daThanks you all for your interest in the shrub border. DonnaS
Colour Contrasts: Combos with Punch, Pop and Tssssssss
I meant to ask, how far away from the fence did you plant them? my husband planted a red chokeberry for me, only about 1 foot away from the fence, same as peony on the other side of the path. I hate to ask him to move it again, but it's too close, right?
PGirl, yes I would say 1 foot isn't really enough room. I don't know which red chokeberry was planted . And again I don't know how tall the fence is. My lattice screen fence is about 4 1/2 feet high. I planted most of the shrubs 30 inches from the lattice, which at the time , 6 years ago seemed quite distant, but as you can see they have all grown into each other and several have branches growing through the lattice. So for the best for the chokecherry you may have to ask him to move it out a little.
I have Aronia arborfolia, Red Chokecherry planted in my bank windbreak mix. If that one is the one you have then 1 foot away from the fence would suffice.
I have Prunus virginiana Shubert, Red Leafed Chokecherry, also planted on my windbreak bank, and that one would be pretty crowded planted only 1 foot from the fence. So does depend on what you are growing. hope this hasn't
t been too confusing.
DonnaS
I have Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima', a red chokeberry, planted next to a 6-foot cedar fence. It's about 16" inches on center from the fence. Do you think that it's too close?
Wow those shrubs are beautiful Donna! When we moved here I wanted to do two different colors of shrubs, and trim them so the one color would be lower than the other.
Specially wanted the purpleleaf sandcherry but they said it wouldn't do well here. Settled for Redtip Photinia and Elaeagnus. Hope to start really shaping them next spring. I agree with Tammy on your restraint on planting them the right spacing--takes a lot of will power.
I know this is a perennial thread but just wanted to share this picture I took this morning of a different color combo.
Love it!
Beautiful Bareroots! Love the colors and the old fashioned varieties of plants-brings back childhood memories. Neal.
The blue and pink combo is lovely; but when you add a white fence to the mix, it turns into something really romantic-looking! Gorgeous.
OMG, bareroots, is the pink an MG also? That is absolutely divine. I also wanted to do a higher/lower two hedge setup but DH vetoed it. My idea was loropetalum in front of boxwood. What he doesn't know is that he is helping me create another bed next spring where I can do this.
I have one corner where I have green pittosporum planted in front of a (taller) variegated pittosporum. It looks pretty good, but not dramatic enough. I believe you need different shape/texture in addition to color for an effective display. Being the same plant (pittosporum) in different color isn't enough of a contrast.
The other idea which appeals to me greatly is planting different flowering shrubs in a row, so as to create rainbow of color. Somebody in my area planted esperanza, next to blue plumbago, next to dward pink oleander and kept them trimmed all the same height. I can't tell how how beautiful that is! A veritable rainbow of flowers.
We planted a "living fence" several years ago, and is SLOWLY growing... we started out with 5 Carissa Hollies, then 3 variegated privets, then 2 Texas Sages. They are snaked in a row around what looks like a fence between the street and our side yard. They did well, until the Sages gave up and died. I have now replaced them with a Winter Honeysuckle, but it is struggleing in that TERRIBLE soil in that area of the yard! ( tried a spirea, it didn't work, either...)
The hollies and privets finally are looking good, now if the honeysuckle will take off they should make an interesting display. Now I am thinking that Lorepetelum would be a great addition to the colors!
Thanks for the inspiration!
melanie
Glad to see you post over here, too, Bareroots! I just love that picture. :-)
For those of you who don't know, Bareroots is Dee, owner of Dee's Garden in Howe, Texas. She did a fabulous co-op for us this year and is one of those hands-on nursery owners you will want to add to your "always buy from" list.
Thank you all for the wonderful comments!
Voss, yes the other MG is 'Rambler' usually a darker red, but are near their end and so are a bit more pink than red now. I just love MG's. DH made me tear some out that were taking over a window and rain spout and I just threw them out in the field, thinking they can reseed out there. That was 2 weeks ago I haven't given them a drop of water and they are still blooming and they aren't even in the ground! DH is calling them "Monster Glories"
Love your idea of flowering shrubs.
Terrie --thank you for your praise, I strive to give customer service to all my customers and specially to the wonderful people at DG!! :-)
Dee
I don't know if this belongs here, put they were pretty colorful.
First one is coleus and artemisia.
next is some kind of chard, which I paired with petunia. Well, the chard has taken over so you can't see red petunia.
