We have all heard the phrase “curb appeal.” It is a popular trend today to create a home and garden that is appealing to the eye of those passing by – perhaps to those interested in buying your property, to neighbors who have wonderful gardens themselves, or to guests who find their way up your drive. While my husband and I love the idea, we like experiencing the flip side of that viewpoint. We like to enjoy our gardens and flowers, and also our vegetable plants, from within! It makes the planting, weeding, mulching [1] and pruning efforts even more “worth it” to see your garden not only when you are outside, but also when you are in your home. Nothing pleases me more than walking past our large dining room window and seeing the huge vine of Confederate Jasmine in full bloom and swaying in the breeze. We purposely planted it to cling to a large Sweet Gum tree in our rear yard, just in sight of our dining room. For three to four weeks each spring, it is a tall column of fragrant beauty followed by a showering of petals that drift and fall, as if snowflakes were floating among the new green of Spring. What a show!
When you are planting, consider your home as the focal viewpoint on your own patch of Heaven. Which windows look south or west, where there will be lots of heat and afternoon sun? Which plants could you choose that would work well in shady areas under the trees, where perhaps your grass is thinning? Do you have a porch and what would bring floral fragrance to the times you sit there? If you have a second floor, which windows do you most often walk up to? If you are sitting on your sofa, do you have a view from a window that is begging for a beautiful blooming shrub? So many things to consider, and it just gets better! If you have a bathroom window frequently opened to release steam from showers, why not plant a Tea Olive right outside? It will bring sumptuous fragrance into your bath. Forget scented candles!
No matter where you live, seek out shrubs, plants and flowers that make your gardens a year round feast for the eyes from within your home as well as from the outdoors. Let me take you on a tour of our house and share some of the choices we made in order to enjoy our flower gardens and our greenery inside and out, all year long.
Our yard is located in the Lower South (USDA Zone 8). I tend to think many plants we have will not do well in cooler climates north of us, but when I travel to other gardens, I see Hydrangeas and Azaleas and many other plantings in common with the south. The advantage we have, however, is that more of our plants survive the winter and come back strong each year. The key is planting annuals in with perennials to create a changing palette with each season and avoid completely barren spots. The fun is to see the “volunteers” that make it through the frosts and re-emerge among your newly planted annuals!
Our front yard gets a lot of sun. Here we plant most of our annuals: beds of Pansies and Petunias bloom throughout the winter and spring. In summer, it is Zinnias, Impatiens, Pentas and Marigolds. We plant them next to the front steps, and in small beds lining the driveway. Our kitchen faces the front yard, and from that window we see Japanese Magnolia, Hydrangea, Plumbago, Four O’Clock, Camellia, and Spirea, all flowing from the house along the side of the yard to the curb. We purposely do not plant large shrubs and trees too close to the house (the exception being Tea Olive and Gardenia for fragrance). We like the fact that leaves and branches do not overhang the roof or touch the siding.
Our back yard has a small vegetable garden in the cooler seasons only. The leaves are not as thick on the trees at that time of year and there is lots of morning sun. We plant Sugar Snap Peas and enjoy watching the seedlings peek out and quickly grow to produce a lovely little white flower that turns into a pod. Broccoli [2] and asparagus [3] also do well there. In the heat of the summer, we let that patch of garden ground rest and mulch it with fresh pine needles.
We rescue Easter Lilies from church (after Easter services) in the spring and plant them in the back yard near the porch. Behind our Gardenia (maybe twenty feet out from the porch) is Butterfly Bush and we watch from our window as Monarchs and many other types of butterfly gather there. Confederate Jasmine, Easter Lily, Honeysuckle, Gardenia and Tea Olive blooms all work together to create a white-on-white color scheme that is cool, refreshing and fragrant as we sit on the porch swing.
Each year we purchase a few Boston ferns in hanging baskets. They make our back porch (which faces north and is seen from a living room and dining room window) seem lush and cozy. When these ferns outgrow their baskets, we replace them with new ones and plant the old under the shade trees of our back yard. The result has become a beautiful fern garden that increases in size each year. Our backyard has been left predominantly natural and we have purposely preserved the Dogwoods, Sweet Gums, and Live Oaks that grow in abundance there. We like the ferny ground cover because the shade of the trees prohibits flowerbeds or grass that require more light.
Our side yards are each very different. One faces east and one west. One is completely shady (covered with English Ivy) and the other takes a beating from hot sun. On the sunny side, we have created the bulk of our organic vegetable garden of tomatoes and peppers. A path runs through it, paved with stones, which makes for easy access to the vegetables (and the weeds that need to be pulled)! But we do not limit our vegetables to this area alone. Broccoli plants look beautiful mixed among Coneflowers, Black-Eyed Susan [4], and Lily-of-The-Nile in the front yard. When they flower (after the florets one eats are past their prime), a delicate yellow bloom attracts butterflies and bumblebees. Our cucumber vines crawl along the ground beneath our bedroom window in the front yard, and I love to see their yellow blooms peeking out from under the leaves.
