I've come to a place where about all I have is shrubs and bulbs. Realized I don't like to manage the traditional perennials and got sick of waiting for green lumps and bumps to make a few flowers for a short time. Also don't enjoy chasing creeping ground covers. (Ironically, those that I would LIKE to creep over entire areas have been slow to get going, but that's another issue...) so yeah, Bring on the shrubs!
These pics are from last year...
April/May/June, sometimes beyond:
Can't find a great pic of great classic blue Hydrangea, but must be mentioned. I guess these are just for people too.
June:
Gardenia!! An evergreen.
Too bad monitors aren't scratch'n'sniff!
September:
Though it dies back to the ground in winter, Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) is amazing! Most sources say Z9+ but I've had these for about 4 years. If they came back after last winter, they can come back after any winter here in 8b. One of the few plants I put in the yard just for me, doesn't seem to have any wildlife value here.
On the left, seen with knockout roses, Buddleia (butterfly bush,) Passion vine on fence, much misc.
Seen with elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta) and box compost experiment*.
Seen with sweet potato vine, compost barrel, Buddleia.
Closeup.
September:
Lantana is also long-blooming, providing nectar for most of the year, depending on severity of winter. Some years it's partially evergreen, sometimes only basal growth is there in spring. (Same with Buddleia - on both being unreliably evergreen, and length of blooming.)
Seen with tiger swallowtail butterfly.
*Box compost experiment
Filled cardboard box with greens and put it at base of elephant ears. It decomposed quickly, and I saw my first blooms ever on that plant, though I've had it for about 15 years. Not for the front yard, but it was cool to observe in a nook in the back, and so *easy.* Moving around compost is hard work, I'm always looking for ways to get around that. The barrel seen above could be in a less visible spot, but having it at the corner of this bed allows it to just be dumped, not moved. Hiding it (or just kind of dressing it up, as the case may be,) behind shrubs is a compromise I can live with, vs. the back pain and extra mosquito bites involved in moving compost, 'cuz there's no way I'm parting with any organic matter from our kitchen or yard (except the occasional pulled poison ivy sprout and thorny rose branches.)
