In NC, zone 8A. Front of the building is south-facing but the tiers are reverse facing to the structure.
What do I plant here that is super low maintenance, pollinator friendly and colorful?
by ThrowAwayToday567438
In NC, zone 8A. Front of the building is south-facing but the tiers are reverse facing to the structure.
What do I plant here that is super low maintenance, pollinator friendly and colorful?
by ThrowAwayToday567438
12 Comments
Asclepias incarnata and Liatris spicata
Rudbeckia can do well in partial sun.
Groundcover and tight clumping perennials.
I suggest including native grasses /sedges. They help add structure and also provide cover and seeds for birds and other animals.
A couple native ones for NC are brown fox sedge, little blue stem, or common bur sedge, but you’ll have to look up plants and see what makes sense for your design. I’m based in a Midwest 5b area so definitely double check what does well in your area.
Wild columbine, sweet Joe pye weed, showy goldenrod, and a native aster like calico aster or New York aster would all look nice and also be able to handle some shade.
Food crops
I would want a mix of things that spread and self seed so you’re not having to weed constantly- looks like you’d also want to keep it lowish growing- Phlox stolonifera (creeping phlox), Monarda bradburiana, heath aster (snow flurries, good late season flowering but low growing and great for rock walls), blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) flowers but grass when not flowering and low growing! Try plugs to get plant coverage more affordably- I ordered from pollen nation for the first time this year but they sell plugs and to get good plant coverage for this area you’d likely hit their order minimum: https://www.thepollennation.com/
Let us know what you end up doing!
I’m a big fan of mints and lemon balm for drinks and because bugs don’t like them!
They spread fast and aggressively, too!
I guess my question would be, finding plants that fill the bill is doable but what do you want in terms of appearance and use? You It’s a pretty unusual situation but what’s below? Looks like a sliding door? What room is it? You could let the space be a visual extension of the room. I’d probably go for something somewhat tall up at street level (or some vines on the fence?) for some privacy, to avoid the “fishbowl” effect, with a mix of heights on the middle tier and maybe some cascading things, (creeping phlox is great for that) and low to medium high plants on the lowest tier as well as some cascading-spreading plants. Others have already made some great suggestions. In summer you should still get some good sun there since it’s high in the sky. Some fragrant things could be great as well; especially night fragrant plants if you work during the day and will enjoy the space mainly at night. Nicotianas will love your hot summers, as well as some of the fragrant evening primroses (great for attracting hawk moths). Not sure if you grow the “orange peel” jessamine there but it’s another nice fragrant one, and it’s evergreen as well. Theres also the evergreen star jasmine you could grow on the fence – in addition to the common white one, there’s a light orange-flowered one that smells more fruity, almost like orange tea.
I think various kinds of lavender plants would be nice here along with other plants that are fairly low maintenance once established
Sedum, lots of different sedum in between rocks. Trust me.
I’d do some “anchor” big plants on the ends like swamp milkweed, yarrow, coneflower. Also some autumn joy sedum around the top for color and also it needs very little maintenance, and that top tier might be hard to reach for maintenance.
Personally I’d weave in some pretty edible perennials on the second tier if it is within arm’s reach – chives, oregano (will spread, could put in an earthen pot), sage, rosemary – the pollinators love the blooms and the blooms are also edible.
If I were willing to add annuals, on the bottom tier I’d do a mix of basils including purple basil, and some orange hat tomatoes which are teeny plants, very fun to look at and also tasty. Along with some short alyssum around the edges to attract hoverflies.
https://victoryseeds.com/products/tomato-orange-hat