The first thing I notice is that you have a classic case of the “polka dot” effect where isolated plants are floating in a sea of mulch. You have your ground-hugging Phlox and your upright Rosemary in the back but you are missing the middle layer to tie it all together. Since you are in Zone 8 I would suggest adding a drift of mid-sized ornamental grasses like Pink Muhly or maybe some dwarf Abelia right in that center space. You need something around the 2 to 3 foot height range to bridge the gap between the groundcover and the windows so the bed feels cohesive rather than empty.
Be careful with those Arp Rosemary plants because in a few years they are going to be beasts. Arp is cold hardy but it gets big, easily 4 feet wide and tall, so keep an eye on your air circulation against that siding. If you want that lush magazine look you need to stop thinking in individual plants and start planting in masses. Group your new additions in odd numbers and let them touch when mature so you see a sweep of texture rather than individual shrubs.
Before you drop cash on more plants I would suggest running this photo through GardenDream to test out some different mid-layer options. It helps you visualize exactly how tall different plants will look against that timber wall and window height so you don’t accidentally plant something that blocks your view or looks messy in two years. It is a great way to verify the layout before you start digging.
LongDickPeter
Id plant a mix of colorful ground cover and shrubs
QuadRuledPad
Make note of which way that window faces. Are you talking full sun, part shade, or shade.
A ground cover with some height (4-8″) would fill the space without blocking the window. Stick with plants with mature heights that won’t block the window, except where you have the trellis. I’d yank the rosemary, leave the phlox, and plant a cover taller than the phlox in the rest of the bed.
One plant for the entire bed, so it’ looks ‘of a piece’, and then use that plant in one or two other places in your front yard to tie it together. You could do spring bulbs under the ground cover. Daffodils or tulips or the like. Something that will require no maintenance and expand over time (so not iris).
3 Comments
The first thing I notice is that you have a classic case of the “polka dot” effect where isolated plants are floating in a sea of mulch. You have your ground-hugging Phlox and your upright Rosemary in the back but you are missing the middle layer to tie it all together. Since you are in Zone 8 I would suggest adding a drift of mid-sized ornamental grasses like Pink Muhly or maybe some dwarf Abelia right in that center space. You need something around the 2 to 3 foot height range to bridge the gap between the groundcover and the windows so the bed feels cohesive rather than empty.
Be careful with those Arp Rosemary plants because in a few years they are going to be beasts. Arp is cold hardy but it gets big, easily 4 feet wide and tall, so keep an eye on your air circulation against that siding. If you want that lush magazine look you need to stop thinking in individual plants and start planting in masses. Group your new additions in odd numbers and let them touch when mature so you see a sweep of texture rather than individual shrubs.
Before you drop cash on more plants I would suggest running this photo through GardenDream to test out some different mid-layer options. It helps you visualize exactly how tall different plants will look against that timber wall and window height so you don’t accidentally plant something that blocks your view or looks messy in two years. It is a great way to verify the layout before you start digging.
Id plant a mix of colorful ground cover and shrubs
Make note of which way that window faces. Are you talking full sun, part shade, or shade.
A ground cover with some height (4-8″) would fill the space without blocking the window. Stick with plants with mature heights that won’t block the window, except where you have the trellis. I’d yank the rosemary, leave the phlox, and plant a cover taller than the phlox in the rest of the bed.
One plant for the entire bed, so it’ looks ‘of a piece’, and then use that plant in one or two other places in your front yard to tie it together. You could do spring bulbs under the ground cover. Daffodils or tulips or the like. Something that will require no maintenance and expand over time (so not iris).