The intro post thingy

[rensreality101]

A gardening journal - yea!

I am in south Alabama (zone 8b for US folks) on about two acres.  It is warm enough here to four season garden so my gardening chores never seem to stop.

I missed my snow and sweet pea window but I have lettuces and beans, as well as tomato seedlings and herbs.  We'll have blackberries soon and are still eating leftover cherry tomatoes from a plant I brought inside the kitchen last winter.

I also have flowering plants, shrubs, and fruit and nut trees.  I will try and get some pictures of my white rambler because the roses on it this year are really beautiful.

Now I have a question.  I have a narrow strip that borders part of my front sidewalk on either side.  (about 2 ft on each)  In the spring and fall this is full of flowering bulbs but I don't know what to plant for color in the summer.  It is full sun, next to concrete and brick and the plants need to stay low, not over a foot or two.  I don't want annuals - it is hard to work them with all the bulbs. 
 

Any suggestions?  Thanks!
 

Comments

[hermitty]

What a coincidence! I'm in south Alabama too!

Have you considered Crocrosmia/Montbretia? They are corns instead of bulbs and they bloom mid to late summer. The link below shows the two colors that I have (those aren't my pics). You'll need to scroll down to see the orangish red color. They multiply pretty rapidly and make a huge cluster after a couple of years or so.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8085722@N08/496015399/

[rensreality101]

Oh cool...we are neighbors. Did your trees make it through the cold snap okay? Our myrtles took some damage (they were completely leafed out) but they seem to have bounced back.

Ohhh, what a pretty red. Those would definitely stand out against my cape jasmines. And I am very fond of 'buy a couple and let them multiply' plants.

[hermitty]

Most everything made it through with little frost damage. Luckily I live in a river valley so my plants/trees are usually slower leafing/blooming than everyone else in the area. My bridalwreaths were just beginning to put buds out and the cold killed some but thankfully not all so they did bloom fairly decently this year. My bradford pear was beautiful if only for a few days. Two weekends of high winds/storms coming through took care of most of my blooms and also the pollen so I can't complain.

[sara]

You might like hebes -- they're an evergreen perennial, and it should be warm enough in your climate that they're happy (mine died this winter when we had two weeks of below-freezing weather, phooey).

[rensreality101]

Ack, I am sorry you lost them.

I am looking at websites of them and have found some beautiful varieties. Will bulbs like daffodils grow up in and around them?

[sara]

I...have no idea. I would expect so. I had mine in among some rosebushes (which I hoped would shelter them, but...December was cold last year!)

summer border plants

[cygnet]

I'm a real fan of daylilies and lavender mixed in with bulbs. I prune my lavender every winter to keep them neat and of a reasonable size, so they're just starting to bush out as the bulbs are dying away, and the dayliles are pretty constrained in early spring as well. A variety of daylilies (especially varieties that re-bloom) will give you color in early summer, and the lavender will be beautiful in late summer.

Re: summer border plants

[rensreality101]

I like the idea of lavender in that spot. It would smell good when we were out on the front porch. I love daylilies but promised my husband I would..er..slow down on adding them to the garden. ;)