BigMamaBird Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've already started planning my planting for the spring and I'm excited!! We moved into our "Forever Home" last October and I'm itching to fill the yard with some great flowers! I had thought I wanted to plant some climbing roses on either side of the garage, but I began looking into the care of them and I don't want to have the bare, dead canes clinging to the front of the house all winter long. In the past, I've had Clematis which I do love! But I was wondering if maybe some of you could suggest your favorites too. I'm looking for a perennial that has to be cut back every Autumn and that will grow vigorously in Zone 5. The spaces I have are about four feet wide and the height of the front of the garage. What do you Green Thumbs have to suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My favorite is the morning glory - we have tons, and they're my favorite year after year. I'm not sure how they'd fare in zone 5, but it's easy enough to ask a local gardener :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Ack -morning glory is a weed all over my garden. Ok, a pretty weed but arghh. In my old garden I remember desperately trying to grow it, too. :) Not a cut down perennial, but have you considered camellias? Beautiful foliage and off season blooms. Other climbers: Passion fruit vine - also a bit weedy but pretty and easy to contain. I've heard that if you get some of the boutique varieties it isn't so weedy. Zepherin Drouhin (sp?) rose is thornless and fairly carefree if you decide you want a rose. Hollyhocks are easy and pretty. Delphiniums are gorgeous, too. Honeysuckle vines are fairly carefree. They are evergreen here. Not sure about where you are. Have you thought of espaliering a tree or shrub? Japanese maples? Not flowering but with gorgeous shape, bark color and foliage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillieBoy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Why not do something edible? A male and female hardy kiwi plant will work in your zone. The flowers are quite attractive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Some roses do not lose all their leaves during the winter...at least in my zone (7). I second the suggestion of Zephrin Doughrin roses. Nearly thornless and beautiful. Check with Antique Rose Emporium for hardiness in your zone. I love honeysuckle! It's tough, hardy, and beautiful. Once established, it takes only sun and water to grow. If it gets too rowdy, whack it back. I have Boston Ivy (no flowers) on my garage facade. It's easy and lovely. NOTE: NOT English Ivy which might damage the brick. Boston is much more refined. ;) Clematis in my yard are gorgeous, but finky. Talk to some local gardeners... Have fun landscaping and playing in the dirt! Remember it takes a while to get a landscape looking 'right.' Enjoy the process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Ack -morning glory is a weed all over my garden. Ok, a pretty weed but arghh. In my old garden I remember desperately trying to grow it, too. :lol: my boys are members of the city's garden club, and the first lesson they learned as newbies came from one of the Master Gardeners: Know the difference between a plant and a weed? Whether or not you like it! And it's true. We grew bamboo and adore it, but everyone else around here hates it and considers it a weed. And so it must be true of morning glory as well LOL. It grows wild here, so I know lots of people who share your angst at it's ... "prevalence"! I love Japanese Maples. We have several, both in ground and potted. That's an excellent and very attractive suggestion for the OP's area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 The last two years I planted two clematis plants that intertwine as they grow. I found this great clematis website that has most clematis varieties listed. I picked a Group C pruning clematis, a light and a darker variety, and I hard prune (a few inches above the ground) in the fall. I have a daylily planted near the base so that the feet are shaded. I've been happy so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Great ideas everyone! Thank you. I love the idea of something edible that can pull double duty as ornamental too. I'll look into those.:D Off to stalk the interwebs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) I love Sweet Autumn clematis. It blooms in August, and has a heavy, sweet smell. The flowers are teeny starbursts. Zephrinie has a heady, delicious scent and is thornless. Edited January 23, 2012 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 :lol: my boys are members of the city's garden club, and the first lesson they learned as newbies came from one of the Master Gardeners: Know the difference between a plant and a weed? Whether or not you like it! And it's true. We grew bamboo and adore it, but everyone else around here hates it and considers it a weed. And so it must be true of morning glory as well LOL. It grows wild here, so I know lots of people who share your angst at it's ... "prevalence"! I love Japanese Maples. We have several, both in ground and potted. That's an excellent and very attractive suggestion for the OP's area! I like it. I've also heard "a weed is just a plant in the wrong place." I hear you though. My mom has rivers of volunteer impatiens all over her yard. She rips them out so that they don't smother the other plants she has. Angst at it's prevalence!! I love it. Very poetic. May I steal? Love the edible idea, too. I've seen people espalier fruit trees. Or you could just use a potted columnar variety. That could be beautiful. We're trying some grapevines along our fence. Planted them in the fall. So excited to see if they do anything for us. Oh, nasturtium are easy, pretty and will climb just about anything. Their flowers and I think their leaves are edible. They have a really pretty leaf shape, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIS0320 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I also recommend Zepherine Drouhin which is a lovely old-fashioned rose. I always order roses from Pickering Nurseries out of Canada. They graft with R. Multiflora rootstock for the most part and that seems to do well in my area. You will most likely have to spray for black spot and other diseases as this is an older rose variety. Another option is Pyracantha. It does have thorns but boy, it is lovely trained up a trellis with all those bright orange berries in the fall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Careful with the Morning Glory and Honeysuckle...they can be pretty invasive in some parts of the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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