Thursday, July 18, 2013

Evergreen Bones: Before - After

Evergreen bones, below.  Not a first instinct.  No romance, flowers, wow factor.


Remember, evergreen bones will take you where you want to go.


Extreme gorgeous with low-maintenance, drought tolerance, no bugs is the destination.
.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
.
pics 2 years apart.  Here's your garden design: evergreen bones, evergreen flowering shrubs, evergreen flowering groundcover, flowering understory trees, flowering shrubs.  More?  Sure, if you want more maintenance.  Contrast foliage types/color, bloom seasons.
.
Choose plants from Extension Service listings as best/toughest for your zone.  Who wants to worry about watering, bugs, disease?  Don't like the list?  Get over it.
.
My favorite clients have already done their own garden design.  Producing, 'horrible'.  A humbling experience, I know, I did it too.  Exactly what got me into college for a 2nd degree, horticulture.
at

7 comments:

  1. Lori BuffJuly 18, 2013 at 9:56 AM

    Lush, another great garden characteristic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. mamacitaJuly 18, 2013 at 10:08 AM

    Where do veggies and fruit come in? Not a veggie patch, but pecan trees, lemon trees, etc. Are they evergreen trees?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Patty RumakerJuly 18, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    What an incredible transformation. Isn't it amazing what planting some bushes can do to the appearance of your home and the joy you derive from them. All of the plantings look beautiful! Enjoy!
    Thanks, Patty

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tara DillardJuly 18, 2013 at 2:49 PM

    Mamacita, it's all here. topic of post didn't, couldn't, ever, evahhhh, contain, this shortly, my garden design equation.

    hedges before flowers.....

    when vita sackville-west's head-gardener marched off to war he wrote to her, "Whatever you do maintain the hedges."

    I can't wait for year 10 of this tiny garden spot.

    xot

    ReplyDelete
  5. David C.July 18, 2013 at 3:03 PM

    Well-said on bones. Then, "More? Sure, if you want more maintenance", is the rest of the story. The story that inflames petal-pushers at you or I...but liberates more!

    ReplyDelete
  6. home before darkJuly 18, 2013 at 3:12 PM

    YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! The usual garden seduction starts with flowers and often takes us years to mature our way to the woody plant world. I love trees and shrubs. Have mostly disdain for annuals. And just today looked on the south side of my garden where the last of the peonies and roses live (among some trees and shrubs contemplating ripping everything out and planting a hedge of Tardiva hydrangeas. This thought may pass, it's really, really hot today and I'm almost 64 and thinking simplify!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Barbara PilcherJuly 23, 2013 at 3:16 PM

    Great advice about getting your plant list from the local extension office.

    ReplyDelete