I want to plant some color in front of my house around a tree that allows both sun and shade?

The island, is what I call it has both sun/shade. It once had hedge bushes and they got some infection and so we removed them. Now I want to brighten it up with something more colorfull plants?

I want to plant some color in front of my house around a tree that allows both sun and shade?
Hostas come in many varieties and work well in sun / shade. I also love Coleus for great variety of color.
Reply:Zinnias -- profusion. They come in white, orange and cherry and grow in a mound shape. Easy to grow, disease and bug resistant.
Reply:Did you spread any insect and disease control agent over the remains of you removed plantings? Do you think that diseases and insects reside in the plantings alone?


For the front of your tree I would suggest a Shredded Cyprus Mulch at a level of two inches to the drip line. On top of this I would apply an application of either gran. Sevin or Liquid Sevivn in mid May and mid Aug. I would augment the treatments with a 10-10-10-minerals granular fert spread and watered into the tree.


Never plant under a tree. Make a bed before a tree and no less than a foot from the drip-line of the tree. You can make the bed higher in the back (16-24") to ground level at the base.


The tree is green and the background. You want a contrast. Put a Red and Pink Geranimum as a planting as the plant closest to the tree. Want to save some money? Put a white Miedlander Rose in front. The rose will bloom until almost Christmas and be as a shrub.


Another outside shrub would be a heather planting. It will bloom in winter and be evergreen.
Reply:Try Impatiens (flowers) - they're very durable, can thrive both in shade and light, come in a variety of colors, and very easy to care for
Reply:You might try experimenting with different annuals for a few years and see if there's a certain color you like better than others, then find a perennial that blooms that color. Marigolds and Wave Petunias are two that will continue blooming all summer, the marigolds in particular will bloom more if you keep them deadheaded. Wave petunias can get 4 feet wide, so plant them with some room between for the spread. Feed every two weeks for best results. Miracle Gro works well, but continued use over many years will leave a lot of salts in the soil, so organic ferts are better for the long run, plus they actually improve the soil, where the synthetic (M Gro) will not.