I am fairly new to Georgia and gardening. I would like to pretty up our “front yard” We have a 35x2 strip between the walkway and the driveway and a 6x6x area in front of the driveway beside the house.
The long strip is full sun all day. Would petunias be ok here, or would they scorch in between 2 slabs of concrete in the full sun?
The square area is full shade due to the house but is right next to the driveway that gets full sun. Would impatiens grow well here? I tried to grow impatiens last year at a different house and they did horribly. They got 2 hours of midday sun, and were always very leggy.
Also I have read conflicting things. In my area 8b could petunias and impatiens be perennials?
One last question I would like to find a small bush/shrub to put in the shaded area to block the view of the drain pipes on the front of the house, any ideas?
Petunias & Impatiens
Well, yes you can plant petunias in the long strip if you would like, and the Impatience in the shaded area would work as well. If the shaded area gets some sun you may want to put a hydrangea there, there are several different types as well as colors.
When you say 35 x 2 are you talking 35 feet? Maybe you would like some daylilies in there with the petunias, that is a nice long bed and may things would work well in a bed that size in the sun, Daylilies, Asiatics, Orientals, Iris, Canna, and lots of others as well. You may want to put some Hosta in the shaded area as well, there are many different ones that would be beautiful there with a border of impatience around them if you wanted....
Just a few suggestions, I am sure you will get more...have fun! I have had the petunias overwinter for me in zone 7B and the impatience will most likely reseed themselves if you do not disturb the beds they return.
Impatiens would probably not be perennial in your zone (they certainly aren't in ours unless we bring them indoors) but reseed like weeds. As for petunias being perennial it depends on what type you get. If you get Wave petunias then the answer is "maybe". I've had a few Wave petunias survive in the Atlanta area but it is usually better to start off with new ones. Because you are in a different zone, then you might have better luck.
As for the strip and other suggestions you might try verbena 'Homestead Purple' which blooms off and on and it is fairly hardy. Moss rose, dianthus, purple coneflower, and black eyed Susans would be nice as well. If you go with perennials then you might want to interplant annuals for a couple of years to fill in the bare areas. Zinnias, Gerbera daisies, marigolds, and annual vinca are tough annuals.
OR you could just till it up and get a bag of the wildflower seed and sow it and see what comes in there...I did that in one of my areas and the things that came in and liked the location now come back every year....of course you could still put some petunias etc in there till the others start coming in too....then you would have things in there that bloom all year and come back as well.....just a thought...lol But with the wild flower garden you just mow it down in the fall late and then it comes back next year..
Maggie, I live near you (in Waycross) and I have tons of petunias that rebloom every year. They get full, hot sun all day, and as long as I try to keep some water on them, they do great. My neighbor who lives next door told me that before I moved into this house, the original owners brought the petunias from an old "home place" and transplanted them. Just a neat little piece of trivia. ( I even have one plant that grows in the middle of my back yard that I mow around! Hee-hee! I guess I'm that nutty!!)
Hope you find something that works for you. And thank you to you, or your husband, or whomever because I have to presume you are in the military.
Cheryle
