Need some info on some plants please

[Minnie824]

I'm not really that familiar with most plants/trees/flowers, etc. (I'm not really an outdoor person, unless its cold out). Anyway, we're getting some things done in our backyard, and they came back with some suggestions to plant. Can you please tell me anything you know about the following, are they scented, attract bees, easy to care for, recommend them or not. Thanks for any info!

1) butterfly bush
2) endless summer hydrangea
3) says '1 gal cat mint'
4) 1 gal iris

 

[lmhall2000]

They're all very pretty...they aren't year round, though..so you may want something that is evergreen in there, too.

Butterfly bush comes white/pink/lavender colors I like the purplish/lavender/blue ones the best...they tend to send out spikes of leafy blooms and the flowers are also in spike form and attract of course butterflies! You can prune them back if they get out of control and keep them a nice sized bushy plant...they grow to be about 4-5 ft tall and maybe 2-3 ft wide...some can grow bushier.

Endless summer hydrangea...not sure about this particular one..I'm more familiear with oakleaf hydrangea and blue nikko (japanese form) with the blue/pink blooms. But a typical hydrangea can grow fairly large (8-10 ft wide and up to 5 feet high...they, too, can be pruned back fairly easily)

don't know lick about cat mint

irises like well-drained fertile soil that stays moist....they go very well next to water elements in a garden. They have beautiful blooms and they are my home state's flower! Tennessee..

Some of my favorite garden plants....granted I'm in north Alabama..so don't know your zone...

Stells D'oro Daylilies...really any daylillies...the Stella's just tend to bloom most months of the growing season.

Gumpo azaleas...low growing shrub form...pretty foliage and nice blooms

Evergreen tree form plants...broadway cypress, dwarf alberta spruce, mugo pine (birds nest plant), and love the blue weeping alaskan cedar...gets up to 40 feet tall but only 10 feet wide...beautiful...and deodar cedars....little gem magnolia

Deciduous faves....yoshino cherry tree, sago kaku acer palmatum (jap maple with coral bark), dogwood....

Have fun planting...we're working on my backyard all day tomorrow!!!
Tara

 

[shrubber]

Stay away from the catmint ( Nepeta ) unless it is in a well confined space. It can become a weed fairly quickly.

Endless Summer is a hydrangea that blooms on both new and old wood so if you are in a northern climate it will provide color most of the spring into summer. Be sure to plant in partial shade.

 

[Redbudlover]

I agree withthe catmint poster - it spreads quickly, but I do think it is lovely! Can't help growing it myself in my herb garden. the iris - hmmm - they should have told you what KIND of iris! There are so many different kinds. The bi-colored iris does well in dry conditions, is evergreen and about 3 to four feet tall and looks like a fountain of grass except it has these amazing yellow and brown flowers on a long wand. Louisiana iris needs lots of water. The iris a lot of people think of is the bearded iris about 10 to 14 inches high and has sword shaped leaves that die back in the winter with a gorgeous flower. Here is a great site for them http://caca.essortment.com/irisbearded_rfsm.htm.
My best advice on your landscaper's recommendations, though is to ask for the name of the variety of the plant they recommend - because they can be so different in size and color and care and shape! then go to google and put the plant name in - you will find pictures and info on care. Print out the page on the plants you select and put it in a notebook. that way you will always know how to care for what you have - and it will help you remember what you have too!!!

Redbudlover - master gardener

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Go for the catmint. It smells wonderful, attracts beneficials, bees, and hummingbirds, and many varieties aren't all that ill-behaved. My favorite is "Walker's Low", the flowers tend to stand out more than other varieties. Makes a nice blue hedge, too.

You do want to avoid catNIP, though. Gets everywhere.

 

[MizBlu]

I'm not really that familiar with most plants/trees/flowers, etc. (I'm not really an outdoor person, unless its cold out). Anyway, we're getting some things done in our backyard, and they came back with some suggestions to plant. Can you please tell me anything you know about the following, are they scented, attract bees, easy to care for, recommend them or not. Thanks for any info!

1) butterfly bush
2) endless summer hydrangea
3) says '1 gal cat mint'
4) 1 gal iris

Are they bearded iris because they don't grow well in Florida. There is another variety of iris, maybe Louisiana iris, that do thrive in this climate.

I also haven't had any luck with hydrangea. Since you're in Florida, have you considered hybiscus which can grow in a crack in the concrete or Mexican petunia? They're damn near impossible to kill. I know, I've tried.

Edited to add: nevermind. I could've sworn I read "not too far from WDW".

 

[bluefin]

well what you can do is check out a local nursery in your neighbourhood
that wil lreally help you
as seeing the plants and also reading about them simultaneously will turn out to be a very good experience for you