Camellia

Sounds wonderful! What cultivar? I know monrovia has a lot of nice camellias but they are rather expensive.

Bc of location I was thinking one that blooms in the fall winter I was told those can tolerate more sun than the ones that bloom in the spring and the spot on the side of our home will get a lot of sun

I picked up a green beauty box wood. Wedding ring boxwood and a cinnamon girl also... To get a feel for what I really liked

Most of them should do fine in full sun.

==>>>http://www.monrovia.com/plant_collection/camellias/

'Yuletide' is one of the most common fall-blooming camellias, and I'm not familiar with any of the others (I have only grown camellia japonica, not sasaquana).

"I picked up a green beauty box wood. Wedding ring boxwood and a cinnamon girl also... To get a feel for what I really liked"

I would plant 'wedding ring' with the gardenias, because it is variegated and the foliage will contrast nicely. 'Cinnamon Girl' isn't a boxwood, it is a distylium.

'Cinnamon Girl' distylium

'Wedding ring' boxwood

'Green Beauty' boxwood (very basic, would make a nice topiary)

I attached the links (photos) so you could see what they look like when they are mature.

Most camellias will do fine?

They should. I like that one, but I try to stay away from pink-flowering plants because pink is such a common color. As long as you don't have any other pink things, go for it.

Hmm.. I wanted to plant two.. A spring bloomer and a winter bloomer somewhat close to each other.. Any thoughts on preparing the ground for these plantings? We just had our walkway re done.. Looks like this now

I'm not a big pink fan myself. I may ask if they have any other colors that bloom fall-winter. Any ideas on a layout of shrubs that proves visually stimulating? I was going to do the gardenias in the back camellias on the side in the large shrub area, maybe some box woods in front? And then some pretty stuff in the front. Like some ground cover flowers....??

I would plant a row and alternate between gardenia and box. The box will grow faster than the gardenia, so if you want the staggered look plant the box in the back. The camellias would look good in the large shrub area. You could border with liriope 'variegata' or maybe plant some drift roses in the front for accent. Do not amend the soil, just plant them all straight into the clay. See link for planting guide. I'm assuming these are potted, not B&B, correct?

==>>>https://plumtreetrading.blogspot.com/2016/08/planting-potted-stock-trees-shrubs.html

Do I need to do this on graph paper first? I actually have some lirio

All potted

No need to do graph paper. Just go out set the pots where you want them, and dig the holes. Plant the liriope as a border in the front of the flowerbed. Like this.

Should the little be cut back in the winter? I have a few sad pieces out there now also what are your thoughts on mondo grass?!

Mondo grass would work as well. See the link for the article I wrote about cutting back liriope.

==>>>https://plumtreetrading.blogspot.com/2017/03/liriope-what-now.html

Logan said, "Just go out set the pots where you want them, and dig the holes."

I am going to reiterate what I said earlier. "I usually amend an entire bed if the soil is really poor, and raise it slightly, just a gentle mound of a very few inches so that it drains well. You can use commercial or municipal compost or composted manure or whatever is available and inexpensive. In the process of building, some developers strip and sell topsoil, but even if that isn't done, often topsoil isn't replaced, and the process of building creates compaction, so at the very least loosen soil and then give it a few weeks to settle before planting. As Ken said, you don't want to amend just the planting hole, but I've had good success with amending the whole bed." Then mulch the whole area except right against the plant stems.

You've said that your soil has high clay content, that it's a new build (and so topsoil was likely stripped and regardless the soil was compacted by builder's vehicles and equipment) and your current plants aren't doing well. It is more work to do a good job with soil prep, but IME you may be setting yourself up for failure if you don't do something to make your soil more hospitable to plants. Plants are living things, and if you don't meet their basic needs, they will suffer. Plant a bit high and mound up soil to just the top of the root ball and then mulch well to help even out moisture and temperature.

I have only bought a few shrubs to get a feel for what I think would look best in our bed. Buying these shrubs and mulch soil etc is an investment (a costly one at that) I want to do whatever will make the plants healthy and help them thrive.

