We just had the steps done over from the porch to the garden in front of it and I was determined to keep the old iron handrails. I have them and will attach them to pines so clematis can begin their journeys upward. Here's the before and after with the steps.
I have one more idea I consider novel but haven't done a lot of work on it yet. It should be ready to show off (ha) soon. A great imagination will be required but I'll bet it works.
My dad was a self-employed roofer so the old ladders were used as "fences" for the vegetable garden so kids were warned not to run in there and disturb the plants.
Love the look of your new steps. I bet that it will also be easier to stand there and open the door.
Looking forward to your new idea - I'm betting that your imagination is up to the job :)
Pirl,
Love your steps! Now, let me see how good my eye is ... I recognize that railing. Are those the steps that go out to the big tree with the lilies under it? (How am I doing?) They really look good. I love big, wide steps and had to almost beat my contractor over the head to get him to make the steps from the porch and the deck wide enough to suit me. Your brick sets things off just right. I love brick. I will kill for old bricks.
The iron handrails as supports sound delightful. Be sure and send a pic when you get it done. It's amazing when you start doing cottage gardens that even an old piece of rusty fence starts to look appealing ... and old, discarded, wrought iron handrails. LOL Isn't it funny that those things and their counterparts ... wrought iron carport supports ... were the scourge of the '50s. Today they make beautiful trellises ... and the rustier the better!
Dathan,
Not only is my ladder weathered gray, but it has assorted colors of paint spattered all over it. I have wrestled with whether to paint it or leave it alone. I may put it out there "raw" first to see if I like it. I even thought about painting it pink! LOL Wouldn't that be pretty with a white clematis on it?
The Caladium story is from the bulbs forum where someone had posted a photo of a drop-dead gorgeous sweep of Caladiums in a border. I mean, it was to die for. Pirl can vouch for that.
First, you have to know that I am so new I still squeak. No formal beds yet. Still in the planning stage. Everything in pots on my deck except for two beds in the front that were done all wrong. Do-overs, I have learned, are permissible, even encouraged.
I have been trying to think of something to put in the front of my house ... a curving border of something that would grow in dappled shade (all day in the summertime). Well, there was that photo and I just about died. I knew I had found my solution. So, come spring, I hope to be planting Caladiums and hope mine looks half as good as the border in the photo. As I told Pirl, it is so exciting when things seem to start coming together ... even if it's still only in your head!
Thanks, dathen. The funny thing is we don't use that door. I did in August when we were busy out there with chips but that's more use than the door got in the last 18 years! At least it's nice to look at and I can put some plants on it. I'll put a trellis and a clematis to the right of the steps as well.
Judy, you're right! That used to be the daylily field (where I was standing to take the photo) but now it's Japanese irises, hydrangeas and a few daylilies.
Ideas in the head take on huger than life proportions and that's a good thing because it's inspiration, what we all need.
A huge bed of Caladium is a beautiful sight.
Oh, yes, that would be very pretty with a white clematis. First, I saw it in pale pink and that was good. Then I saw it in hot pink and that was fabulous!!
I have done more do-overs than I care to think about. I have one bed near my backdoor that I keep trying to plant "sun lovers" in and end up taking them out. This year I gave in and planted shade plants - but it just looks junky. I mentioned it to my youngest son and he suggested taking everything out except the one hydrangea - and then planting 2 more hydrangeas - nothing else. For the first time, I can see that - serenity. Except that I keep seeing something silver and frothy in front of the hydrangeas.
The Caladiums sounds wonderful and I'm looking forward to pictures.
Pirl: I can see a clematis there.
Dathen - how about Japanese Silver Painted Fern? It likes shade but, with compost, can tolerate some sun quite well.
Oh, that sounds nice. Actually, this bed is mostly shade - I've just always tried to force sun plants to grow there, until this summer. Thanks, Pirl.
Ooooo ... Japanese Painted Fern ... love it, love it! I have three of them on my deck waiting to go somewhere. That would certainly be low and silvery in front of the hydrangeas.
Dathen ... I was seeing hot pink for that ladder too. Pretty wild but I think it would be an unusual arrangement.
Pirl,
When you get through with your project be sure to send photos. I need to steal a few more. :-)
Sure thing and it's an easy one!
Brunnera is another silvery color plant for shady areas. Looks nice with Painted Ferns.
Amazing how we think alike, Louise. That's exactly where my Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is - in with the Painted Ferns.
So much alike.....I have Jack Frost with the ferns also :)
Prettier earlier in the year with the silver coloring but still nice to my eyes and I love it with the huechera with the purple reverse (top center right) matching the veins of the fern.
Here's a close up of Jack.
GREAT shade patterns on that one, Louise.
I have always wanted a Jack Frost, someday I will get one and hope snails won't mar it's beautiful leaves
Those are really beautiful. I don't know how I've missed them in my quest for shade plants. I checked them out on Plant Files and sounds as if they are very hardy also.
Mine came last year in a trade because I had missed a half priced sale on it at the end of the season the year before and was so peeved at myself that I refused to pay the price they wanted.
