Joh, this comments by Pam are good to go by - =
"It might make more sense now for you to get some books on shade
gardening and do some
research on what plants you like and are suitable for your environment
and wait
to select and plant later in the season.. You should also know that
plants
which are newly planted will need regular and consistant water for at
last the first year in the ground - a week or two lapse in watering
could
easily do them in if conditions are right. Investigate installing an
irrigation system to tend to this if you travel frequently. And be sure
to make
sure you have addressed soil conditions - attending to the
infrastructure of
a garden - amending the soil, installing irrigation and hardscaping -
are things that must be done before any planting should be considered.
Don't expect results to be immediate. Plants take time to grow and
mature. Gardens are a long term proposition, not something that
magically
appears overnight, even ones which are landscaped by professionals".
I am a landscaper and clients always want instant results. Even the ones
who say they understand the maturity come back a month later and say
"It's not full enough, yet". Those beautiful gardens they see did not
occur in 1-2 weeks but rather "years" to develop. If you want some
maturity and structure in your garden, install the sprinkler system,
amend the soil/beds with the proper amendments and in some cases,
purchase slightly larger specimens than 1 and 3 gallon plants. In some
caes, 5 gallon, 7 gallon, even 10 gallon, depending on the slection, may
be better. Putting in a landscape is a process that ultimaltely yields a
result.
Also, to get the greatest value out of your investment in your
landscape, plant as many native plants of your region that you can find.
They will proliferate, give you bio-diversity and help fight out
outbrakes of insect infestations and help to curtail plant diseases.
They will also give your home a "Sense of Place" with the effect they
produce as they mature.
J. Kolenovsky
http://www.celestialhabitats.com
Josh Kalish wrote:
=
Hi,
=
Can anyone here help give me guidance with planting shrubs? My house i=
s in
Atlanta, which I think is zone 7b. The house is fairly shady, and when=
I
look at books of gardening ideas, I see lots of shrubs that are suppose=
d to
be able to grow there. Among the plants that I would consider planting=
a
Copper Plant, Ajuga, many different types of Azaleas, Crown of Thorns, =
man
different Gardenias, Patiens, Impatiens, and Pansies. I'm sure that th=
ere
are many other good candidates for adding color and texture to my futur=
e
landscape.
=
My question is this. I'd like to plant by the end of January / middle =
of
February and have results that are immediate. Can anyone advise what a=
re
the best choices?
=
Thanks,
=
Josh
=
BTW, thanks to all who responded to my question regarding sod.
-- =
Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 -
http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 -
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal