kinds, and some are TREE sized! Many also shade out under-vegetation or poison the ground under their foliage, so nothing can grow there. They sure do have some pretty flowers though...



+1 Absolutely!  Plant for the future, not for the present.  Everytime I tell my wife I would like to plant something here or there she always says that it won't fill that spot, or look good there by itself.  She is the type of person who wants to do all at once.  I like that too but money dictates otherwise and you also have to "see" into the future and know what you're wanting.  
I noticed the tree varieties of Rhododendrons but didn't know about the other downsides.  Thanks for bringing that into consideration for me if I decide to go with them or anything similar.



Bunnylady said:


> Sooo, maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not seeing shade around that door (other than the porch roof, that is). Almost all of the plants you have named prefer at least partial shade; are you sure they will even grow there?



Yeah, that picture was taken in the morning.  So the porch is actually facing Northeast....ish.  This means that the sun will be there in the morning from about 7am - 11:30pm.  By 12ish its already on the side of the house providing shade for the front.  So the glaring heat of the summer sun shouldn't be bad. 

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to help me with this.  I take landscaping very passionately as it is the first thing people see when passing the home or coming over.  It's what tells about the person before anyone ever meets them and I love it.


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## Bunnylady (Apr 14, 2018)

Ironic - we are spang in the middle of one of Wilmington's biggest celebrations, the Azalea Festival. You almost have to_ try_ to get them not to grow around here.

Not having the varieties in question in front of me, I have to go by the images that google brings up. It looks to me like the painted ferns have ruby/violet and silver tones. It looks like Heuchera 'Caramel' has mostly golden tones, with just a bit of pinkish highlights. Honestly, if those two were the only plants being planted, I'd have to agree with your wife - they clash. They can work, with the right companions. If I were planting these together, I'd work with more of the dark tones- maybe Heuchera 'Palace Purple' which has a similar leaf shape but more of the red/purple foliage. Barberries can have those sorts of colors, but some have wicked thorns, so you have to be careful about what variety you plant and where you plant it. I like white/silver foliage and flowers in most situations - white goes with just about anything, and brings a bright, fresh look that lets the bolder colors speak without getting noisy. I don't know how you feel about Lamium as a ground cover, but it's a thought.

Another possibility might be planter boxes on the porch. you can plant things that cascade out of the planter, getting color without a lot of height.


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## greybeard (Apr 14, 2018)

Do research on _Rhododendron ponticum. _and _mad honey_
You will not like what you find.

(you have a very nice looking front yard just as it is)


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## mystang89 (Apr 14, 2018)

Bunnylady said:


> Ironic - we are spang in the middle of one of Wilmington's biggest celebrations, the Azalea Festival. You almost have to_ try_ to get them not to grow around here.
> 
> Not having the varieties in question in front of me, I have to go by the images that google brings up. It looks to me like the painted ferns have ruby/violet and silver tones. It looks like Heuchera 'Caramel' has mostly golden tones, with just a bit of pinkish highlights. Honestly, if those two were the only plants being planted, *I'd have to agree with your wife - they clash*. They can work, with the right companions. If I were planting these together, I'd work with more of the dark tones- maybe Heuchera 'Palace Purple' which has a similar leaf shape but more of the red/purple foliage. Barberries can have those sorts of colors, but some have wicked thorns, so you have to be careful about what variety you plant and where you plant it. I like white/silver foliage and flowers in most situations - white goes with just about anything, and brings a bright, fresh look that lets the bolder colors speak without getting noisy. I don't know how you feel about Lamium as a ground cover, but it's a thought.
> 
> Another possibility might be planter boxes on the porch. you can plant things that cascade out of the planter, getting color without a lot of height.



The previous house I lived in had Azaleas completely covering the front of the house, completely overgrown.  I took them out, all of them, completely, root, line and sinker, nothing left and then proceeded to get a smaller version which I liked and put it back in.  They wouldn't live past a year.  I gave up on them.
The bold print is why I never succeeded in my ardent quest of becoming a trend setter with clothing  Seriously though, that I why I'm very appreciative of everyone taking the time to respond.  There can be so much learning done and so much beauty brought about if people keep their minds open but focused on what they want.  Two people melding different ideas can come out to be a masterpiece....or a sloppy mess but I'm going to be optimistic here 



greybeard said:


> Do research on _Rhododendron ponticum. _and _mad honey_
> You will not like what you find.
> 
> (you have a very nice looking front yard just as it is)



NOT MY BEES!!! YOU MESS WITH MY HONEY AND YOU'VE STRUCK THE WRONG CORD!!!!  I don't think I could function without the honey from my beautiful bees.  That breaks my heart because those are very pretty plants.  If it had just been specific to the Rhododendron ponticum then I just wouldn't get that variety (it was too big anyway) but it seems to be Rhododendron in general. Also, thank you for the compliment   My yard means a lot to me and I haven't even been able to mow it yet this year 

I have attached a beautiful rendition of what the house would look like with the aforementioned plants.  Please remember that they are not exactly size appropriate.  I am also inserting what plants I am using along with what they look like.  It might help to zoom in?  I hope this helps to give you all a picture of what I'm trying to envision in my head.



