The flowerbeds in front of my house could use some work.

Comments

• protist@mander.xyz ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Call your county’s master gardener helpline to ask this. Trust me, they live for questions like this. njaes.rutgers.edu/master-gardeners/helplines.php

  I’d give you advice, but I live in Texas and know nothing about what would work in NJ.

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  • byrona@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Wow this is great I had no idea about this! I’m in NJ

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    • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Every county in the US ( and some are actually combined jurisdictions) has a county extension office. Their job is basically to provide you with the latest plant growing information from the USDA and whatever your local land grant university is.

      Unless you live on a reservation, in which case you might not have an office you can direct questions to, because reservations are sovereign nations and not part of “counties”. Some have extension services through another govt program, but not all.

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• fetter@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Hi neighbor! I walk by your house all the time and always tell my wife I love it :)

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  • CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Small world, indeed! I never considered that any of my neighbors would have even heard of Lemmy. Thank you for the compliment on the house; it really deserves a little more TLC from me in the front. The deer are definitely a problem, but I just assumed the arborvitae were growing like that because I never bothered to prune them.

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• walden@sub.wetshaving.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Lavender likes sun. It also likes well-drained soil and a neutral to high pH, so add lime to the soil and sprinkle more lime every year.

  Source - we have Lavender in front of our house, and it didn’t die yet. It’s less than a year old, though.

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  • protist@mander.xyz ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    In my experience, lavender either suddenly dies within 3 months of planting, or thrives exceptionally for one or two seasons then suddenly dies. I’ve given up on it

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    • MrsDoyle@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      English lavender is a bit sturdier than French lavender, I’ve found. It does better at surviving a harsh winter. Mine did so well my neighbours complained about it encroaching on their footpath and I had to hack it back.

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    • walden@sub.wetshaving.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yeah it seems pretty fickle, but it sure is nice. There are different varieties, too, which makes it even more compelling.

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    • fhein@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Soil not draining enough perhaps? Only way we’ve managed to kill lavender is by pruning it too much.

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• aramis87@fedia.io ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I'd suggest refining some of your ideas. Are you looking for traditional trees and bushes, or do you want color? If you want color, which colors? Do you want something blooming every season? Do you want low maintenance? How drought tolerant should it be?

  Are you looking for ornamental plants? Do you want fruiting trees or bushes? Do you want to grow your own herbs and maybe some veggies? Do you want something pollinator friendly? Etc etc.

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• sevan@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’m a big fan of gardening with native plants. Here are a couple of sites that might help you if you want to try that:

  npsnj.org/native-plants/plant-lists/ www.jerseyyards.org/…/native-plants/ backyardgardenlover.com/new-jersey-native-plants-…

  From a design perspective I’d probably start off with a couple of small shrubs on either side of the steps that are either evergreen or have year-round interest. If you go with native plants, you could check out inkberry holly (need male & female plants to get fruit) or catawba rhododendron. I’m sure there are other great options, but I’m not from the area and just recognized those two from my region. For non-natives, cryptomeria globosa nana or gold mop cypress might fit well.

  Beyond that, I’d find a good local nursery and tell them how much space you have to fill and load up with perennials. My personal preference would be to focus on creating a butterfly/hummingbird garden. Just buy 2-3 of everything and plant them in little groups using the recommended spacing as a guide. Then, load mulch between all of the plants and wait for it to fill in over the next 2-3 years. I like bark mulch, but currently use pine straw (that’s the big thing here in the south); I despise rock mulch.

  Another option is to get a seed mix from a place like prairemoon.com and just spread it and let nature take its course. It will take longer, but save you time and money compared to buying and planting individual plants.

  From there you can just keep going and replace all your grass and never have to mow again! :)

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• rtfm_modular@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I live just outside Philadelphia, so close enough climate wise. Given that your house is raised, I think it would look good anchor the house with something full with some height. I recommend a Laurel, which is evergreen for year round color and does well in full sun. Also consider large sedge grasses flanking the stairs.

  You could stop there or you can make your garden beds as deep as you want for smaller shrubs and annuals. My only design suggestion is to place plants considering it’s full grown size and not what looks best today.

  There are so many choices, the best thing to do is find a locally owned garden center and talk to the staff. The one near me is staffed with landscapers and, big surprise, they love talking about plants. They will know what works best for your region and will give you tips on planting and caring.

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• HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.one [bot] ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Place moss in the bed then get garden boxes & plant local wildflowers or veggies in the box to sit on top of the moss.

  Moss needs like ,no work, & local wildflowers are amazing for the pollinators. You’ll be the talk of the town.

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