Suggestions for specimen shrub?

8 years ago

I am in need of a 5x5x5' shrub for a location with rich, well-drained soil in dappled/part shade. I really like doublefile viburnums, but I don't know of one that stays small. The shrub will be right along the walkway to our front door, so I'd like to have multi-season interest.

I had a hydrangea there, but it started to get sick with rusty spots on the leaves, so I removed it. The rusty spots seem to have spread to other nearby hydrangeas, so I don't think I should consider another hydrangea.

Thanks!

Comments (8)

User
8 years ago
Cold hardy gardenia. Chuck Hayes is a good choice, it has a double flower, and there are other cold hardies that would look nice. You are going to have to trim whatever you plant there, at least the gardenia will take a number of years til you have to trim it. And it's evergreen.
grassmere
Original Author
8 years ago
While I love the look of gardenias, their scent makes my head hurt. :-(

Any other suggestions?
Related Discussions
Plant suggestions for my front garden
Q
Comments (7)
I would say some of the previous suggestions have been good - we had a similar problem in Oxfordshire. Heucheras are great, especially in a mixture of colors, try at least one red in the mix. A couple of dwarf conifers give good evergreen year round structure, which is so important, you want some some strong lines in a front border or it can look very bitty and insignificant. If things grow a bit above the wall, so much the better, as it will also soften the lines and it looks as if you could do with some height. Add a few fail safe plants clumping plants that will bring some color into the mix at different times of year - Japanese anenomies are great, white ones look modern, or go for pink. Schizostylis are fantastic, would never plan a garden without them. They come from Siberia so will survive come what may! Come in pinks or red and flower from late autumn through to spring, when no other color around, even in snow, you can also put them in pots. Crocosmia are pretty fails safe too and come in lots of colors. Yes, tuck some bulbs inbetween things and see what happens, don't forget these can also go in pots for seasonal color, you can even buy ready planted.
...See More
Help with Trees/Shrubs to small garden.
Q
Comments (11)
I wouldn't have put a lawn in. You can see how it goes, but they require a lot of mowing and it sounds like you don't get a lot of sun so it may well end up very mossy and wet most of the time. See how it goes but maybe you need the deck to be sited on the left, so it is in the sun in the middle of the day/evening if possible, so not near the house if it faces east. Evergreen climbers are essential for small gardens with fences. Trachelospermum jasminoides, has lovely scented flowers in the summer and Hydrangea seemannii and Pileostegia Viburnoides are good in shade. I would put in a lot of planting on the shady side of the garden, a good evergreen grass for clay is Carex pendula. I would also plant an Amelanchier or Acer at the far end to screen the neighbours windows and autumn colour. You could look up evergreen ground covers for shade. Good luck!
...See More
front door colour and spiral shrubs
Q
Comments (6)
Hi, I don't think I would change to a dark grey as the white gives the house a lighter look. The day room yellow from farrow and ball - pictured - should look lovely, the yellow is a great choice and should give off a happy and welcoming vibe. I am not an expert of gardening I am afraid but personally I would go low bed (to open up the views of and from the balcony) and try and get some of the yellow in to balance it. I hope this helps but do feel free to contact us if you need anything else. All the best, Gina
...See More
Tree/shrub next to deck
Q
Comments (2)
If you would like an evergreen tree, how about a standard arbutus? You can buy them with different lengths of stem/trunk so it won't block the view of the rhododendron and they can be pruned to achieve the height and shape you want.
...See More
Alana
8 years ago
Loropetalum is a beautiful shrub that has fringe-like flowers that appear during the spring and summer. Loropetalum commonly have purple/green foliage with pink fringe-like flowers (visually interesting), but some species are more green than purple and some have white flowers. It just depends on what you are looking for! Very cold hardy (I think most are tolerant to temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit) and heat tolerant. You would have to keep it trimmed for sure, but it would look beautiful :)
PRO
Linda Greenberg Landscape & Design, LLC
8 years ago
As a professional landscape designer, I recommend a Gardenia 'Frostproof' for this space - it offers beautiful lush green foliage with a most wonderful fragrance flower.

Linda Greenberg, APLD

704-995-7173

linda@lglandscapes.net
User
8 years ago
According to your zone i agree loropetalum would be nice. Camellias may work for you as well.
dottiecarrano
8 years ago
One of my favorites is contorted filbert, Harry Lauder Walking Stick but I'm not certain how it would do in just dappled shade.

It's contorted branches in winter against a bit of snow background beg for photos.

One thing I had problems with is that it's leaves tend to attract Japanese Beetles.

Fortunately, you can clip off the chewed leaves and the shrub will grow new ones.
junco East Georgia zone 8a
8 years ago
Here is a link to another thread with several suggestions for camellias that might work.

low growing camellias
grassmere
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you all for your suggestions!

Suggestions for specimen shrub?

Comments (8)

User

grassmere
Original Author

Related Discussions

Alana

Linda Greenberg Landscape & Design, LLC

User

dottiecarrano

junco East Georgia zone 8a

grassmere
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Suggestions for specimen shrub?

Comments (8)

User

grassmereOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Alana

Linda Greenberg Landscape & Design, LLC

User

dottiecarrano

junco East Georgia zone 8a

grassmereOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

grassmere
Original Author

grassmere
Original Author