We can’t forget bulbs! Daylilies abound around the base of our Dogwood and Maple trees. We also plant them along the edge of Camellia and Azalea beds. They increase in number each year and we thin them and plant more elsewhere. I look out one of our upstairs dormer windows and see Daylilies blooming from a high viewpoint. They are so pretty to look down upon!
Winter, of course, brings a new look to any yard. Here in the Deep South, winter is really a very prolonged autumn. In sunny areas, the Chrysanthemums give off a huge show of color. The Holly berries grow bright red and the Silverthorn and Camellia bushes remain green. The Live Oaks keep their leaves until spring and the Sweet Gum leaves grow bright with fall color.
In any season, however, each window of your home can be a painting of nature. Your climate and choice of plants may be very different, but the premise is the same. Make your garden, like your home, a natural expression of you and your family. Don’t worry about making it look as if you employ a professional gardener. Very few of us have a professional housekeeper! Just look out into your yard and dream of what you can create that will be lovely from the curb or the sofa.
Following is more information about some of my favorite plants and flowers from our garden/yard.
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia officinalis) is an evergreen shrub. It blooms in the spring from last year’s growth. The greenery has a willowy appearance and blooms into clusters of small flowers which attract butterflies. The most common in the south is the Fountain Butterfly Bush, which has a soft purple flower. It likes well-drained soil and does well in part shade.
Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is an evergreen vine. Given support, it can entwine to 20' or more; without support it will spread as a ground cover. It is very attractive to bees and easy to train in the direction you want it to grow. The flowers are small, white, fragrant and profuse.
Daylily (Hemerocallis) is a perennial. The tuberous root and fleshy stems flower into a variety of colors, most commonly yellow or light orange. They are tough and trouble free and can be divided and planted in many settings. They bloom in late spring and early summer. Divide the plants either in early spring or late fall.
Four O’Clock (Mirabilis jalapa) is a tuberous-rooted perennial. The frost will kill the above ground growth but the roots survive to return in the spring. Softly fragrant hot pink flowers open in late afternoon, hence the name, and stay open into the night. The bright flower attracts Hummingbirds, but is poisonous to humans. A quickly multiplying plant, it needs thinning often to prevent it from infringing upon the space of nearby flowers.
Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a deciduous shrub. Hydrangea is Greek for water vessel, and the stems do drink and hold a lot of moisture. The big bold leaves frame clusters of large blooms that look like an entire bouquet in one flower. They bloom on the previous year’s wood, so it is best to prune them right after flowering. To get the largest number of bloom clusters, reduce the number of stems on a bush. The flowers are a deep or soft blue, lavender, or even pink. The exact color of the bloom will depend on the soil pH, the bluest and deepest of the colors being planted in the most acidic soil.
Lily-of-The-Nile (Agapanthus africanus) is a deciduous perennial, and very adaptable to different light and soil. The lovely blue flower opens from a very long stem and resembles a burst of fireworks. These plants can be separated every five or six years and bloom in early summer.
Marigolds (Tagetes) are trouble free plants with flowers that range from pale yellow to bright orange. They are easy to grow and flower quickly and profusely with regular pinching. This annual does well planted among tomatoes, as it repels garden pests. It has a strong aroma and blooms from early summer until frost.
Pansy (Viola wittrockiana) is also called viola or violet. It is a wonderful annual for winter and spring and provides a mass of happy color. These small flowers (most grow to 8" high) can take sun or shade; white pansies do better with part shade. They also do well in rock gardens and used as borders. The tri-colored Pansies are also called Johnny-Jump Ups. Plant Pansies in loose, well-drained soil.
Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) is an evergreen vine or shrub, with a stem that will arch and bend. It needs moderate to little water and loves full sun. “Alba” is white flowered, and “Royal Cape” is a beautiful sky blue. The flowers are delicate clusters of small blooms. When purchasing Plumbago, select plants already in bloom in order to get the color you desire. Plumbago tolerates moderately salty air.
Silverthorn (Elaeagnus pungens) is a shrub or vine. Long reaching canes sprawl and drape and create great privacy buffers. This shrub does not experience seasonal changes. It grows well in the Deep South and has thick silvery green foliage. It is very amenable to shearing. The fruits are edible, but I have never tasted them! These bushes thrive in full light or part shade.
Tea Olive (Osmanthus frangans) is a large evergreen shrub. The more you trim it, the more it blooms. The flowers are small and white and smell delicious. It blooms most prolifically in late winter and in the cool temps of spring, but it will provide a few flowers in summer. The leaves are green, sturdy and shiny; the shrub is drought tolerant and enjoys partial shade. It can grow to more than 10' in height.
References
Botanica's Organic Gardening, The Healthy Way to Live and Grow published by Laurel Glen Publishing, San Diego, CA, in 2002
Florida Landscape Plants, Revised Edition by John V. Watkins and Thomas J. Sheehan, The University Presses of Florida, Gainesville, 1975
The Southern Living Garden Book, Edited by Steve Bender of Southern Living, published by Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama, 1998
The Organic Garden, by Christine and Michael Lavelle, published by Hermes House, London, 2003