This year we are modifying our front yard, removing some of the lawn and expanding the stone patio. As part of the design we are adding a stock tank and my goal is to plant it with flowers that attract birds and butterflies. I researched flowers that birds and butterflies are attracted to, then was reminded by my landscaper expert that we also need to repel the deer that regularly frequent my garden. Don't these guys just look like they are ready for a snack!?!
There are many plants that meet these requirements, but blended with my preferences my list is as follows:
Penstemon
Columbine
Coral Bells
Larkspur
Nicotiana
Foxglove
Scabiosa
Sage/Salvias
Marigold
Coneflower
Snow on the Mount
Baby's breath
Lantana
Alyssum
Peony
Poppy
Zinnia
Bachelor Button
Black-eyed susan
Bulbs
So far the tank has been installed and leveled, irrigation added, and it is filled with dirt. Rather than a bare tank, the landscaper surrounded it with cement and we will add a sitting wall.
Once the sitting wall was finished, garden soil was added, watered, and added again. From experience we know that the soil will settle over time so our goal was to get it as full as possible before planting.
Now for the fun part, shopping for plants! I had created a spreadsheet from my online research, refined it with trips to the wholesale nursery to see what they had in stock and what shape it was in, and narrowed the list above down to a smaller number that were deer resistant, in stock, and looked good. While I spent many hours and garnered a sunburn from the nursery trips, I was like a kid in a candy store! Going with my landscaper allowed me access to the wholesale plants, and I benefited from her expertise about which varieties do well in my area, which are invasive, don't last long, etc. Well worth it! Here's a shot of one of the nurseries to give you an idea of the extent of the job...
Of course, we had to narrow my original list down to just the number that I could fit in my tank, others will be planted in the ground-level beds or not at all. Such hard decisions! We ended up with a combination of penstemon, salvia, echinacea, rudbeckia, petchoa (a combination of petunia and calibrochoa), and superbells. I'll add spring flowering bulbs to give this some interest in the winter/spring when not much else is happening.
Another reason to hire experts (besides their expertise on plant purchases and wholesale prices) is that they make sure the irrigation will serve your needs. We circled the tank with 1/2" line, then ran 1/4" lines with in-line drippers every 12". It's helpful to be a bit anal, they ran lines every 12" to ensure even coverage, and even cut the lines when connecting them to make sure the drippers were staggered from one line to the next. I never would have thought of that!
At last, we planted the plants. We had been keeping them watered, according to my landscaping expert it's critical that the plants you are planting are well-watered. I will water by hand for the time being to make sure they are well-established. Here's an initial shot of the planted result. I will add more updates over time as the plants fill in. And we'll see if any get eaten!
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