Hello everyone!
I moved into a condo last October, that has a fenced patio with some planter beds. I merrily put in some plants, some of which have thrived, and some of which.. well.. haven't. I have discovered that the amount of light the garden gets, and _when_ it gets it, varies immensly depending on the time of the year. I was hoping that some of you nice folks could give me some advice about plants to replace the dead ones.
First, a brief description of the area. South side of the patio is a two-story house. West side has a tree (melalucca, I think... a very lacy evergreen but not a pine-type) growing in the neighbor's side of the fence. North side is a one-story garage. East side has two-story Italian cypress growing on the far side of the fence. Light ranges from nothing reaching the ground in winter to a patio full of sun from mid-morning to evening in high summer, to now when the late-afternoon to evening is starting to get shady again.
Starting on the south end of the west side, I planted: Calla lily - struggling. It's not dead yet, but I think it isn't getting the light it needs. This is the shadiest spot, with a very small amount of filtered light in the morning that gets through the cypresses and the fence. Agapanthus - doing steady. I think they'd do better with a bit more light, but they are nice green and holding steady, so they'll stay. Camellia sasanqua setsugekka - thriving Statice - thriving. Lavatera - thriving. Growing like a weed, in fact!
On the north wall, I have two rose trees in pots flanking a granite pillar fountain. Burned, not dead, but too fussy for me.
On the east side, starting at the north, I have: Star jasmine, trellised - burned to a crisp Statice - absolutely thriving. Camellia sasanqua setsugekka - burned, not dead, but very loose in the dirt as well. I'm not sure if I should keep this and hope it gets better over the winter or not. Prostrate rosemary - absolutely thriving Bay laurel - thriving Dwarf agapanthus - one burned to a crisp, and the others showing signs of burning. They are on the very edge of the sun/shade line in the evening.
I'd like to replace the calla, the rose trees, the jasmine, and dwarf agapanthus. I'm not sure about the camellia in the sun, and am open to opinions on that one.
Thanks for any advice!
Rebecca PS. I'm in Valencia, for those familiar with the area.