What to plant

I need some ideas of what to plant. I have a spot that gets very little sun all day except late afternoon HOT sun in th summer (sun setson this side). It is a very dry area that is not too easy to get water to. I want to make a border so to speak. It's on the end of a fence and is very visible from the road. I would like to do a mass planting of the either same thing or a mixture of things that will look good together of course. The area is 10' in length. Is salvia or sage something that would do good? I would like something that would be bold in color too. Am I asking too much? Thanks in advance for any ideas!
Dawn

I was just thinking of lavender or rosemary for your arid Western bed -- I have some similar areas. I would think that salvia would do quite well, too, but I'm just starting to gain experience with salvias so I don't have a good grasp on them yet.

Do you care about height or color? Is the area protected from Winter winds? Do you want four season interest (must they remain evergreen through the Winter)?

I would love to have color all year round there but no big deal if it's not. I would just love to see something growing there at this point. I was thinking savia or sage b/c I was thinking they could handle dryness. "Western aird bed" is ther perfect descirption my problem area!

How far from the road is this bed? Greater than ten feet? I'm just thinking about safety and visibility from a car (meaning, I want to make sure that you can see the road clearly as you go in/out of your driveway) ...

A mass planting of rosemary or lavender could be stunning, imo ... and might even remain pretty through the winter months in your zone (perhaps not the lavender, but research might bring back a lav' variety that works well in your climate). Hmmm ... I'll contemplate this a little more during my run ...

Thanks wrightie! This spot is well off the road. Something bushy or large would not be a visibility problem. I really like the thought of rosemary or lavender. The thought of mass purple flowers along the fence would be really pretty. I love purple and yellow together. I tried planting a bunch of wildflower seeds along the fence last year but getting water to it regularly was a bit much and I think I got 2 little zinnia blooms. So I'm looking for something that would be tuff.
dawn

Ooh, yellow coreopsis fluttering in the breeze, with a silver/blue background of lav' or rosemary just popped into my mind!

pdoyle23323:

Excellent ideas. Salvia, Lavender, Rosemary all love hot, dry conditions.

Osteospermum also can tolerate those conditions too."They are very versatile plants for dry, problem areas, the mound-forming bushes become clothed in bicolor daisy blooms over an extended summer period. The eye-catching blooms attract bees & butterflies. They also can be used in a container" (copied from the back of the Thompson & Morgan's seed packet). They are half hardy annuals, love full sun & tolerate heat, They are about 30-45 inches in height. Would you like some seeds?

Shirley, what color osteospermum do you have seeds for? I may be up for a trade if you can spare just a few seeds and if I've got something that you might be interested in.

Shirley,
I would love some seeds! Can they be wintersown? Thank you. I didn't see a want/have list for you. What are your interest? I can send posted too.
Dawn

I've got Osteospermum, "African Moon" & "Passion Mixed Colors".

Also for hot dry soil, I have Collinsia heterophylla (which is a mouth full!). It's better known as "Chinese Houses" - Heirloom, for front of borders, resembles Snapdragons, it's a violet bicolor and is 16-24" tall.

Shirley,
What are the colors to go with those names? The Chinese Houses sound wonderful.

Dawn,

I don't have a "wish" list because I have LOTS of seeds to share! However, if you have any of these seeds, please let me know. Please d-mail me and we will work it out.

Do you happen to have?

Aquilegia, "Rosea", "Ruby Port"
Coleus
Commelina dianthifolia
Cosmos, "Pied Piper Red"
Dianthus deltoides, "Shrimp"
Dianthus plumarius, "Ipswich Pinks"
Mimulus, "Monkey Magic"
Mirabilis, "Yellow & Red Marbles"
Nicotiana, "Tinkerbell"
Nasturthum, "Black Velvet"
Penstemon, "Miniature Bells"
Petunias-burgundy or hot pink
Scabiosa, "Beajolais Bonnets", "Summer Sundae" or "Ace of Spades"
Stocks, incana "Tudor Tapestry"
Viola, "Rose Shades"

Thanks,

Shirley

Shucks, that would really help! :~0

Osteospermum: Very drought tolerant & love full sun

"African Moon" - white with yellow/brown eye and end of petals are tinged with yellow/brown. It's hard to describe. Dwarf, (12-18" tall)

"Passion Mixed Colors" - Dark pink, rose, purple & white flower mix. These are dwarf (12-18" tall).

I done have any of those seeds but i will be glad to send postage. Do you know if they are able to be wintersown? I would love to have them big enough for springtime planting.

On the Osteospermum seed packets, it says to sow them indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. If they need warm soil to germinate, I would spring sow them in March. Are you interested in the "Chinese Houses" too?

Yes I am Shirley. Thanks I am in the addy exchange.

You've got mail.

Dawn - was going to suggest obediant plant then remembered you had that already...LOL. I love my Rosemary and Lavenders...they all look pretty good throughout the winter - the rosemary even got little ole blooms on it this past year.

crittterologist has a perennial sunflower, was Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra, we're pretty sure. I bloomed like a champ for me all summer thru the drought with barely any care. Awesome plant if you can get it. I'm afraid I may have killed mine by moving it in fall, when I was sure the drought couldn't continue.

Chantell, the rosemary cutting you gave me is doing great

Oh Sally...you're my hero...I swear some day I'm going to be successful at rooting hardwood cuttings..."I think I can...I think I can..."

I think I am deffinately going to try lavender and probably rosemary(if I can find it). I got a new tiller for Christmas and have all these ideas you know? This area is something I've been wanting to tackle for a while now. It is just so dry of an area. Purple and yellow will be my colors.

Cool! Please post photos of your project if you're able to.

Given that you've got a tiller (lucky you!), do you have a good supply of soil amendments that you can till into that garden?

I plan on putting 10 10 10 and bone meal in there. I would imagine there is a lot of stuff that could be put in there but this is what I have on hand. The next weekend that is nice, I plan to till it up and then do so again before I plant.