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Georgia Gardener

dark-leaved evergreen shrub choices?

15 years ago

This fall, I'm planning to put two new planting beds in the sunny front corners of the yard. I have an OVERLOAD Of green between grass, ivy and other shrubs, so I want as much year round color as I can get in those beds.

I'm thinking I'd like something deep and plummy-colored as the backdrop shrub. I am not getting that from lorapetalums in other parts of our yard (see previous thread.) Any suggestions for a shrub that can be kept at about a 4' height, gets 4-5 hours of sun daily, and keeps its leaves and an interesting color all year?

I could also use some suggestions for good combination plantings for those beds. As much summer flower power as I can get, and something fragrant for neighbors walking by to enjoy would be a plus. The house is country French and the existing landscaping nods to the formal side with some symmetry but the vibe is loose, not pruned.

Thanks!

Gayle

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Comments (3)

mayland
15 years ago
I can't think of any evergreen reddish/plummy-colored shrubs other than lorapetalum and nandina (which is apparently quite invasive so best to get one that doesnt produce berries). Some Azaleas have darker slightly reddish leaves, so you could look at those. If the leaf color loss is very location-specific, perhaps you should try lorapetalum there anyway and see if they stay purple there. Most Lorapetalums grow much bigger than 4' though, so you would need to keep them pruned.

Here are some other flowering evergreen full-sun shrubs, but that don't have the leaf color you are looking for (you would have more choice if you didnt mind them being non-flowering, but I compiled this list based on my searches for flowering shrubs):
Native -- Don's Dwarf wax myrtle, blueberry bushes, Lyonia lucida
Non-native -- Several different Abelia cultivars (Rose Creek, Canyon Creek, Mardi Gras), some of which have some interesting foliage, Viburnum tinus, Viburnum prague, Indian Hawthorne

Several deciduous shrubs with plummy/reddish leaves but most of these would get much taller than 4' so you would always be pruning:
Cotinus Grace or Royal Purple, Physocarpus Summer Wine, Sambucus nigra (elderberry) Black Beauty/Black Lace, Weigela Wine-n-Roses series (there are some shorter ones).

I'm no expert though, having just started planting our garden last year. Maybe you'll get some other suggestions.
mayland
15 years ago
Oh, Gardenia would be another evergreen choice for its wonderful fragrance, but again, not the leaf color you had wanted. The bigger ones, 4-6', as your backdrop, or the low-growing Radicans in the front of the bed.

And since your house is French-Country, lavenders would be great as fragrant and flowery and less formal. Mixed with some Rosemary and then some perennials. Daphne is very fragrant and pretty if you have a shadier spot anywhere in the bed.

The perennials forum and cottage garden forums here are nice to look at for ideas. Look at Wonbyherwit's garden, she has a lot of beds that look quite loose-french-countryish to me (and she's somewhere in the south so similar climate). She posts on Cottage Gardens a lot.
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You are definitely going for the right look for a foundation planting, namely a layered series of different textures with evergreen at the back. But I agree that a total of 5 feet from foundation out is not enough width to get that job done. You have enough sun to work with and you have a vision, so why not do it up right: expand the bed 3-4 feet, move the roses out a few feet, and then put in some spreading yew or a globe arborvitae-type thing about 2-3 feet out from the house. You'll have to trim the yew or whatever you put there, but it will give you the look you want. Yews are incredibly overplanted on the foundation, but for the back row of a layered planting, I think they work just fine. Put a low layer in front of the roses, maybe some Blue Star Juniper, then you can keep the layered thing going on during the winter. The Blue Star is fairly slow growing, (especially living on the east side), so don't expect it to fill in quickly. Instead, cough up the cash and plant several. If you think widening the bed is daunting, just lay down wet cardboard on the turf and cover with lots of mulch. Then cut out wide holes for your plantings. The grass will be long gone in a year. Boxwood could work against the foundation too, but it grows like molasses. Just my thoughts, based on having been in a similar situation. Get what you want the first time around, so you don't have to do it again later.
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Paula I think the smokebush won't be as neat as I'd like... unless I plant them close together then maybe they would form an even background, but I'm not sure how long it would last. I bet eventually one would overwhelm another and it would get thick and thin and uneven. Pencil holly... I considered that but was just too lazy to take the cuttings and wait till they were big enough. Then with my luck global warming would take a year off and they'd all die one winter (they're borderline here) Purple- I guess I see your point, but whoever follows me here is more than welcome to do some bulldozer landscaping if mine doesn't suit them.... and if I don't make it that long I'm sure the wife can dig into the insurance a bit and do the same. Life's too short to be ruled by resale or home value. I want to experiment and create something, for anything less I could just hire a landscaper for some cookie cutting. I guess some people like vinyl, others not so much. IMO it makes me feel like I'm gardening inside a human Tupperware container. Oh and I'm bad with pots.... dead plants in pots along the fence would probably not be a plus :) but come to think of it I've seen some nice fences with mirrors, garden art, pots, even complete vertical gardens.... I'll stick to the maintenance of a hedge though before I get into all that. Nice ideas though, thanks!
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Boxwood (various types) is commonly used for topiaries, as is Japanese holly. You should be aware that creating sheared shapes out of either of these plants (also yews) is a slow, methodical and long-term project, if that is something you are interested in doing yourself.
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jeff_al
15 years ago
except for the height limitations, chamaecyparis thyoides 'red star' could be what you are looking for.
i hesitate to recommend it, though, based on my personal experience with it as well as reading about that from other gardeners. it is quite attractive when young and has blue-green summer foliage that turns a plum color in winter.
comments from others in colder climates indicate it can be finicky and die for no reason but it might perform better in our warmer zones if properly sited and watered. i had one for a few years but lost it. i did find it at petals from the past nursery in jemison, al. and jason's specimens in the ground were very attractive. you might research other evergreens like this with winter bronzing foliage.

one of my favorite fragrant plants for summer bloom is flowering tobacco. try the white, fragrant kind (nicotiana alata) rather than the ones with colored flowers offered during spring at the garden centers. it comes back faithfully for me every year from the roots and the scent is wonderful during the evening hours.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'red star'

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