I planted a lilac that will grow to be smellable from the deck, so I'm strongly in favor of a lilac by the porch. Make it a super-fragrant one!
Pansies and marigolds are annuals and I assume you mean both---pansies, cool season, marigolds for when they burn out. They are nice filers. However, I vote for creeping phlox with stepping stones also. You could also look at cerastium (silver-grey foliage, delicate white flowers) to mix with the phlox. (Deer and rabbits may eat the blossoms off both of those, have a Plan B in mind.) Liriope and hakone grass, which both come in various colors including variegated, would also look good in the hell strip, framing stepping stones. Make your stepping stone quite large as the plants will flop in around it and reduce the apparent size and people will then stomp the plants anyway. Both liriope and hakone grass die back in winter where I am, I am not sure Staten Island isn't mild enough to keep them going. (If you want something evergreen, you'll need to go with something like vinca.) You could also set a couple of the nonstop daylilies in with the phlox, hakone grass, or whatever you add---Hyperion literally will bloom all summer once it gets going and is easy care and there are descendants of Hyperion available too. Nobody steps on daylilies, they're pretty. I'd probably place a stepping stone for both front and back of car doors.
Butterfly bush is kinda invasive and may self-seed if you put it there, I would choose cautiously if you like those.
If people are in the habit of putting their trash where your unloved rose is, you will have trouble breaking them of the habit: consider replacing that rose with a better one? Still a deterrent but more attractive? Could you get away with a small prunable tree there, eg. dogwood? There are some excellent selections in evergreens that stay small available now, too.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-05-06 05:46 pm (UTC)Pansies and marigolds are annuals and I assume you mean both---pansies, cool season, marigolds for when they burn out. They are nice filers. However, I vote for creeping phlox with stepping stones also. You could also look at cerastium (silver-grey foliage, delicate white flowers) to mix with the phlox. (Deer and rabbits may eat the blossoms off both of those, have a Plan B in mind.) Liriope and hakone grass, which both come in various colors including variegated, would also look good in the hell strip, framing stepping stones. Make your stepping stone quite large as the plants will flop in around it and reduce the apparent size and people will then stomp the plants anyway. Both liriope and hakone grass die back in winter where I am, I am not sure Staten Island isn't mild enough to keep them going. (If you want something evergreen, you'll need to go with something like vinca.) You could also set a couple of the nonstop daylilies in with the phlox, hakone grass, or whatever you add---Hyperion literally will bloom all summer once it gets going and is easy care and there are descendants of Hyperion available too. Nobody steps on daylilies, they're pretty. I'd probably place a stepping stone for both front and back of car doors.
Butterfly bush is kinda invasive and may self-seed if you put it there, I would choose cautiously if you like those.
If people are in the habit of putting their trash where your unloved rose is, you will have trouble breaking them of the habit: consider replacing that rose with a better one? Still a deterrent but more attractive? Could you get away with a small prunable tree there, eg. dogwood? There are some excellent selections in evergreens that stay small available now, too.