We recently had to remove a dead tree before the winter and I'm not sure what to do with this space and wanted to crowdsource some ideas!
- We're in Cedar Park, but this planting area has relatively ok loamy soil, some clay and few rocks.
- Direct sun from 1-3 pm, so the heat of the day.
- It's in direct view of our living room, so something showy could be nice
- Existing bush is a lantana that is suffering greatly, I will be rehoming it soon.
My thoughts are:
- Crossvine along the wall, eventually trailing over to the pergola. Only possible downside is needing to constantly trim away from the windows.
- Square off the stump area and turn this into a raised bed vegetable garden. It's near the only outdoor spigot, so I could possibly run a soaker hose, unlike the rest of yard. (however, it may be too much sun for veggies, and evidenced by my tomato planter to the right)
- Grind the stump and plant a big, sun loving plant (possibly a pride of Barbados, although I do prefer native plants)
by fingerchili
2 Comments
I’m always partial to rock rose pavonia – as it cheerfully flowers repeatedly all year with minimal care — is a native that does well in almost all conditions. Can maintain some foliage through winter freezes (and can be cut back as needed).
If you wanted something even larger/taller and denser, Tecoma Stans (Yellow Bells/Esperanza) is pretty bulletproof once established.
Flame acanthus is prolific and does well in our summers – gets larger if it has enough sun.
And yes, I love Pride of Barbados too – assuming whatever you plant survives it’s first winter, then they are hardy.
Desert Willow would look great there