 

      

So in the picture the Japanese Painted Fern is going to be closest to the porch with the Carmel Coral Bell in front of it since it grows taller and wider than the Carmel Coral Bell. I was thinking of the Hostas flanking the sides of them and a couple different varieties of Day Lillies in between these two sets.  Two of these sets (the Fern, Bell, Hosta) would be on one side of the steps with 2 on the other side of the steps.  That leaves an empty spot next to the steps which I'm hoping to be able to find that special shrub to tie everything together.  On the corner of the porch and house next to the swing I am going to have the Miss Kim Lilac with a few Hostas around it too.  I'm open to other smaller plants going around that area in the future such as Iris' or even the small evergreen shrubs (1-2' tall) On the opposite side of the porch, in the corner next to the house will go my Dwarf Japanese Maple surrounded by Hostas. (They left a lot of Hostas here...)  Again, open to something else going there in the future.  

I welcome all ideas and questions.


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## Latestarter (Apr 15, 2018)

I'm sorry but I think I'm going to "bench" myself here as I have virtually zero artistic talent, no real flair for color combinations (once wore plaid with stripes), and very little knowledge, experience, or desire to do landscaping. Mowing the lawn? That's great! I can handle that! Trimming some branches or dropping a tree? Yup can do that as well. Selecting plants? Nope... no clue. Hope it comes out exactly as you envision and I'm sure with the effort that you're putting into it, it will be splendid!


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## mystang89 (Apr 15, 2018)

So following @Bunnylady suggestion I've been looking at White flowering shrubs and trading ideas with my wife, we have started looking at https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/3069/my-monet-weigela/
We're thinking the Variegated leaves kinda help tie in the hostas and the blooms might go with some of the other blossoms? It only grows to a full size of 18"so it doesn't really have a presence.

The other we're looking at is https://gardeningwithcharlie.com/grow-blazing-star.html
Thoughts and comments?


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## greybeard (Apr 15, 2018)

Unless you get the dwarfs and manage them carefully, each of the Hostas will become a very formidable clump within a couple of growing seasons. (Kinda like the Canna bed I once let get out of hand over 24 months and ended up digging out with a backhoe..have never seen such a root mass from anything in my life..never again)


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## mystang89 (Apr 15, 2018)

I completely understand the frustration with canna. I had one grow in my strawberry batch which I thought was cool .... Until it turned to two. Figured I'd remove them to somewhere else, yeah...I didn't know if have to take up so many of my strawberries too.

I'll keep that in mind about the Hostas. I used to have hostas at my old place but rabbits demolished them before they did anything so I never saw the finished product. Will separating the roots as the grow larger help keep them in check like what you do with a rhubarb?


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## Baymule (Apr 15, 2018)

What about Gardenia? They make a nice shrub, the flowers are white and the scent is heavenly. I love the smell of gardenias.


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## Baymule (Apr 15, 2018)

The front of the house which acts as the first thing people see and "speaks" to people about what type of person lives there is mine.

Hmmmm.....what would the front of my house say? It would say that a Doublewide Diva  lives there. It would be screaming  for some colorful flowers to be planted in front.  The screened porch that runs the length of the home would say comfort, relaxation and  happiness. The chickens in the brooder on the porch would say get your Doublewide Diva Butt out there and finish  our chicken tractor! The white, fine, sugar sand in the so called yard would say you made a wrong turn, the beach is a couple hundred miles south. The sheep barn, the chicken coop and the garden you'd have to drive past to get to the house would say that the Gracious Goddess that lives there don't give a crap about what you or anybody else thinks, grab an outdoor chair in the shade and have a tall glass of sweet tea.


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## greybeard (Apr 15, 2018)

Baymule said:


> What about Gardenia? They make a nice shrub, the flowers are white and the scent is heavenly. I love the smell of gardenias.


It's you isn't it?
'The girl Marty Robbins sang about.....
The girl with gardenias in her hair...

