Hi Guys! My friend and neighbor begged me to help her re-do her whole front gardens beds that were in a really bad state! After moving in 5 years previously, some roses and other plants had been put in but died, and it had gone through both the famous Valentine’s Freeze of 2020 and the most recent summer drought of 2022. It needed a complete reset! After tearing out anything that wasn’t savable, I walked the yard and discussed ideas with her.
For any design project, you need to have a working model in your mind before you can sketch it out on paper, whether it’s a drop everything project like this one, or you’ve thought about it and had loads of time to plan. This project I took on from a friend with literally an hour’s notice, and so went strictly off experienced plants I knew and could back. She needed things that were relatively maintenance free, perennial, and could be bought immediately.
The Plan: I talked with her about what she’d seen around the neighborhood that she liked, any colors or types she didn’t like, and budget.
The Budget: thrifty! Budget is the hardest thing for non-gardeners I think; they have no idea how expensive plants are, and what it takes to put that living thing in the ground with the best chances of thriving. And this project was extra difficult on budget, since she wanted us to install it immediately. My cost also didn’t include things like mulch or water system repair, which were separate projects. I do end up coming back and putting everything in the beds on drip, but that was another day and headache….and another video!
Now, the race against darkness was on……!
‘Red Sister Cordyline’ aka ‘Ti plant’
Cordyline fruticosa ‘Red Sister’
‘Airplane plant’ aka ‘Spider plant’ or ‘Mal Madre’
Chlorophytum comosum
‘Variegated Ginger’
Alpinia zerumbet ‘Variegata’
‘Bicolor Iris’ aka ‘African Iris’ (yellow blooms)
Dietes bicolor
‘Purple Heart’
tradescantia pallida
‘Foxtail Fern’
Asparagus densiflorus
Oleander
Nerium oleander
‘August Beauty’ Gardenia (non-frost proof)
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’
‘Bridalwreath’ Spirea
Spiraea prunifolia, ‘bridalwreath’
‘Ebbing’s Silverberry’
Elaeagnus pungens x Ebbingei
‘Catlin’s Giant’ Ajuga aka Bugleweed
Ajuga reptans ‘Catlin’s Giant’
#howto #backyardgarden #diy #beforeandafter #plants #garden #gardendesign #zone9 #zone9humid