Suggestions for area just south of white pines

last year

I have two large white pines in my back yard, and I'd like to fill in some of the area beneath it and to the South.

I took this pic 2, maybe 3 years ago:

There's English Ivy climbing both trees, which I've since trimmed; it's still there, just not overwhelming. The limbs of the trees start at about 20' from the ground.

To the left is a large rhododendron and my first dog's grave, then a little bench.

In the area that I want to improve, I have yellow and orange canna lilies, purple bearded irises, blue speedwell, Autumn Joy sedum, butterfly milkweed, purple phlox, purple heart setcreasea, mondo grass, and a few other flowers that I can't remember.

You can see a wild plum tree in this picture. That was a gift from my dad and I didn't know where to put it, so this was intended to be a temporary placeholder! LOL I plan to dig it up now and move it to a new place that I've just created.

And where you see the hummingbird feeder (center left), I planted a Sweetbay Magnolia last year. It hasn't done well over the winter, though, so I'm thinking about moving it. That location is pretty much the line where it goes from full sun to part sun / dappled.

I have an impact sprinkler nearby so water shouldn't be an issue. It's also notable that the soil is probably acidic from the pine trees. My tap water (well water) is slightly acidic, too; maybe 6.4.

Any suggestions for what I might put in place of the wild plum tree? And/or in place of the Magnolia?

I bought a Fluffy arborvitae last year with the intention of putting it in place of the plum, but it died over the winter :-(

I'd really consider digging it ALL up and doing something different, but I'm not sure that time or money allows for that :-/

Thanks for any suggestions!

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Comments (9)

simplynatural
last year
The main thing I would do for the sunnier area is to group like plants to make drifts (less spotty, less lined up), and to place the more woodsy-looking plants closest to the pines.

For the back area under the pines, look for zone 7 shrubs for shade and acid soil (gardenia.net has a plant finder for that, as do many other sites). More azaleas/rhododendrons, camellias, clethra, hydrangea, itea, illicum, and more are options. Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is a native option for a small tree or two (see photo). It likes full sun to part shade, so could replace either the plum or the magnolia.
charles kidder
last year
In a sunny spot like that, I would plant roses. And every year, fill in the empty spots with annuals I grew from seed. Nothing like a spot covered in flowers from spring through fall. Winter would look bleak.
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pines are conifers.. and conifers are trees .. but they are not shrubs ... though i understand things in front of the house are usually called such ... as trees.. they never really stop growing at some magical height .. so then you are down to pruning them every year ... and with an aggressive growing tree it can become a chore to try to beat it back ... sometimes its hard even with a stick .... anyway ... straight white pine.. can be telephone poles.. so they would need to be planted 30 to 50 feet from the house ... especially in snow load areas ... they can be had for a buck or two a piece ... for a one footer.. and in 5 years.. it could be 10 to 15 feet tall ... there is no reason to pay $80 for plain old plain old ... once you get into fancy cultivars ... which might grow slower ... and come in a variety of colors.. you are probably down to mail ordering something really cool ... you are NOT going to find exotic stuff at bigbox ... try the link below for a flavor of whats available ... since the next good planting time is fall .. you have plenty of time to figure it all out ... one of the pendula versions can be trained to the height you want.. and then will cascade down over the decades ... so they can be fit closer to a house ... and.. if you can grow it.. louis can be incredible ... in the conifer/tree world.. the full latin name is used for the best info .... ken note multiple pages .... https://www.coniferkingdom.com/strobus/
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Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
last year
I had some peonies here, but they never bloomed. I moved them last year, and they're already coming up better than ever! I don't know if it's an issue of soil, bugs, light, or what.

I'm totally open to roses, though, if there's a cultivar that would do better than peonies.

Right now the mondo grass is in patches pretty much everywhere to act as a sort of evergreen (it's not really, but at least it doesn't completely disappear in the winter). I'd love to fill in with evergreen shrubs, too, though. I have a TON of garden space and most of it comes from plants that spread on their own or were trades, but what's happened is that I'm overwhelmed with the same repeating colors with not a lot of actual structure :-/

@simplynatural, I found this gorgeous tree that's a Chionanthus Retuses:

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/chinese-fringe-tree?variant=30754587770932

The mature size at 20' is at the maximum for this area, though, as that would grow into the lowest limbs of the white pine a little.

Is this close enough to the Chionanthus virginicus that you recommended?

There's a black cherry tree just past the fence that has white flowers, too, though, so I was originally thinking about an eastern redbud or Japanese maple Bloodgood:

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/bloodgood-japanese-maple?variant=13940743929908

The Bloodgood has a longer season of color, but only being able to get it at 1-2' tall is a bummer... I'll be an old man before it looks good!
simplynatural
last year
The Chionanthus retusus is native to Asia; the similar Chionanthus virginicus is native to the US (including North Carolina). Choosing natives over exotics wherever possible just seems like repairing a tiny part of the damage we humans have done to the earth. Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is native, too, so if you would rather have a color other than white, that's an option.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Bloodgood is easily the most mass produced of any Japanese maple. It is commonly sold everywhere, including box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, so you should be able to find it readily in much larger sizes. And for a pretty reasonable price, too.
charles kidder
last year
For new rose growers, Knockouts are the most fool proof. Don't have to do anything. They'll out bloom any peony as long as they get 6+ hours of sun and enough water. There are maybe 20 knockout cultivars available. Every garden center carries them. I personally like double red the most.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
There are only 13 Knockout rose varieties and several are not widely offered. They are also quite prone to being carriers of rose rosette disease.

May want to rethink this suggestion :-)
lobo_93
last year
last modified: last year
I love the visual provided by @simplynatural. Also, your dilemma reminded me of this one, that you might want to check for other hardscape features.

PS: I will cross-reference the threads for both OPs ;)
charles kidder
last year
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) Sorry. There are 13. Thought there were more. And not everyone carries them all. Sorry if I somehow offended you.

RRD is an issue with all roses. Not just knockout. Knockouts do get them more than others, but it's mainly because lots of businesses plant them and ignore them. They don't do anything with infected roses. I'm well aware of RRD. I've been dealing with it for decades. It's not that big a deal. Certainly not a reason to avoid roses. Have you ever had a rose that was infected with RRD?

Suggestions for area just south of white pines

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simplynatural

charles kidder

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Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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simplynatural

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Suggestions for area just south of white pines

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Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NCOriginal Author

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