Do not amend. My soil is exactly the same. NO NEED to amend.

Look at these:

Gardenia - in clay (with mulch ring)

My Landscape · More Info

Camellia Japonica - in clay

I also have 9 boxwoods growing in clay, but haven't taken any photos.

Here are 3 of my 9 boxwood topiaries in front of my house, along with a potted privet topiary. All growing in clay.

Well, I don't know I'd go THAT far. :-) Logan is just not very experienced in gardening and has a short resume'. Lotsa enthusiasm though, ......and he's getting an early start

The problem is a poster asking a question on these forums usually has no idea of the credentials of someone giving advice. Also, some people give advice that is good only for the area and conditions they live in. I should also bring up advice that is outmoded, but still persists. There's a lot of that.

There are horticulturists with degrees (Not me, I majored in Geology) and lifetime workers in
the nursery and landscaping fields that post here. Some own their own
nursery. Some have traveled extensively. A lot are serious collectors.
Some are just starting out.

I was 30 before I started working in the nursery and landscaping
industry. We had a large veggie garden on a farm when I was growing up,
so I knew how to grow plants right from the start. Well, veggies. A lot
landscape plants are a different ballgame.

I worked for a Japanese American Landscaping company for a year and then a nursery landscaping company for two years before going into a landscaping and design business for myself for almost 40 years. I'm retired now and have the same phone number I had when I was in business. You don't see that very often in the landscape business! I've gardened on 10 acres since 1978. You can see a lot of it here. There are several albums. If enlarged, there usually is a description. Enjoy!

http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Botann/library/

Mike....... Blowing my own horn. ;-)

Yesterday I asked the landscape nursery what to do he said he usually just amends the hole, not only did he have a degree this is his profession. I researched many say don't amend just the hole bc it leaves a hard clay on the outskirts. I've read some say don't amend the bed bc if you can't grow it your native soil you should pick something else..I've read you should amend at least the top adding soil conditioner and some compost.

Don't amend just the planting hole. It is a very very good idea to spread compost over the whole planting bed and top it with mulch. No need to till or spade, just cover the whole thing with mulch. Easy and effective.

You have to remember that this is relatively new construction (less than 2 years, IIRC.) It is not just your native soil. It is native soil with the topsoil most likely removed and perhaps the subsoil brought to the top by digging, compacted by whatever digging machinery was used to create the foundation, followed a lot of foot traffic along with delivery and contractor's trucks during construction and it's not unheard of for unethical builders to bury construction debris. So you have soil that has lost its organic matter and has lost its soil structure and is compacted by machinery. You've already said that current plants aren't happy there. If you do the same thing as was done before, you really can't expect different results. (and while I am not a pro, I have spent quite a bit of time studying soils in a couple of states, both formally and informally. I am old enough to be some posters' parent or even grandparent, and I've been actively gardening since I was in my teens.)

"Yesterday I asked the landscape nursery what to do he said he usually just amends the hole, not only did he have a degree this is his profession. I researched many say don't amend just the hole bc it leaves a hard clay on the outskirts. I've read some say don't amend the bed bc if you can't grow it your native soil you should pick something else..I've read you should amend at least the top adding soil conditioner and some compost."

NO! Plant Map is correct, that is what I do. Sometimes just mulch, sometimes just compost, and sometimes both. Either way it looks nice and helps the plants out.

I understand that it is new construction. My garden is on new construction site also, there were no topsoil at all. Instead of bringing topsoil, we ordered few dump trucks of leaf humus (basically leaf compost) and spread it everywhere. I got some compost too (more expensive then leaf humus). I also bought a bag of mycorrhiza inoculant and spread that too. Now, few years later, my soil is alive and fertile. Work smarter, not harder. I never tilled. Everything gets incorporated by your soil microorganisms and worms. Feed them and your plants will thrive.