What a great idea, using chard as an accent plant. Great combo on the coleus too.
I bet the red petunia matched the red stem in the swiss chard. Cool. Pairing the silver with the coleus really makes the coleus stand out. Great combos, Vossner!
Yes, sanannie, the red petunia is the exact same color as veining in chard. thanks for everybody's comments. I feel proud of myself, I think I'm learning to do the plant grouping thing.
I had to revive this. I'm new to this forum.
Nice stuff, very nice. Lovely pictures.
Aren't we all so blessed to have so many dark, light, and variegated leaves, let alone new flower colors on our garden pallettes? I especially admire those blues. Oh. And that white and red is classy.
See si you can borrow a book: 'Creating Contrast with Dark Plants," by Freya Martin.
The pop, sizzle, bang, ouch-my-eyes is important in the gardening world, as so many think it (Gardening) is so boring and slow.
My favorite part is when you have two unlike colors, yellow and red, say, interspersed or watched over by a particular flower of both colors . There is a truly nice little viola form of white and yellow with a black spot that does this well.
Or i.e. Tulips 'Monsella' to unite T. 'Abba' and 'Monte Carlo.'
I call for yet more pictures!
----------------------------------------------
Below is
Viola 'Halloween II'
Zantedeschia 'Flame'
Cosmos sulphureus (take my word, it was nice w/flowers.)
Sagina subulata 'Aurea'
Zephryanthes candida (again...)
Ophiopogon p. n.
and most splendid, Sternbergia lutea.
(and a leaf of Trop. 'Black Velvet.')
Striking combo James! I like your artistic approach to color use. More pics is a good idea to get us through winter and to discuss color contrasts we're all planning for spring. Neal.
James, wow, the yellow and black is a fantastic contrast! I like how you've kept the theme through that whole grouping of different plants.
Sandy
Sandy, are the wheels in your mind spinning to? I'm envisioning a spot with dark and golden foliages and black and yellow blooms in my garden, but where I'm not sure. We've got all winter to contemplate, so I'm sure I'll come up with something! Neal.
I know, I know! If I could only grow that Black Mondo grass! Look how wonderful it looks with the Sagina subulata 'aurea' scotch moss! I'd have a huge carpet of the moss with at least 9 of them popping out. Well, a girl can dream can't she?
Sandy
sanannie, why can't you grow black mondo? I can't either. well, I have a few plants, but after a few years they are so puny, nothing compared to regular green or ever the variegated. I won't yank it because most of it I bought and it was pricey, but it's definitely nothing to look out. Mine is planted inground, mostly shade, was meant to be a border circling an oak tree.
I want to know about your troubles with this plant.
James Co, I love your pic. That zant. Flame looks yellow, I thought it was red. am I missing something?
edited for spelling
This message was edited Nov 14, 2005 10:57 AM
I've never really had luck with Black Mondo either.
Went looking and here's what I found:
http://www.worldplants.com/ophiopogon.htm
It doesn't grow well for them in pots and says that sandy soil works.
No wonder my black mondo doesn't like my clay.
hmmm, interesting about the sandy soil. I have the heaviest clay anybody could ever have. doesn't bother the green, variegated ones, though, lol
Well, I'm a little reluctant to try it again since it's already given me the cold shoulder. It's not supposed to be hardy here, but sometimes I like to push the limits if I like a plant enough. I tried it in a shady spot, though, maybe the sandy soil for sharp drainage is the key.
Sandy
I killed off a cute little miniature black mondo in my rock garden.
Nice well-drained soil is not sufficient to keep it happy for me.
Tam
This all makes black mondo grass sound pretty intimidating! And I just keep envisioning it poking through a carpet of "Persian Carpet" lysimachia and Queen of the Night tulips! One of those things I'll have to happen upon at a really good deal to take my chances.
Neal
There has got to be a tougher replacement (and faster growing) for Mondo grass with similar black-appeal. - A carrot to the first person to think of one; I'm stumped.
Somewhere (St. Louis Botanical?) I saw white mondo planted with black. Wow.
Sorry, I should have clarified that the stippled arrowhead-shaped leaf was Zant. 'Flame.' That yellow thing is Sternbergia. The yellow niche is now filled with gold violas. Right now though, the whole thing is buried under leaves!
If youl like T. ;Queen of the Night,' her double sport, T. 'Black Hero' is actually darker and lasts much longer.