Need help choosing shrubs
suggi
8 years ago
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suggi
8 years agoRelated Discussions
shrub suggestion
Comments (2)Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes'. Your question isn't ... yet ... a design question. I know, I know, you're asking for a shrub that will "go with" your other shrubs, but we don't really know what those shrubs are doing there in that part of your garden. There's a pond, but I have no clue what else is going on... Is there a path to, through, or around this part of your garden? Do you want people to focus or see something in particular or would you rather that they didn't notice, didn't see something? As it is, all of these shrubs are similar in their mounded form with relatively little variation in size. These are green blobs, except for the Physocarpus; the abelia is another green blob and some folks find it rather blah. That's why the one choice I gave is something that would, I think, accentuate the ninebark and the callicarpa berries. The Rhus foliage emerges chartreuse in spring, turns bright yellow, and can have striking scarlet tones in fall. ItÂs rough foliage makes it stand out. Stems and branches are purplish, which might echo those berries . This variety suckers minimally; matures at about 6Â. So IÂd be thinking in terms of gold or yellow foliage. Did you know thereÂs a gold leaf dogwood? ItÂs hard to find and apparently scorches easily, but it would look a bit different from your other choices and even has the red twigs for winter interest. But I'd probably actually go with a golden evergreen. Maybe something like Chamaecyparis pisifera ÂSungoldÂ. But I know nothing about your pond (real, faux "real", ornamental); I donÂt know if this area is primarily viewed from a distance or one that you hope to visit? Perhaps with a bench? I donÂt know if this area is remote or close to your home. Are these shrubs functioning as a screen? Is there a reason none will mature much past 9 or 10 feet? (Although shrubs donÂt stop growing when their tags tell them to anywayÂ) Help us understand how this vignette is intended to function and you may get some interesting suggestions. On this forum. Those suggestions will often not be another shrub, but rather another way of looking at things. As for great shrub suggestions, the "trees & shrubs" and the evergreen forums will have you falling in love with dozens if you post there as well. That way you can get the best of several worlds! Wellspring...See Morehelp choosing shrubs
Comments (12)I have several hydrangeas and though I love them, I agree with Mad Gallica that they are a bit homely in the winter, just a bunch of dead sticks. I do leave the blossoms on them to dry, and that adds some late fall and winter interest, but you might want to consider some type of evergreen that will tolerate the lower light levels better than what you have now. My hydrangeas are all in mixed beds that have some evergreens, a shrub with colored twigs or an iron trellis or something to add interest in the 7 months of the year that the hydrangeas are bare, especially those months without snow. I grow H. paniculata Pink Diamond, Pinky Winky, and Quickfire, H. macrophylla Endless Summer and All Summer Beauty, and H. arborescens Annabelle. Annabelle suckers some and flops if not grown between shrubs to prop her up, but all the rest are pretty easy and reliable. Incrediball is supposed to have stronger stems, but I have read reports that it still flops. The paniculatas don't die down to the ground and are a sturdy bush for me here on the northern edge of zone 5, but the macrophyllas and arborescens die back to the snow line almost every year. If I were you I'd grow Little Lime instead of Little Lamb (both are H. paniulatas) for the more interesting color, and then perhaps a couple of short evergreens. (I am assuming that you want them short to stay below windows.) I live in New England and have acid soil, so I grow some shorter rhododendrons (Checkmate with deep mahogany foliage in winter and Yaku Prince with olive green foliage) and a Leucathoe. They all need acid organic soil. A coniferous evergreen that will stay low and likes shade is Microbiota decussata, Siberian cypress. As Purpleinop said above, you can pretty much choose any color scheme for your perennials to go with the green and white of the hydrangeas. There are currently several threads on shade plants on the perennials forum you can check out. I linked one below. Remember that the farther out you are from the house, the more light indirect and direct the plants may get. If you have a photo, as others have said, it may help with suggestions. Just click on the choose file near the top of the follow-up section to upload it, and if you revise your preview, you have to reselect your photo. Here is a link that might be useful: shade perennials...See Moresomething instead of a rhodo
Comments (2)Not Berberis, very invasive and on the list in MA I believe. Fothergilla gardenii, Ilex glabra, Leucothoe, Hydrangea quercifolia (one of my favorites), Kalmia, Enkianthus, Taxus baccata 'Repandens', Daphne x burkwoodii, Clethra alnifolia. Some evergreen, some deciduous....See MoreNeed help choosing shrub(s)
Comments (10)Again, I don't know what size you want your shrubs to reach, but I'm planning on buying some purple smoke bushes, (Cotinus coggygria Atropurpurea) for my sunny bern. According to the limited reading I've done, and maybe others can help me out here, but the newest cultivars of Hydrangea, specifically the "All summer Beauty" (HYDRANGEA macrophylla) variety claims to do well in Full Sun. I always thought hydrangea's were more of a partial shade shrub, but this one claims that it can tolerate full sun. Another shrub I want to buy for my sunny spot is the ST. JOHNS WORT, (HYPERICUM Hidcote : H. PATULUM, GOLDENCUP) and I'm also going to plant some of the reblooming lilacs ( Syringa 'Josee'). The more I look at abelias, the more interested in them I am. Darn, I just reread your post and saw that you wanted evergreens. I guess I'd go with the azaleas, or rhodies, or there are even some mountain laurels that can tolerate full sun. I was thinking of getting a variegated Daphne, (Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata') and that's an evergreen for full sun. Or a camelia? Sorry I couldn't be more helpful....See Morelaceyvail 6A, WV
8 years ago
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