Any suggestions for plant selection around water fountain

UPDATE.

I live in Lincoln, CA , zone 9B. In this photo can be seen the water fountain surrounded by star jasmine, and backed by a Crape Myrtle and two Camellias.

This plan sounded good but the results are disappointing. The soil is heavy clay, the summers are hot (over 100°F) and the winters get frost. The plants are in full sun! The Crape Myrtle is the 'Natchez, which is supposed to grow fast and give me the shade I need. Hasn't grown exactly fast, slow might be more accurate! The Star Jasmine suffers from winter frost but does come back.

I would like to replace the Camellia directly behind the Crape Myrtle because it looks sick with small black spots on the light green leaves. The other Camellia has dark green leaves but itsn't exactly show quality.

Any suggestions? I've seen some beautiful gardens on this web site but none showing my situation. The plant I need behind the fountain, replacing the one Camellia needs to grow no higher than 6 feet. And I want some contrast! I think a Japanese Maple like 'Bloodgood would look nice if I can keep it from getting too tall. How does it take to being pruned for heighth?

This message was edited Jun 5, 2010 10:47 AM

Acanthus mollis (controlled planting) would look nice mixed with Callas in the foreground. Oleander, Hibiscus syriacus and maybe something like Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' (to play off the colour of the fountain, fence and sky) in the background. Just some thoughts.

Callas (at least the big white ones) will tend to fry and look ugly in the heat of summer if they're getting that much sun. I have some that are in almost complete shade and they do OK (although summer is still their least favorite season), but the couple I have that get a decent amount of morning sun get very fried looking every summer. I think I remember from some other threads that the smaller colored callas can handle the sun a bit better but I've never grown them.

I'm surprised the star jasmine isn't doing well--my experience with it is that it can handle heat, but your summers are a bit hotter than mine so maybe that makes a difference. In its place, you could try Solanum jasminoides as a groundcover...I use it as a vine on some west facing trellises/fencing which bake in the sun all day and it does great.

These aren't trees & shrubs, but given your 2 ft height requirement around the fountain maybe you'd be willing to consider perennials too? Gaillardia is one of my favorites for hot sunny locations--they are bright colored and pretty and bloom almost non-stop, and they definitely meet your height requirement. I've also had good luck with Gazania and Coreopsis in hot sunny areas. Nierembergia is another one I've had good luck with. Salvia and Agastache are two other good choices, but check the height for the particular varieties you buy since there can be some variation. For something a little taller, Buddleia might be a nice choice too. Vitex agnus-castus is a nice small tree/large shrub if you've got room for something else on the larger side. Tecoma stans is another nice shrub--I have trouble with them in the winters here, but they're supposed to be hardy to zone 8 so maybe you'd have better luck than I've had. Russian sage (Perovskia) is a nice taller perennial for the background. Lavenders are good too.

Thanks ecrane3. You gave me a lot of good choices to pick from.

I'll be looking to see what works. Funny, Lavenders do well in this area but every yard in our area has them. In fact I have three in the front yard. There is also Lavender farm that currently have over 100 different types of lavender. In case you're interested, their web site is http://www.thelavenderfarminlincoln.com and they have tours.

You asked if I would consider perennials. Unfortunately, it seems that almost everything turns out to be a perennial here. (Just trying to laugh at our situation up here.)

Again, thanks for your good suggestions.

I was asking about perennials vs shrubs (since you posted this in the trees & shrubs forum I wasn't sure if you were only looking for shrubs). If you think everything's perennial then you just haven't tried to grow the right tropical plants! LOL I've found plenty of things that don't make it through the winters (even when I lived a bit north of here in an area that was 9b instead of 9a).

The 'Natchez' grows like crazy in the deep south must be the clay causing the problem. If you don't prune them back they will become tall and wide in a couple of years, it's fairly common here to prune them to one trunk ending up with a 15-20 wide umbrella tree. Hmmm. That would be the problem you're having with the Camellia's. Camellia's as a general rule don't like the sun, under tall pines is the best place for them so until they get a good amount of shade they won't be happy. If the crepe myrtles filled in I'm sure the Camellia's would look much better.

Any how. I don't know much about growing plants in clay but I do know heat,water and a fountain look like a good place to plant cannas. They come in a bunch of colors leaves/flowers and sizes. I would use that fence for vines, morning glories or some thing colorful.

Conferate jasmine is used as a ground cover here, wonderful when in bloom. It does have to be trimmed or it will run up everything.

Couple of thoughts for you.