Hello fellow Austin gardeners! Last fall we had a retaining wall built and put down zoysia. At the end of the grass about 6 feet from the back fence is a 4 foot drop into drainage rocks. I want to plant a continuous border across the full 40 feet to soften the edge and add some color/structure. There is a large cedar elm canopy over most of the middle space, so it's dappled to moderate shade and the sides get more partial shade.
I would like mostly evergreen or semi evergreen but want color. I went to BSN and they suggested Amistad salvia and unplugged red salvia for color. Still looking for evergreen shrub recs as well.
Curious on everyone's thoughts and what y'all would do with the space. Appreciate any advice in advance!
by DeliciousDocument723
6 Comments
This is a tough microclimate in my yard. Blasted by sun part of the day, but not enough sun to be full sun. Star jasmine and carolina jessamine on trellises, yaupon tree, certain salvia cultivars, like indigo spires; black and bloom sage, plumbago, mistflower, Mexican hat (surprisingly) all do well for me in that environment. Turks cap of course. You can also try American beauty berry in the shader spots. Heartleat skullcap for those areas under trees. Not all of these are native, if that’s a consideration.
Turks cap and mistflower would be my top choices
Plant recs seem handled but I gotta ask about the earthwork/retaining wall.
How was this designed and constructed? Embedment depth of retaining element(s), lateral support elements, material type and thickness, drainage?
What was done along the fence line for both properties?
Was this originally just graded down to the back fence line for drainage? Do your side neighbors have the same (original?) grading? What about your back neighbor? Was this change reviewed and approved by them or the local gov/jurisdiction?
It seems like a potential long term maintenance hassle and increases difficulty in repairing or fixing the side fences.
It also seems like a safety issue, especially for lawn mowing and if any kids will be there.
My situation was somewhat similar. I have a 60′ back fence that is 8′ tall and the shady portion was in the lefthand corner. I planted Yaupon Holly along the fence line and put a birdbath in the lefthand corner. I love my yaupon hollies and so do the birds. They provide some color from their red berries but this year I tried planting a purple clematis vine alone the fence and it has grown up throughout one of my yaupons and provides some purple flowers within it. I’m really happy with the yaupon hollies.
https://preview.redd.it/4ubefiw9vczg1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d80904fa7b2cef41945129aac9351cd4fff3ffd5
For the big structural shrubs, you could go with dwarf palmetto and Barbados cherry. The palmetto of course is evergreen and the Barbados cherry is nearly evergreen unless we get an extended hard freeze. Evergreen sumac is another option. You could fill in the spaces with deciduous plants like Turk’s cap; plumbago; Mexican honeysuckle (often stays evergreen); or salvias, especially salvia guarinitica and salvia coccinea. I would also add a twistleaf yucca or two, if your soil allows, for some more evergreen structure at the front of the border. And then tie it all together with drifts of inland sea oats.
How tall? Do you want privacy over the top of the fence?