By loosening the soil deep at the beginning you provide an environment for the creatures and fungus to do their work faster right off the start. It makes a larger root environment and holds more moisture than if you wait for the micro-organisms to slowly help the soil. A little extra work goes a long way to a better garden. I do a lot of top dressing using wood chips. As much as the groundcovers can handle.

That's exactly what I have. I just spread some compost out on a bed today because you could see the clay. It's wonderful soil, just doesn't look appealing to the eye.

Small update

Looking good! Also, nice choice for a tree. Eastern redbud is my favorite.

I couldn't find nandina fireball that looked good but I did find nandina harbor belle the large shrub is a linebacker distylium

I put three harbor belles around the linebacker distylium

Sounds like it will look nice. The nandina is 'firepower' not "fireball", which may have been why you couldn't find it. It is usually available at lowes and other big box stores. Are you not using the gardenia and box, or are you planting an alternated row? If you are planting an alternating row you may want to stagger it with gardenias in the front because they grow slower than box.

They did have firepower but it didn't look good. I asked why and they said it was just "frost". In the bed the boxwood is wedding ring and on the back row with the gardenias in front I purchased double mint I tried to stagger them a bit I may need to take a better photo and work on that some more

As long as the gardenias are in the front they should be fine. I assume that you intend to shear the box, and possibly the gardenia?

Absolutely

Don't attempt to shear the gardenia for several years, they need to grow. Also, with the gardenia, prune minimally, just pruning after bloom, and an out of place sprig here and there during the summer. With the box, you can start this year so they grow into the shape you want. Follow my shearing guide, and make sure to use bypass pruners instead of electric shears.

==>>>https://plumtreetrading.blogspot.com/2016/11/how-to-properly-shear-shrubs.html

Also, I wouldn't shear the nandina or distyllium.

==>>>http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/nandina-pruning-2/

==>>>https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/pdf/hgic1095.pdf

Also, be sure to plant them properly, and keep mulch away from the base of the plants!

==>>>https://plumtreetrading.blogspot.com/2016/08/planting-potted-stock-trees-shrubs.html

May I have someone's thoughts on Bottom layer of lirope or mondo grass followed by lambs ear with lavender in the middle circling the tree peninsula ???

Hello everyone. I apologize in advance, I'm not very knowledgeable of gardening, however I'm very willing to learn. I picked these two hibiscus trees and bush up yesterday from wal mart . They were on sale for $5 each and I thought they might look nice on the back patio when it warms. I put them in my garage last night bc it was chilly and windy and I figured tropical plants would not like that. When I bought them there were 0 blooms. Today I opened the garage to find this. Tons of blooms. Beautiful blooms. Now I'm worried. Will they continuously bloom all summer? How do I properly care for them to keep them healthy. They seemed to really like the garage last night.

"May I have someone's thoughts on Bottom layer of lirope or mondo grass followed by lambs ear with lavender in the middle circling the tree peninsula ???"

I would stay away from the lamb's ear because it resembles a common weed here (which I am unsure of ID, but it looks almost identical) and it would bring me to think that you need to weed your garden.

Your plant that you purchased on sale is a hibiscus rosa-sinensis (tropical hibiscus, like the kind they grow in hawaii). I have two of them, and due to our recent blast of cold weather, I brought one indoors and covered the other with a blanket. I would recommend that you bring it indoors, or keep a close eye on it until crepe myrtles are leafed out. Also, while the blooms are pretty, they usually only bloom one time each year for me, usually around june-july. Also, you may want to consider putting it in a new container.

Oh, and $5 was a great deal! You will probably never see such a sale again.

Hey Logan! Quick question. My double mint gardenias have a few yellow leaves. :( any suggestions as how to remedy them?

Don't worry. Mine do too. Sometimes after large amounts of rain (like we have had this week) a few leaves will turn yellow and fall off. You can pull them off if you want, but they will go away on their own. This happens with a lot of shrubs, but gardenias can be pretty finicky. When all of the leaves turn yellow, then you have a valid concern ;).

Thank you Logan. :)