| I have a area in the front of my house, which I have always planted flower in the summer. This year,due to the installation of water meters. I will have to reduce the number of perennials that I normally plant. I would like to get stones or wood chips to cover most of the area and plant a smaller amount of plants or shub that looks nice, but doesn't require a lot of watering. ( I love beautiful colors ) The total area is about 9' by 7'. What type of plants would you recommand? |
| Without knowing if the location is in shade or sun it is difficult to make a detailed suggestion. However, some plants to consider would be the red and golden dwarf barberries, the summer blooming spireas, the blue-mist shrub or caryopteris, the colorfully patterned forms of euonymous fortunei and junipers. These are all tolerant of drier soil. When you prepare the area for planting, add copious amounts of organic matter to the soil. This will help it hold both air and water. Make sure that the wood chips, if you use them, are at least a year old; if the wood chips are fresh, then shredded bark would be a better choice for the mulch. Usually, it is better to use an organic mulch such as bark or wood chips than to use gravel. The reason for this is that the wood will rot and feed the soil as it decays, and it is also cooler because it does not hold and reflect heat the way pebbles do. The heat aspect is especially important when dry soil is an issue. |