I'm fixing to dig up a  big gardenia that I planted too close to my shop door. Got 2 more the same size I'll keep and you are right, the scent is wonderful, and they are evergreen. 
They love the tight clay soil I have here too. 
(they are bad about getting a fungus of some kind that turns the leaves black but dawn dish soap will usually take care of that easily)


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## greybeard (Apr 16, 2018)

Ignore the arrow. 2 of my 3 gardenias are just to the right of the shop door. I've cut the one on the left back several times but have decided to just dig it up and move it elsewhere.


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## Bunnylady (Apr 16, 2018)

If there is a plant with a scent that says 'summer' in the South, it's the gardenia , , , too bad they aren't hardy where the OP lives. We have several in the yard. Love the little Gardenia radicans too, though winters like this last one might take it out here.

I like that Weigela; I've wished that I could plant it here. Ah, well, we have to work with what we have, right? Maybe the Liatris will work for you. When I planted it, it bloomed for all of about a week - maybe too hot here?


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## mystang89 (Apr 16, 2018)

@Baymule
I like the sound of your house lol. Mine screams that my barn is going to fall on top all my animals if I don't show it some love real soon which is why I need some purty flowers so no one pays attention to it.

Thanks for the suggestions. The gardenia is a BEAUTIFUL flower but like @Bunnylady said it won't grow here. That is mainly for zones 7-8. I'm envious that you all can have that one. @Baymule when you come up here to bring the sand would you mind bringing the temps I need to gardenias too? Lol. 

I think both of us finally decided on this particular Weigela.  https://www.google.com/search?q=wei...u1b7aAhWCm4MKHcrjCkYQ_AUIEigC&biw=360&bih=560

The verigated leaves (2 colored) match well with what we have when the leaves are the green/light yellow and when the turn to the green/muted red they help bring the Coral Bell and fern together too.  Before the flowers open they are bright red tear drop shaped. This would go great with the day lilies who's color is much more pronounced. When they finally open though the are a more gentle white/pink. All in all I think this one will grab everything. It's also about the size I want it to be so it won't be overshadowed by the Fern but not too large for the porch itself.


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## Baymule (Apr 16, 2018)

Your yard is going to be pretty. We still don't have any landscaping to speak of. I do have a pile of native rocks which will go towards a flower bed across the entire front of the house/porch. Native rocks here means reddish iron ore dug out of the red dirt/clay. I don't have enough yet. 

Off to the north end of the house is where I want to build a gazebo and a BBQ hut. Right now that area is being used by the sheep. 

So my yard isn't really a yard, but it is on the someday list. LOL

Crimson clover is blooming now and it lines the roadways here. My husband loves crimson clover and he sowed seed in the fall. It is up and blooming now. Our driveway is lined with the beautiful dark red blooms and deep green of the clover.


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## mystang89 (Apr 16, 2018)

@Baymule that sounds beautiful. I had never heard of crimson clover before so I did a Google search for it and was awed. Right now we have purple dead nettle blooming in the corn field around here. The name sounds terrible and just seeing a single one out there isn't that impressive but seeing an entire field in it is really pretty. The closest thing we have to crimson clover is white clover but it hasn't started blooming yet.


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## Baymule (Apr 16, 2018)

Back when Lyndon B. Johnson was President, 1963 to 1969, his wife went all out on planting wild flowers on the roadsides of Texas. How she pulled that off, I don't know, but she did. There is even a Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

https://www.wildflower.org/

Spring time is beautiful with all the wild flowers blooming. The state doesn't mow until the blooms set seed and die back. In central Texas, bluebonnets, the Texas state flower, are everywhere. There are fields of bluebonnets, they are breathtaking. 

Our favorite is the Crimson Clover. It's just so pretty!


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## Baymule (Apr 20, 2018)

I took some pictures of the Crimson Clover today @mystang89 for you to see.


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## Bayleaf Meadows (Apr 20, 2018)

Another consideration- What is going to eat your plants?  Deer?  Goats?  Rabbits?  We have to think about all of those when we expect something to last more than a couple of weeks and not poison the livestock...


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## mystang89 (Apr 20, 2018)

That is gorgeous! I really wish we could have that here but I'm sure it's a lower states thing. Thanks for taking the time to catch a picture of that. Those sights are the reason I love spring so much.


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## Baymule (Apr 21, 2018)

mystang89 said:


> That is gorgeous! I really wish we could have that here but I'm sure it's a lower states thing. Thanks for taking the time to catch a picture of that. Those sights are the reason I love spring so much.