No slug damage on mine, Sue, but it's under the pines and the slugs aren't fond of the needles, I'm sure. I'm not either.
Brunnera and Heuchera ... yes, two of the ones I had planned to use in the shade also ... I like Lamium too. I have heard it's invasive but I have a huge area in the back where it could invade to its heart's content. Oh ... and I've considered Lily of the Valley too. Isn't that a shade plant also?
Dathen, we're just full of all kinds of suggestions, aren't we? LOL Are you suffering from too much information yet?
Lamium! Curse the day I ever bought that one. I rip it out continually and it returns as tiny seedlings this time of year - maybe a quarter of an inch long. I hate it.
Lily of the Valley spreads. If you want a spreader it's fine. Hard to beat the spring scent of those blooms.
If Lamium will choke out the poison ivy and the thorny vines then it can run all over, as far as I'm concerned. When you're pulling and tossing, throw some down this way! LOL
I've found the Jack Frost to be very hardy. I will probably be dividing it next fall. Last winter was very cold with no snow cover and Jack didn't mind one bit.
My Lamium has not spread. No idea why it hasn't, but the huechies that were there got moved to a sunnier location and seem much happier.
There's always good old Bleeding Heart for shade, but I think they get too big to go with hydrangeas.
Well, Judy, poison ivy and thorny bushes would dampen my gardening spirits!
The heuchera are funny plants. Not as in ha-ha but in their desire for ideal conditions. Snow Angel disappeared little by little and hated the location no matter how hard I tried. Others do well anywhere.
Judy - No, I'm not on overload yet - love all the suggestions. Thanks, everyone.
Pirl,
The poison ivy and thorny vines are VERY discouraging. I have a "wild" area out back in the "woods" where I had the tree guys thin out the saplings (about three years ago before all my annoying medical problems started), hoping I could start a shade garden. I had them chip the trees and spray the chips on the "floor" of the cleared area so it would keep down weeds and any new growth. It's a very large area and extends the whole width of the yard (about 100') and is about 30' deep. Gets full or dappled shade until late afternoon when about the first 10' gets afternoon sun. Checked it out this spring and found the poison ivy and lots of thorny vines. Sprayed with Roundup --- twice --- but some of it is still there.
There is a huge pine tree on the front edge (gets a lot of sun) that has top growth only. Probably about 30 feet of the trunk is bare. I was going to cut it down but then had an idea about putting a clematis on it (that's what browsing these forums will do!). The only one I've seen that really covers and would go high enough is Sweet Autumn.
The shady area behind it would be planted in azaleas (that are doing poorly in front) and those other shade plants we mentioned. This is where I wouldn't care if the Lamium went wild.
I let this grow up as it pleased. It's 21 years of growth. The pine tree is hidden behind the trunk of the big oak in the center of the yard but you can see the large shady area that extends another 40-50' to the right out of the photo.
Seems to me eradication (if possible) of the poison ivy and thorny bushes would have to come first or they'll devour the azaleas, which would love some protection from the sun.
I also have very old pines and I'll be using mesh (tacked onto the pines) to grow clematis. I already have a Sweet Autumn growing in the same hopes as you do that it will cover the bare bottoms that don't bother me at all. I like texture in a garden and the bark does provide that along with safe haven for the birds.
Spring, when new growth emerges on the poison ivy and thorny bushes, is the best time to use Round Up, or any vegetation killer of your choice, since the new leaves will suck it up faster than any old leaves can. If you can get someone to do it four or five times, every second day, it should work.
Absolutely, on the thorny vines and poison ivy coming first. I have grandkids who play out there so I'll use whatever means necessary to to get rid of the poison ivy. I'm not going to plant anything near it until I get rid of it. It is toward the back closer to the fully shaded area.
I really appreciate your mentioning the mesh around the tree to support the clematis. I wondered if that was necessary, given the rugged nature of pine tree bark. I have some old pieces of fence I can wrap around the tree to give the clematis support. In one of your photos you have a clematis growing next to a small tree and I was trying to look close and see how you did it. I thought I saw a piece of green mesh back there but the foliage was so thick it was hard to tell.
Just to show you what a nice stand of trees that turned into, here's a photo taken about 1993, when the back was just starting to grow and look weedy. This is one of my show dogs, Simon, who can't seem to make up his mind whether to sit on the snow or not. Even though I kept a deep cover of cedar shavings in that area, the persistent Georgia red clay came through. I always had to hose the dogs down before I could bring them inside after a rain or, in this case, one of our rare snows.
(edited for those dratted typos)
This message was edited Oct 8, 2009 3:13 PM
Wow, Judy, what a dramatic and beautiful difference. Love Simon too. GSDs and Labs are my favorites.
If you have more of the metal fencing I see in your last photo you could cut just a section out of it to give the clems the support they need at the start to climb upwards. They would grow on the bark, I'm sure.
Beautiful dog!
Judy, you should be able to grow a Montana variety in your zone.
