Hello there, I am another one that is looking to replace my lawn this spring. I already have a couple of beds on it, 1 with an hibiscus plant and the other bed close to the front porch, with shrubs and flowers. I am looking to increase the hibiscus bed that is close to the sidewalk and turn it into a hardy perennial bed. Then I'll like to add some perennial ornamental grasses ( tall and short ) to another part of the lawn, along with some evergreens for winter interest. Any suggestions and recommendations please? I am in Zone 5b Ontario Cheers
Gosh, you have plenty of perennials to choose among. It could be worth checking out present-day maintenance practices. Years ago, when garden labor was cheap, plants were fussed over endlessly. Today, I suspect that the first priority is to develop the soil (adjusting organic matter, pH, fertility, etc). Then plants are selected that can, perhaps, be run over with the lawnmower at the end of the season. And kept in place for a reasonable number of years. Portland, Oregon's Timber Press would undoubtedly have an excellent if costly book for you. I suspect lots of less costly resources would be available. I'm sure UBC forumites will provide expertise! A modest perennial example from my own garden would be Physostegia virginiana. It's busily spreading, but is in a bed surrounded by pavement, so shouldn't become a problem. Here's an expert view from Florida. http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/phys_vir.cfm There's also the business of building a perennial bed in layers--for example, having long-lived bulbs followed by perennials or long-lived summer bulbs (Asiatic hybrid lilies, maybe?)
Thanks for that anyway. Here is what am trying to work with, just to give you an idea http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3197.jpg Same front lawn before I made the bed close to the porch. I need to incorporate this bed that has the hibiscus, into the equation. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_0490.jpg thx
That's about where I was in Wyoming, circa 1980 then (concentrating on building a narcissus bed) in Portland, Ore., circa 1998. Looks as though you could connect the two beds, or possibly leave a grass path between them. Neat hibiscus--it should put on a nice summer show. One of the better ways to get perennials is to help friends & neighbors divide their overgrown plants. Definitely worked for me. Come to think of it, I never remained in one place long enough to get very far with peonies, tree or herbaceous. They're expensive but permanent. Asters are likely to be good for fall. I don't know about mini-shrubs for winter. Good dwarf evergreens are expensive, but it should be possible to get one or two small ones at a reasonable price. These evergreens are sort of specialized plants, not what you'd see at big hardware or discount stores. Let's see what the zone 5 experts will say.
