What to plant? Shrub for woods
Sigrid
last year
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Christopher CNC
last yearmad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
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What would you plant between these shrubs?
Comments (10)Thank you all for your input! I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. The plants in the bed behind the RofS are endless summer hydrangeas, so shouldn't get more than ~4 feet (per the tag anyway), I know they haven't taken a math class either ;) I'm still not sure what I'll do... wait it out and see how fast they grow or plant a third since things look good in threes and as long as I prune them they should stay in bounds okay. I don't have space for carpet roses on either side and think it would probably look funny to just have one in between. I did consider a Miss Kim lilac, but since that would stay shorter I thought it might look odd to have the thing in between be shorter. So I think I'm down to either leaving the 2 and composting well or adding a third. Wellspring, I must confess that you are onto something when you said "It has me thinking that something else about your choices is the real culpritÂ" When we planted the RofS, I thought a lavender RofS was a lavender RofS, and I loved the lavender RofS shrub in the backyard of the house where I grew up. When shrubs first bloomed, I thought something was wrong because the blooms looked odd and mutant. After the second year of mutant blooms, I did a little research and figured out ours are the lavender chiffon variety, and the "double" flowers are normal for that variety. I personally find them ugly and fru-fru, and hate that they are in such a prominent spot. To me, the beauty of a RofS is the contrasting center, and that is covered up by little petal flaps in the chiffon variety :( So that is why I hesitate to plant another RofS shrub there. If it weren't for the fact that I dislike the lavender chiffon blooms, I think I would plant a third one in a heartbeat and stop obsessing over it. If they weren't thriving so well I'll consider ripping them out or at least moving them, but alas they thriving where they are so I have resolved to live with them where they are....See MoreWhat is this plant? Pacific Northwest native shrub
Comments (9)Wisconsitom, I pulled this photo from the web because it's the only photo I know of with ANY part of the plant in it. Didn't take the time to crop it. I hear you, though, I'm a not a selfie taker - I much prefer taking pics of plants!! I have more pics of it on my computer, someday I'll get them off for comparison. Better yet, I'll go look at it in the woods....See MoreHelp...What plants/Shrubs that are low maintance
Comments (6)It is not the plant itself that determines if it is high or low maintenance. It is that it grows too fast and too large for the position in which it is being used. Or, it is in some way not suited for the use it has been given. For example, if you have alkaline soil, but install acid-loving plants and then have to treat them chemically, ongoing, you are adding to the work and expense of yard maintenance. If you plant trashy or fruit-dropping trees over a patio or deck, you are adding to maintenance. But these same trees could be low maintenance planted at a distance without paving under them, where their mess can decay without being seen or bothering humans. Another way to add to maintenance -- and a very common one -- is by planting more quantity than is necessary to make the functional or artistic statement. This is common because, to a large extent, the landscape industry is about selling plants. Based on common rules of economy, a client would balk at paying much for a landscape design that uses a low quantity of plants. But they would think they got a design bargain if, for the same price, the plan was chock full of plants. (I'm talking in general, not every instance.) Another way that maintenance is added is by having a higher VARIETY of plants per square foot of ground space. Different plants are maintained different ways so where there is a change from one to another, it may require that maintenance tools and a mindset are changed, which takes time. Turfgrass, in and of itself, might consume more maintenance time, effort and money, but if there is nothing but turfgrass, it can be quickly taken care of, in a basic way, with one or two tools and a relatively unboggled mind. Not KNOWING how to care for a plant seems to be a fairly large obstacle for many people in taking care of their landscape. This ultimately, ends up in neglect, which over a period of time converts into some daunting maintenance tasks. In the end, it's going to be harder for a person without good plant knowledge to create a low maintenance landscape, than it would be for a person with lots of plant knowledge and experience. A designer could help greatly, but it must be a designer who does not subscribe to the notion that more quantity and variety is automatically better. You have to review the designer's approach....See MoreWhat is this plant/shrub/tree?
Comments (2)Dang. I'm gonna get one of those. The last dinky box of tapioca I bought (8 oz.) cost five bucks!...See MoreSigrid
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