Thursday, May 2, 2019

Help With The Hydrangea Bed

I have these great white Hydrangeas that grow at the front of my house, by the lower deck. They were here when I bought the house, and I was delighted to see them that first summer.

I have no idea what type of Hydrangea they are, but they are super hardy and always look great by mid summer. 

But.....and you knew there was a BUT coming, didn't you? 

The border needs more. More structure, more something....more 'ummmphhh.'

I almost never take photos of it because to me, it's a bit ragged and unkempt. 

Photo from my first summer in the house
The Hydrangeas look great when they are blooming, but in spring/early summer they are just these bare sticks jutting out of the garden. And even when they are blooming, there's still something lacking.

They need some definition, something in front of them, I think. 

Photo from my second summer, after I swapped out that awful tree in the center
Last year I put paving stones along the front of the border, to give it some structure.  Of course I can't find even one picture to show you....but take my word for it. 

It's better, it cleaned it up a bit....but it's still not enough.

So, I've been doing what I always do....searching on Google for images to inspire me. 

Via
I keep finding these beautiful images, but they all seem so formal for my little country garden. 

Via
I think these borders are lovely, but they are also very structured. Very monotone. 

My garden is anything but. 

Via
I love the idea of adding Hostas in front of the Hydrangeas, to cover the naked 'legs' - and the border can maintain a 'country' feel, as in in this photo. 

But my garden is not only Hydrangeas as in these photos...if it were, it would be simple. 

At the opposite end of my garden there's a wild riot of color, with Black Eyed Susans, Shasta Daisies, Delphinium, ornamental grasses, Hollyhocks, and who knows what else growing in there. 

Will it look weird? Or will the Hostas just work to unify the whole garden and tie it together?

Via
Or should I just keep plugging in more color along the whole border? I tried to add some perennial Cranesbill last season, but the Hydrangeas overtook them early on and killed them. 

Via
Perhaps a variety of Hostas along the front to cut down on the 'formality' would work best? 

I guess I'll have to do some more thinking about it....but I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!

22 comments:

  1. I was going to suggest cranesbill. I have a kind that is in every single one of my beds. I even planted it as ground cover under a giant spruce tree. It is forgiving of sun conditions and lasts forever. I have NO idea what kind it is, but it is low to the ground. But any gardener knows, you'll always be thinking, and transplanting, and replacing... Good luck, I hope you come up with a good solution! -Jenn

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    1. I wish I knew which cranesbill that was, Jenn! I have one that I just moved from the wild garden next to my garden cottage....it was way too tall for that garden, so I moved it to the perennial bed. But I'd love one that's low to the ground and hardy as heck!!

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    1. Thanks Ellen! It takes a lot of work to keep it looking good but hey, that's my workout all summer long, right?

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  3. I like the idea of hostas. The last picture with the variety looks great!

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    1. Hostas are such a sure thing, aren't they, Penny? They are so reliable, look good all season long, and can be divided after a few years. I have pieces I can take from the hosta garden under the stairs....so I might just go that route, at least for a beginning!

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  4. I think hostas would be lovely...but, remember they don’t like a lot of sun. There are some “old-fashioned” flowers that might work, like Sweet Williams, delphiniums, or columbine. Or even annuals, like petunias or geraniums. All those flowers would work in a country garden. Have fun deciding! ;)

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    1. Thanks Donnamae! It's funny, the Hostas I planted around the new tree in the center of the garden get tons of son and they do just great....so I think I need to take a chance on them!

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  5. I'm sure the paving stones add the structure you mention. Maybe a pathway in front?
    Brenda

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    1. They add some structure, Brenda, but there's still something more needed to 'finish' the bed off.

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  6. Hi Debbie,
    Hydrangea's are my faves. You have a beautiful and full bush. I love to use hosta's for borders and they come back each year and are pretty maintenance free. Maybe that would be the way to go. I love seeing your pretty mountain home. Gorgeous.
    Happy Friday.

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    1. Thanks, Kris!! I love the Hydrangeas, I guess it would have been nice if they were carried all the way across the bed....it would have made it a bit easier design-wise, don't you think?

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  7. That's funny, I was going to suggest hostas. We have them as borders in our yard. They come back every year, they aren't expensive and they require almost no upkeep. Plus, I think they're pretty!

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    1. I love Hostas, Kim! I keep tucking them in here and there in my various gardens...I've never used them as a border, but that's definitely the direction I'm thinking now!

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  8. I think your hydrangeas are lovely. You could possibly plant a different color hydrangea and then some hosta in front of that. We don't get the variety of possibilities down here due to soil, so I envy your choices to plants! Happy weekend! Love and hugs!

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    1. Remember you can plant anything you want, Benita - just do it in pots!!

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  9. I think its beautiful as it is but I see what you mean. I’m thinking just add some pop of color mixed in and that should do the trick.
    Lisa

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    1. That's the plan, my friend!! I need to re-work the border - one of the hydrangeas has jumped the border, it's outgrown it - crazy!! Hopefully I can get it to the point that I'm happy with it....if the Tansy and Bindweed don't drive me mad!

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  10. I love the row of white impatiens in a row in front - I also have a lot of border in the backyard that looks like yours and I actually love it a little unkempt.

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    1. I would be fine with it a little 'unkempt' in the back of the house, Karen Ann, but at the front of the house it feels as if it needs a bit of structure....of course that could just be the crazy anal gardener in me!

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  11. If you had symmetry at each end of the bed the softer English look of the hydrangeas would stabilize the bed. Green and white look nice against the decking. Maybe another round bush to echo the one on the right that’s there now or take out the round and do vertical shapes to ground the ends of the otherwise free form bed. I also wonder what an arch of stacked stones around the two grounding plantings would look like. It would echo the circle around your red maple giving more harmony to the overall yard themes. Just thinking. Also easy to do.

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    1. Fantastic suggestions, Faw!! I don't think I could possibly remove the round bushes - they are Burning Bushes and must be there for 20+ years. I put in a trellis on the other end and have two types of clematis growing up it, to bring a little height to that end...it helps, but I still need to bring some continuity throughout the bed. Hopefully I can get it figured out before it drives me nuts!

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