Lankford Associates Landscape Architects The color is part due to lighting and part the color of the flowers. They have a distinct purple hue when the flowers have been on the plant for some time. The dark red flowers are sedum 'brilliant. Thank you for your interest.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects I think these plants would grow in your location. It is a little colder there, but these are hardy plantings. The blue oat grass, siberian iris, sedum, red mother of thyme, blanket flower, lavender, and maiden grass all will grow in your region. The ceanothus may be too tender, but it is worth a try. I suggest trying a plant or two to test how they do and then expand from there.

Anna Zonneveld What is the purple groundcover? Is it invasive?

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects Hi There,
The reddish ground cover is Thymus serphyllum, red mother of thyme. It is a ground cover, evergreen, drought resistant and blooms May through July. Low maintenance, it is also deer resistant.

limindove I love the purple ground cover! How tall will it grow? Does it need mow or trim? Do them stay green in Chicago winter? I live in Chicago. I have a big garden with a slope. I wonder if I can plant this.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects The grass shown should have no problems with growing in South Carolina.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects The Thymus serphyllum will spread but is easy to control. It is not a clump type plant but instead spreads with above ground small runners that root and form a mat. It will typically stay within 3' of the initial clump planting.

Sonia Semone Interior Consulting pretty

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects The Thymus serphyllum does spread through small runners that root. It is very easy to keep trimmed around rock or shell. It is fast growing from 4" pot to 18" in one season. It does bloom for about 2-3 months.

cainshmain 2-3 months is excellent. i am in Ontario Canada, zone 5 (i think Cdn. zones are different than U.S. ones though. 2-3 in Ontario is perfect, maybe i will try planting it and see if that's what I get. I am concerned otherwise that it looks messy or stringy afterwards. do you know? once blooms finish, is it then just greenery, or ?
thanks!

motherbear Pacific Nw Coast

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects This is on Camano Island Washington. Looking north over Saratoga passage.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects Yes, Thymus will grow in almost all regions.

maggiet2 Thanks

TanCalGal Here is a list of nurseries that sell ornamental grasses in the Virginia Beach area. Take the photo you like with you and talk to them about what similar grasses you can plant (or Lowes etc). The nursery can help you identify the purple low growing ground cover,, too: it may be Purple Verbena (read about it here and also scroll to the comment from Hampton VA http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/251/#b ) Nursery can help you with a tree, too, but this multi trunk olive tree might be nice (Olea europae "Majestic Beauty" ) or a similar multi-trunk tree. http://www.lgyp.com/Ornamental-Grasses-in-Virginia.htm

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects The Thymus serphyllum should grow in your region. It takes very little water and tolerates light foot traffic. A slow growing works well in a seashore planting such as this. I suggest pinus contorta.

jarrow How spectacular. Would this plant grow in south east Queensland Australia where the winters are mild and arid and the summers wet and humid?

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects Thymus serphyllum should survive there. It does well in drought, so the wet summers may give it some trouble. I think if you plant it in a sunny, sandy loam it would survive. Try a small one to see the success and habit of the plant and let me know if it works.

isamenton Hi Scott, Which variety of ceanothus would you recommend for this type of coastal planting?

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects I use variety Concha also victoria works.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects The purple flowers are Thymus serphyllum, red mother of thyme. The plant in the center is blue oat grass, Heliotrichon sempervirens. The taller grass behind these are Miscanthus gracillimus, Maiden grass and also siberian iris, iris siberica. Hope this helps.

Scott,

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects Thank you for your comment. It is most appreciated. This is also a low maintenance, drought and deer proof garden.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects Hi There. The Thymus serphyllum is one of the perfect plants. It is evergreen, year around, green in summer, turning bronzy in fall. It can be easly mowed at 3". If you mow it after the bloom, it tidies it up spent flowers and encourages growth. It doesn't like too much water, it doesn't like fertilizer and can burn. It also can take light traffic, and like most thymes it is fragrant and you can use it for cooking.

There are many native plants ideal for your area. One of the most forgiving is the Oregon grape, Mahonia aquifolium. There are many varieties but the native one is tough, evergreen, sun or shade, salt tollerant and blooms with bright yellow flowers, followed by edible berries that are blue, (they are sour and have a big seed). The birds often get a little looped on the fermented berries in the fall.

This is a medium shrub. There are many more natives that work in your yard, from low ground covers to trees, sun or shade. If you give me a setting or range of sizes I can help more, or you can contact me at, www.Scott@Lankfordarchitecture.com

Scott,

rbcola Hello Scott,
Again, love much about this design photo. My question is.....can I use many of your selected plantings in Southern IN. We've purchased a 2.5 acre lot that offers a slight gradual slope from the NE corner to the SW corner. The lot is surrounded by woods. Plenty of deer, wildlife. We plan to place the house approximately mid-way to give us a reasonable amount of space in back for family entertainment and outdoor privacy, similarly in front without too much front yard to mow! My husband and I are retired so I thought "terracing" would minimize the areas that need mowing. My main question is can I use the plants you've described in my location. We have plenty of lakes and one within 2 miles of the house....however, not on the water. It's Lake Monroe - which is a reservoir - not salt water. .........
I like your work.......too bad you're so far away.