Here is a picture of my yard/beds and what I have planned for this season.
Green stars = ensete maurelii
Pink stars = musa basjoo
Blue star = (3) musa orinoco in that circle bed
Orange star = misc perennial bed
Red star = magnolia grandiflora 'edith bogue'
Yellow stars = yucca filamentosa 'color guard'
The perennial bed, circle bed and oval bed I think are done. Mulched them. The other bed I want to add more. I have the space in front of the musa basjoo (towards sidewalk) that I had black magic EE's in last year. I was thinking of planting pansies or another annual flower throughout the rest of the bed (around the trachys and ensete maurelii), but am open to suggestions.
What I need are low-growing, tropical-looking or colorful plants so that the ensete, musa basjoo and trachys stay dominant. I do not want them overgrown by July. LOL.
All ideas welcome.
<object width="290" height="130"><param name="movie" value="http://www.wunderground.com/swf/pws_mini_rf_nc.swf?station=KWISAUKV3&freq=5.0&units=english&lang=EN" /><embed src="http://www.wunderground.com/swf/pws_mini_rf_nc.swf?station=KWISAUKV3&freq=5.0&units=english&lang=EN" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="290" height="130" /></object>
Tim,
You obviously want color but I think weeding around annual flowers would be a neverending pain.
Plus flowers take attention away from the dominance of your specimen plants.
To keep your palms and bananas and magnolia dominant, I'd opt for something like a "carpet juniper" (they crawl along the ground about 2" high, and never grow vertically).
I think mine is called "blue carpet juniper", tough as nails.
In 6+ years, one juniper covers an area 20 x 15 feet.
I still miss your P.sylvestris 😆
Barb
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/cgi-bin/banner/ban/wxBanner?bannertype=wu_bluestripes_both&airportcode=CWJV&ForcedCity=Vernon&ForcedState=Canada&wmo=71115&language=EN" alt="Find more about Weather in Vernon, CA" width="160" />
If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Calladiums.
