backyard progress

[aimeekitty]

I saw a couple birds nest in some wisteria at the plant nursery today!
I'm starting to make some choices for the non-rose plants for the backyard. It's fun to be starting from scratch and be able to say "I don't want X, Y or Z." and to be able to choose plants that really please me and have memories attached to them. Most of the plants are low water usage and they'll all be whites, pinks and purples. Here's some things I'm probably going to put in:

bicolor morea,
bearded iris,
french lavender,
wisteria,
star jasmine
crape myrtle
flowering cherry (pink, probably Kwanzan)
weeping flowering cherry (white, probably snowfountain)
whooley thyme
japanese camellia (low form)
clematis
mexican evening primrose
Autumn Sage
fleabane daisy
agapanthus (white)
rosemary

the general feeling will be kinda like this (below) or like this... Thanks again to Jocelyn for helping me think through things. :) Eventually, I want to get a stone Japanese basin for a birdbath... and a bench arbor and a really BIG ROCK. But we may wait on that for another year.

Comments

[etherealtb.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought we couldn't grow wisteria in SoCal! Very cool!

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

yeah, actually, it does really well here. <3

[kayjkay.livejournal.com]

Before you plant anything, be sure to do a soil test and amend amend amend that soil :). Since your place is new construction, a lot of builders like to dump things into the soil in the surrounding area. We found chunks of cement, rebar, and paint buckets buried three to four feet down, so just be wary :)

I will also warn you: unless you want to deal with mexican primrose for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, don't plant it in soil! Container only! It's more than "just invasive" it's highly invasive and it will travel to your neighbor's yards two to four houses down. If you intend to put sod down, it will travel into the grass, it will go everywhere and it loooooves Southern California. We planted mexican primrose about fifteen years ago and we're still trying to get rid of it. It will outgrow every other plant you put down with it, and essentially choke them out. If you glance over our back wall, it's invaded the entirety of our neighbor's hillside and within a year, choked out all their plants. They don't really seem to care, but it was amazing to see.

Just wanted to let you know, the rest of your picks are fantastic. PICS after you plant :D

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

yeah the landscapers should be amending the soil, that's part of what I'm paying them for. :) I'll get less mexican primrose then, but I don't mind if it's a bit invasive. I think that's kinda charming when the plant is one that I like the looks of. :)

NO MINT THOUGH. JUST SAY NO TO MINT

[kayjkay.livejournal.com]

Mint and creeping thyme D: Good gravy, They both JUMPED from one planter into my geraniums. Haha. Plants... such silly creatures.

[kayjkay.livejournal.com]

I just realized I missed a prime opportunity to use this icon.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA OH EM GEEEE XD

OH NOOOOES MIIIINT