A thought just struck me, design-wise... if you like the idea of a central "island" or focus, you could concentrate some bright colors there, and the rest of the bed along the walkway could be green & white & gold/yellow (different heights and textures, for interest, as you said initially).

I'll hold Sunday the 23rd "open" on my calendar, as well as Friday the 28th.

I was able to get down there this morning and measure. The bed is roughly 6 1/2' deep by 39' long.

The location of the garden bed is right along the main driveway from Connecticut Avenue. Anyone coming into the 4-H Center has to come in this driveway. The bed sits between the driveway and Kellogg Hall, which is the main food service building.

From driveway to Kellogg Hall


FromKellogg Hall to driveway


From bed to Connecticut Ave


From bed to J C Penney Hall, the main building


Spacing in this picture:

Sidewalk to NIOD rhodie: 7.5'
NOID rhodie to Mrs G W Leak: 5'
Mrs G W Leak to small tree: 6'
Tree to sidewalk: 13'

There is about 24"-30" between the shrubs and the brick wall.

There is a light fixture in front of the tree that is 15" from the sidewalk.

My initial thoughts:
- Cinnamon (deciduous) or Christmas (evergreen) fern all along the back wall.
- Groups of hosta, columbine, hellebore (evergreen) and astilbe scattered along the bed
- Clumps of daffodils, ipheon, chionodoxa, corydalis, hardy geramium scattered around
- Either creeping jenny, a scented mint, english thyme or greek oregano up by the sidewalk.

With the exception of the lysmachia/thyme/oregano, I'm fairly sure that all of these are native to the eastern US.

Assuming they allow us to do this, I'd like to create a map of what's where, complete with QR codes to the appropriate plant pages here at Garden.org. That way, passers-by will be able to gain a little horticultural knowledge as well. Who knows, it may be enough to inspire a visiting teenager to become more involved in the plant world.

That's a great space! I had no idea it was backed by a brick wall. Are there taller native ferns that would also show off against the brick wall? Are you thinking along the lines of an informal scattering of clumps to soften those lines or do you want to design a geometric pattern for a more formal planting?

If it's 13 feet from the little tree to the sidewalk, does that mean there's 26 feet between the little tree and the end up the bed near the building entrance? Or am I getting it backwards?

If you can use liriope as an edging anywhere, LMK. Otherwise I'm killing off most of what I have here, as I don't have the oomph to dig it. I forgot to mention it earlier. Jim's parents used it to edge nearly all their beds, and it worked well with the Georgian architecture of their home.

The liriope I have is clumping, not running. I've never divided mine, and in a dozen years it did get about 3 feet across in places, but I think any edging would take maintenance. I do know Dad took the weedeater to it in early spring, cutting it to 2" tall (just mowing would work too), then it would sprout pretty new growth. Maybe if I'd done that, mine would have spread less.

Checking North Creek availability
In the 32 plug size

2 flats Autumn fern Brilliance @$63
22 flats Cinnamon @ $95
275 flats Christmas @ $63

next availability is 2020/21

Could be 'grown out' until fall planting......

Is there any budget?

Thanks Judy, but I found a place that's 100 plants for $80.

Jill, I didn't even think about liriope. We used to cut ours back every spring. We didn't do it in the fall so that the crowns were protected. I have plenty myself that I"m taking up.

Spacing is 13' from tree to building.

As far as the wall, a taller fern would be ostrich, but that can spread too quickly.

Autumn and Christmas ferns will get up to 24" when mature. Cinnamon can get up to 5 feet if in a damp environment. I was thinking of the cinnamon against the wall. Not only will it soften the wall, when the golden-brown fertile fronds appear, it will add textural interest as well.

Christmas fern are evergreen, so clumps along the way would perk up the winter snow, as would hellebore scattered around (mine are still in bloom!)

Spring bulbs would be placed just in front of the hosta. That way, as the bulbs are finishing up, the hosta will flow over the dying foliage.

REMEMBER: I still haven't received permission to do this. But, every comment made helps to refine the plan a bit more.

THANKS!

Dang, I was really hoping you'd want BUSHELS of my overgrown liriope.

LMK if you'd like my help with a landscape plan. Your ideas, my drawing. Tweak, re-draw. I love fooling with that kind of thing. I have yet to find a computer program I really love for it, but I'm good friends with my graph paper tablet... even got some that's on a 10 ft. to the inch scale.

Rick, your ideas sounds great. The space would be super with some TLC. I hope they go for it.

Once planted, it may be that whoever they contract for landscape maintenance will add that- not that it will need much. Spring raking, mulch freshened and whack off last years leaves on a few things.

What kind of tree is that?

That's a pretty big area! Low maintenance clumping plants probably work better so that the garden won't look overgrown if you do not tidy it up every two weeks.

I like Jill's idea of using border plants.

Not sure what kind of tree. The leaf looks almost like a cherry, but the bark is really rough. It might be an elm.

IT IS ON ! ! !

I received word from 4-H that we have permission to do the bed.

I'll follow with more details soon.

Thanks again!

That's great news Rick!

Definitely great news. I wish I lived in your area. I'd love to help with his memorial planting.

Hooray!

Did they give you any $ toward it? What about maintenance and weeding / mulching?

One thing at a time grasshopper. There is water readily accessible so that we can water right after planting. It's also possible to get them to turn on some power, if needed. I was toying with the idea of bringing my new electric tiller.

We were supposed to have a conference call yesterday, but the line wasn't working.

When I see them in person, I'm going to ask for $1,000.00 annually from the Krug fund to put toward maintenance, mulch, plantings, etc.

Ask for enough to cover those costs going forward in the event you/we are not available to do the work of tidying the plantings and putting in new things as needed. You can always spend less!

If power is available, I'll bring my electric Mantis also, if somebody else can run it (my hands/arms aren't up to it, easy as it is).

Question: How would lily of the valley work? I know it likes shade, but it also likes to run wild. (I have a bunch to pull out of the mulched paths!)

Well, I can't get my Lily of the Valley to run at all, let alone run wild. But even if it did, would it strangle other plants? I think the ferns and hostas and other things you've been talking about would all be larger than LOTV, wouldn't they?