roadside
I am a new user , but an "old" gardener! I am stumped as what to plant in front of a 2 ft wall that fronts our road. Currently there are daffodils and minor bulbs in the spring and crab grass the remainder of the year! This area is about 2 ft wide and gets morning sun. The biggest concern is the plows in winter (zone 5 ). I thought grasses would be lovely in the morning light, but I think the plow would get them.
Any thoughts? Thanks.
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(post #15407, reply #1 of 16)
Hi, Kezar, and welcome to the group. Click on your name in banner at the top of this message, then click on "change profile" in the window that opens up, then enter where you live. We need that info to answer this and many other questions you may have.
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #15407, reply #2 of 16)
Road salt might also be an issue, if that's something your area uses.
I've taken to sticking extra perennials into my verge, which is very dry and has poor soil (I'm working on it!). Some don't take well or don't survive the winter; those that do last I stick in more of. I also have some self sowing annuals in there, and by this time in the season a fair amount of crabgrass.
Plants that have done particularly well are perennial bachelors button (centaurea montana; good for spring and will rebloom fall), and some short asters, no idea what type, and common liatris. Rudbeckias work sometimes, coreopsis generally fails. California poppies look great midsummer but by now need to be mowed back, along with the crabgrass. They will regrow and bloom, though not as much as earlier. I use a string trimmer so I can go around the plants I don't want cut.
Admittedly it looks rather haphazard at times but it seems better than a lot of planning and spending on something that might not work, plus it's kind of a low priority area for me.
I agree with you that grasses might be iffy, since I think most should stand intact until spring, and they're going to get crushed by the snow dumped on them, if not the plow itself. You need something you can safely cut back in fall.
I wonder if a row of one of the large sedums, like autumn joy, would work well? I think it could look nice with the stone and be compatible with the bulbs. You could leave them standing in fall for the shape, but having them broken wouldn't hurt them.
BD
(post #15407, reply #8 of 16)
Road salt and enthusiastic plowers! Maybe the self sowing annuals,minor bulbs and Hakonechloa grass atop the wall,would be best. I really like the way that grass rather looks like it's flowing - especially the white variety.I have no experience with it,however. This space is part sun - morning. Think it'll work?
(post #15407, reply #9 of 16)
I like the self-sowing annual idea. California poppies should do well.and what can beat the blue of bachelor buttons!
I am afraid the sedum would get plowed up. Even tho' you see it everywhere, it remains a wonderful choice. I particularly like the way it looks when it first starts growing in the spring. And when cold-stunned bees are frozen,waiting for the morning sun to warm them up in the fall!
Thanks for the ideas.
(post #15407, reply #3 of 16)
Anything that dies back to the ground is going to be relatively safe from the plow. (Unless the plower is scraping up big chunks of your bed, which can happen.) Grasses would be a fine tough option. They don't have a cultural requirement for being left standing in winter; that's just an aesthetic decision. If you want to cut them back to avoid worrying about them looking bad after plowing, it won't hurt them once they've gone dormant. Avoid anything that doesn't die back to the ground like shrubs and small trees.
Salt might be a concern for you. What I find here is that my plantings near the road and near our driveway also have to contend with gravel and silt being dumped on them. Our rural road gets sanded instead of salted which is really good, but it leaves a LOT of residue behind after a bad winter. Parts of our driveway is gravel, which also winds up in the plant beds after a plowing or two. So my plant choices avoid delicate plants that could be smothered before I get around to unearthing the beds.
(post #15407, reply #4 of 16)
Have you actually cut a variety of grasses back in fall successfully? I've just read so many time to cut them back in spring that I thought it was a requirement, and have never tried another time. It would be handy to clean them up in fall along with everything else.
(post #15407, reply #5 of 16)
Yes, I've done it then when I wanted to divide them for someone, and it works fine.
(post #15407, reply #6 of 16)
I've got a road-fronting stone wall, too, with a sparse assortment of daffodils and bleeding heart early, followed by a patch of day lilies and irises, which do very well. Sometimes I plant a little Nicotiana here and there. I always marvel that all the plantings survive the winter salt mixes thrown by the plows.
www.vegetablegardener.com
(post #15407, reply #11 of 16)
There were daylilies ther initially - they got plowed up. Of course, they continued to bloom. I moved them to a safer area of the garden
Thanks.
(post #15407, reply #10 of 16)
Salt.sand and plows. Maybe there is a reason for crab grass afterall! At least it is green in the summer.
Thanks.
(post #15407, reply #7 of 16)
I have about daylilies all along the edge of my road. Every year the plows cut into their turf and sometimes shift the soil. Every year they all come back. I'm not sure about salt (or light requirements of daylilies) because this is a dirt road.
I'm sure the "plow" you (post #15407, reply #12 of 16)
I'm sure the "plow" you mentioned ( or--flailer /mower? ) might get your grasses - [ And I 'm assuming that that would be the once/year ) but they'll grow back each time o.k & anyway, removing the old tops annually stops them getting tatty.
I have a Zone 5A roadside (post #15407, reply #13 of 16)
I have a Zone 5A roadside garden subject to salt and plows.
I grow Monarda 'Raspberry Wine', Rudbeckia 'goldsturm', shasta daisy Becky, Eupatorium 'Chocolate', Stachys 'Hummelo', Kalemeris, nepeta subsessilis, off the top of my head. I get some afternoon sun so its a little different, but most of those shouldn't mind just morning sun.
I try to leave 3' for the plows, but its kinda close. THe corner near my driveway gets scraped up a lot, but in the spring I sometimes have to put everything back in place and it pretty much works out.
What a beautiful entry (post #15407, reply #14 of 16)
What a beautiful entry garden. I'll bet you say "Awww, I'm home" when pulling in your driveway.
Thank you. Actually, I (post #15407, reply #15 of 16)
Thank you. Actually, I started this area for the joggers and passersby. It has turned out to be quite a conversation piece. When I am out gardening, neighbors and dog-walkers often stop to comment and strike up a conversation.
The monarda stays in bloom an incredibly long time and is very showy, so it gets a lot of attention.
I think the self sowing (post #15407, reply #16 of 16)
I think the self sowing annuals,minor bulbs and Hakonechloa grass atop the wall,would be best.