C
CalvertNewbie
Guest
Lots of good suggestions. One thing to watch out for is planting flowers as with them will come bees.
Below are some things I didn't see mentioned already (or missed if it was):
Variegated liriope (also called monkey grass) is a great low-maintenance, easy-to-grow plant:
Variegated Liriope
If you want a grass for full shade, you can't beat this one:
Aureola Hakonechloa Seeds and Plants, Perennnial Flowers at Burpee.com
For flowers, dianthus is a good hearty grower. Very low maintenance and grows easily in a variety of environments. Just be aware most are perenniel varieties but there are also annual, bienniel and shrub variations.
I also love everything in the daisy family: Echinacea (coneflowers), rudbeckia (black-eye susan), Shasta daisies, etc. All are easy to grow and pretty pest resistant plus will tolerate some shade. Coreopsis is another one. 'Moonbeam' is an awesome variety. They've also come out with some beautiful compact varieties that are extremely hardly like this one:
Coreopsis Heaven's Gate Seeds and Plants, Perennnial Flowerss at Burpee.com
Astilbe is a wonderful plant that grows very compact and does well in partial shade, too.
Good luck and happy planting!
Hmmm, didn't even think about variegated liriope or dianthus but they would look great and don't get tall at all. We planted them both in our other gardens but now that you mention it, maybe I'll plant some dianthus near the pool too. They've both held up really well in the extreme heat we've had this year, just like my day lilies have. I should've gotten a job at a nursery for discounts with all the planting I've done since moving here.
