Virginia Zone 7A
I spent Labor Day weekend clearing this 23 x 4 ft bed of mostly mint and other weeds, and I’ve been researching what to plant ever since. I have in mind to plant shrubs in purple/chartreuse/variegated colors, but I’ve never done shrubs before and I’m still very new to landscaping/gardening.
There is a rose bush toward the left and peonies toward the right I plan to keep. You can see this bed from the road, so I’d love to keep it tidy yet colorful and low maintenance. It gets full all-day sun, the area experiences occasional drought, and has to be VERY deer resistant. The property is basically a deer conservation plot. I have tilled in compost already.
If you had this empty space, how would you fill it? Or do you have any shrub suggestions?
Thank you for your time, and I appreciate any advice!
by Final-Study-6729
21 Comments
What are you looking for? An impenetrable privacy screen, or more of a curtain with curb appeal where someone still sees you walking in the back?
Ohh I’m in your zone. Mountain Mint is native, flowers and smells great. Iron weed could be good to
Plant grass…
Crape Myrtle’s, boxwoods, magnolias, planting beds, and yes grass. You need to layer and it will take about 5 years. But start with edging the property and moving inward. Don’t creep too close to house. And don’t plant trees that will mature and suck up the nutrients and rob your sun. Mongo grasses are fun too.
Looks like a nice start for a moat.
Oooh nice what a great bed to play with! I would recommend wood chip mulch on top to retain moisture and not bake the soil/roots in the full sun
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) – pink-purple daisies, summer into fall
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan) – golden flowers, summer–fall
Coreopsis verticillata (Threadleaf Coreopsis) – airy yellow flowers, long bloom season
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) – bright orange clusters, attracts monarchs
Liatris spicata (Blazing Star) – vertical purple spikes, midsummer
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm) – red blooms, hummingbird favorite
Gaillardia pulchella (Indian Blanketflower) – red and yellow daisies, long-lasting
Heliopsis helianthoides (Oxeye Sunflower) – tall, golden flowers, tough and reliable
Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’ (Summersweet) – fragrant white flowers midsummer
Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry) – small flowers + vivid purple fall berries
Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire) – white blooms, deep red fall foliage
https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/plantswvanatives/where-to-buy
https://vnps.org/virginia-native-plant-guides/
Thank you for designating the peonies. That cleared up all my peony related questions.
You need an anchor tree.
Row of Green giants for privacy and winter foliage
Either a strip of wildflowers or a row of some shorter trees like apples, serviceberries, cherries, etc.
You can never go wrong with a fountain and ceder hedges
Oh…. peonies….
Nice big space! You can do alot. First, depending on your location, I would look at your zone: [https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/](https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/) Then you can move forward with plant options.
Back it with a picket fence and fill it with perennials and roses
Looks like a good spot to plant a pair of peach trees or 2 of yur favorite apple trees. Ya might as well plant a tree that produces food. Shrubs don’t produce food. A garden would be good too if ya don’t already have one?
Is this visible from inside your house? It seems to be partially obscured by the shed.
I would move the peonies and the rose bush to a more visible area. And then I would plant a row of raspberries. It’s the perfect size area for them. Raspberries attract native bees and will produce enough fruit for you and the birds. Im in zone 6a and mine produce fruit from June to frost.
Plant lots and lots of bulbs. Layered beds. Starting with tons of daffodils, then tulips, dutch iris, crocus, and anemones. When I say a lot I mean the bushel baskets from Dutch Bulbs in Michigan. You will have flowers for a lifetime and it’s so worth it. 🥰🥰🥰
Me personally a vegetable garden even if it’s a raised bed
r/nativeplantgardening
Very nice home yard
Consider a short stone rock border – then herbs near the rocks white Daisies coreopsis daffodil bulbs Siberian iris bulbs and fine maiden hair grasses as a backdrop . Plant an oak tree or two for the birds
Play ground if you have kids and gazebo with a nice pathway and cute set up style