Mayleen can reach up to 30 feet and is available at Joy Creek Nursery.
http://www.joycreek.com/150-254-1.htm
There are others that can grow as tall.
http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=301
Venu,
Thanks so much for the compliment. Sometimes I look out there and can't believe the difference myself. I'm sure the critters are appreciative too. It's like I have no neighbors in the back. Wonderful.
Pirl, that fence is exactly what I have rolled up in the woods and that is what I was going to use. Great minds, huh!
Simon was a love. One of the sweetest dogs I've ever owned (and I've probably owned nearly 100 since I started breeding and showing in 1971). Unfortunately, he is no longer with us. He was the father of my beloved Jodie, the last of my dogs, period. She died in 2003 at nearly 14 years of age. I have had to fight the urge to get another but my health is, and has been, unstable for several years. It wouldn't be fair to the dog to possibly have to pass it from pillar to post.
Julia,
I really appreciate the suggestions. There was no photo of Mayleen but if it's pink, it would do. I even thought about a pink and a red, or a white and a red, together. I have a Montana Broughton Star but the description says it only goes to 20 feet and is better for a small space. Would like to have two from the same group there so at least maintenance would be a no-brainer.
You guys are so great!
I'm happy to say that Mayleen is indeed pink.
http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=311
Julia,
Thanks so much for looking. I stayed up until the wee hours doing some research and it appears that many of the Montana series would fill the bill, including the Montana Broughton Star which I already have. It is still in a pot, waiting until I could find the perfect spot for it. Others I found include Brewster, Elizabeth, Grandiflora (white), Mayleen and Rubens. Unfortunately, none of the ones with large blooms grow to the length I need. Also, I did not find any reds in the Montana group. I want to stay with a rosy red/burgundy, white and pink (all shades) theme. No yellow, blue or purple.
One big question is whether I should plant now or wait until spring. I am in zone 7b, just south of Atlanta.
It has been suggested that I start a separate thread for this project since it could become quite involved and others might gain some info as it progresses. It will take me a couple of days to get some photos together but I'll get back here as soon as I can. I appreciate anyone's input and ideas.
Well, Judy, the montana group does grow quite well for me. The one plant, m. Grandiflora, has gone about 15' in each direction, north and south, on the dog's pen picket fence. If it had been on a tall structure it would have gone high as well. It does make a solid green cover and though the flowers aren't the large ones, they have a beauty of their own in the number of flowers blooming at the same time.
Mine did grow so vigorously that it eliminated the Pink Champagne barely visible at the left end in this photo.
Pirl,
That is gorgeous! The bloom looks like a dogwood. I could certainly live with that! How long has it been planted there?
Your yard is also beautiful. Hope one day mine will look as nice ... a lot smaller ... but hopefully nice.
For my red/contrast, I thought about maybe a climbing rose. I wish trumpet vines came in the color red I need. I dearly love those. Unfortunately, all the ones I've seen are too orange-y. Choices are still up in the air but I definitely want that Montana Grandiflora. Thank you so much for sending that beautiful photo. Wow. Sorry, I'm going to have to "steal" that one too. Maybe I should rename my folder "Pirl's Yard." I think all the photos I've "stolen" except two are yours.
Thanks, Judy. The blossoms do look like dogwoods to me, too. It covered the dog's fence within two years. It just gets wider each year now so I'm out there often chopping it back.
How well would the climbing roses do in shade? Have you considered spray paint?! Only kidding but it does work for astilbe.
Pirl,
Part of the tree is in full sun part of the day. It is on the front edge of the "woods" and really looks like a sore thumb sitting out there. That's why I was considering cutting it down. It had a companion tree, a sweet gum (ugh), that started looking ratty so I had it cut down. I hate sweet gum balls with a passion and have just about eliminated those trees from the yard. Many are still in the "woods" but the prickly balls are harmless there. They grow wild here and come up everywhere. When the balls litter the yard it's like walking on marbles. Ugh, ugh, ugh, Hate 'em!
But I love pine trees so I left this one, thinking maybe I could plant smaller, understory trees in front of it to hide the long, bare trunk. Still may do that. But the idea of a clematis growing up the trunk sounded so beautiful that I thought I'd give it a try. The back of the tree is in shade all day so that's where I'd plant the clematis and let it wind its way around. The front is in full sun from early afternoon on. It's sort of hard to describe so I'll take a better picture this afternoon. The sun is finally out.
Here's a shot last summer of the "offending creature" as seen from the front of the house. It's that tall, bare thing sticking up in the far back. You are facing east. The sun comes up behind the trees and sets, roughly, behind your back. The sun shines directly on it from about 2-6 p.m. but the back of the tree is always shaded by something.
I have to go shopping for a baby shower gift for my soon to be born great-grandson (I'm still getting used to that one) this afternoon, so I'll get back tonight with some photos and start another thread.
You spray painted your astilbe? LOL Why on earth did you do that? Surely not on purpose!
I wouldn't remove the pine but put the fencing we talked about around it, loosely, and add clematis.
Why would I spray paint the astilbe? Not by accident! Because I thought my version was nicer than this one. They bloom here in June to July and I don't like looking at brown astilbe for months on end.