You are welcome. I love spring too, my favorite season. We have 5 Redbud trees on our property and they are so pretty in the spring. We want to plant some dogwoods too. I really want a Grancy Greybeard tree too. Grancy Greybeard trees stay small, like Redbuds do, maybe it would be a good landscape tree for you.

https://almostedenplants.com/shopping/products/10858-grancy-graybeard-white-fringe-tree-lace-tree/


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## greybeard (Apr 21, 2018)

mystang89 said:


> That is gorgeous! I really wish we could have that here but I'm sure it's a lower states thing. Thanks for taking the time to catch a picture of that. Those sights are the reason I love spring so much.


Crimson is an annual and a cool season clover. It's planted for the blooms and to add N to the soil for the next growing season. (Good in zones 1-8)
http://spotlightonstewardship.blogspot.com/2013/08/conservation-cover-one-mans-experience.html


In the upper midwest, it would be planted in summer for fall cover crop.
From Purdue Univ:
Name........................seeding dates........lbs seed per acre
Crimson clover           July 15 - Aug. 1         20-30
It should grow in Indiana if you follow the advice below, but keep in mind what it is being used for..cover crop in cool seasons. :

_
Summer annual use. In general, plant as soon as all danger of frost is past. Spring sowing establishes crimson clover for a rotation with potatoes in Maine. In Michigan, researchers have successfully established crimson clover after short-season crops such as snap beans (229, 270).

In Northern corn fields, Michigan studies showed that crimson clover can be overseeded at final cultivation (layby) when corn is 16 to 24 inches tall. Crimson clover was overseeded at 15 lb./A in 20-inch bands between 30-inch rows using insecticide boxes and an air seeder. The clover established well and caused no corn yield loss (295).Crimson clover has proved to be more promising in this niche than black medic, red clover or annual ryegrass, averaging 1,500 lb. DM/A and more than 50 lb. N/A (270).

In Maine, spring-seeded crimson clover can yield 4,000 to 5,000 lb. DM/A by July, adding 80 lb. N/A for fall vegetables. Mid-July seedings have yielded 5,500 lb./A of weed-suppressing biomass by late October. Summer-annual use is planned with the expectation of winterkill. It sometimes survives the winter even in southern Michigan (270), however, so northern experimenters should maintain a spring-kill option if icy winds and heaving don’t do the job._


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## mystang89 (Apr 21, 2018)

@greybeard I might replace the soy in my garden with the clover then.  I don't have a huge garden by any stretch of the word but I do have a few different plots I rotate out, one of them being corn.  I just might end up replacing the soy with clover.  Another good aspect of the clover is that when it blooms, the bees have much pollen.  The honey made from Clover actually takes the beneficial qualities of that clover and it actually affects the taste of the honey!


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## Baymule (Apr 21, 2018)

https://www.easttexasseedcompany.com/shopping/index.php?category=Clover


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## mystang89 (May 3, 2018)

Well, it's finished.  I don't know if all the plants are going to survive, especially the ones planted next to the chimney since those get the least amount of sun yet need full sunlight.  Yeah...my bad.  Anyway, here's pictures of the finished project.  The before picture is on page one if you want a before and after photo.  The children really pitched in and helped out too.  All the rocks you see that are serving as landscape boarders came from our creek.  The children brought all those to the tractor.  The rocks for the downspouts all came from our creek again.  The children also brought those to the tractor.  The mulch came from a tree service who wanted someplace to dump their truck.  I've still got LOTS of mulch left lol but I know plenty of places for it. (Makes good compost after it finally breaks down.)


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## Baymule (May 3, 2018)

You and the children did a real good job. I really like all the rocks. It look very good and can only get better as the plants grow.


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## Alaskan (May 4, 2018)

looks great!!!


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## mystang89 (May 4, 2018)

Thanks and thank you all for helping figure out what would go best there#


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## Mike CHS (May 4, 2018)

It does look really thought out and the hard work has paid off.


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## greybeard (May 23, 2018)

Bunnylady said:


> If there is a plant with a scent that says 'summer' in the South, it's the gardenia , ,


Now, is their time.
two of mine yesterday:


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## mystang89 (May 23, 2018)

Oh wow, that's a really beautiful bush you have!  Very nice and filled in. Wish we could grow them here. Actually, seeing that pic I might just try.  They say lemon trees aren't supposed to grow here either but I have a 4 year old tree which disagrees lol.


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## greybeard (May 23, 2018)

They tend to like acidic soil and not too much water. Water them too much, the leaves will turn yellow and drop off.
They will get huge if you let them..I keep these trimmed back to about 4'-5' tall and 4'-5' diameter.


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