What can I plant instead of Loropetalum Ruby and Azaleas?

I am a complete gardening novice; however, I know what I like when I see it. We recently had a landscape designer come out to design for our home that we completed last March. But I was disappointed in that she seemed to suggest some very "normal" shrubs. I don't care for azaleas or the loropetalum. I want something a little more unique--I live in NC and azaleas are everywhere. Any suggestions? I included a photo of our house--don't know if that helps! She was using azaleas in the back, which is mostly shade, and the loropetalum throughout the front and side, which is partial to mostly sun. I want lots and lots of color most of all and a very whimsical, unstructured feel to the plants. Thanks!

What an awesome house! I can see what you mean about wanting a more cottage-garden look... not little rounded mounds. haha

Whatever you decide, I would not want to hide the porch rail and rock pillars. They are great!

If you want perennial shrubs with color you will have to plan, plan, plan...because they will usually only bloom once and done. May I suggest knockout roses for lots of long-lasting blooms.

Another thought: I like to look out my windows and see my garden and you can't do that if everything is up close to the foundation. You might consider a wide planting at least on one end, or an "island" in the grass. haha

Thanks, Julie! She actually did suggest a couple knockout rose bushes on each side of the front steps. Are those hard to care for?

Knockout roses are easy to grow and look great, but they are deer candy! Looks like you back up on woods and if it is anything like my house in Chapel Hill, they will be grazing in your garden, They haven't eaten ornamental grasses, rosemary, daffodils, hydrangea tardiva or mahonia. That's about all that they have never eaten- everything else has been on the Bambi Buffet at one time or another.

Beautiful house!

I come to this forum to get ideas, not to give suggestions (I'm a novice, myself), but I just had to say...WOW! That's an incredible house. I have a soft spot for anything with Craftsman styling.

I really do like the idea of Knockout roses, if you can keep the deer at bay. Hydrangea is another great suggestion from Shari. As I said, I'm no designer, but I'd look into Hydrangea paniculata cultivars like 'Limelight' or 'Little Lamb.' 'Vanilla Strawberry' is a cool looking new cultivar, but it may be hard to find just yet. Here's a picture:

http://www.baileynurseries.com/pressrelease/8971

Good luck, whatever you end up doing. Enjoy that pretty house!

canna lilies give color all summer and like full sun. camellia, sasanqua and anise for shade. boxwood lining the walkway, both sides, with two podacarpus shrubs at each end of the box wood. keep boxwood short. shape podo's in to conical form/ christmas tree, no taller than 4 feet. oleander would work for some vertical accent in the front. i would cut out an annual bed on the right side for summer and winter color. or you could do an english garden idea with intensive planting. i second hydrangea for shade. you can get azealas that bloom twice a year. just my two cents. so many ideas for your setup. big vegetable garden on side of house. good luck.

Even though we are in a neighborhood, we do have deer, and we are next to an undeveloped property that is entirely wooded as well, so planting things that aren't attractive to the deer would be a must! Thank you all for these wonderful suggestions! Those vanilla strawberry hydrangeas are beautiful!!!

Please do not totally rule out the use of a loropetalum....look for one of the taller varieties and don't force it into a tree shape. They are a reliable fill plant with color advantage and if allowed to shrub with a bit of grooming now and then can add height, color and an open airy feel at the back of a bed.Plus, they will continue to bloom sporadically through the summer. This one screens an AC unit without blocking air flow.

The deer love azaleas and mophead hydrangeas but don't eat my loropetalum.

I love all of your suggestions!! And you do have an amazing house!!! Heather is a shrub its low to the ground is evergreen but in the winter months (Feb/march) they have pretty pink flowers and deep pink purple foliage. Contoneaster has pretty red berries this shrub doesn't get taller than a foot.

you have a fabulous blank slate to work with! i think before i would put in any flowers (perennials) i would definitely invest in the "bones" of the landscape, the trees and shrubs. small flowering trees for structure, evergreen shrubs, etc. all should be brought in before you plant the "small stuff". think of the direction the house faces and get what works! do your homework at good local nurseries for what works in your area. so many of us, me certainly included, waste a lot of time and money putting in plants that either get too large, throw too much shade, are insect and disease prone, etc. etc. the tried and true, boring though they may be, do have their place in a landscape design. tweaking with the annuals and perennials is the most fun part of course, but neglecting the healthy, hardy bones will have you kicking yourself down the road.
i agree with jean regarding the loropetalum. mine are 9' tall and engulfed in flowers all spring and then sporadically throughout the season. they take well to trimming although i leave mine tree form. they are like the north's red bud or lilac but better because they're evergreen.

ps. do yourself a huge favor and get Southern Living Garden Book (available at lowes or amazon). it's a southerner's bible. if i lost mine today, i'd have a new one by tomorrow. LOL

This message was edited Mar 21, 2010 11:21 AM

Here are a few suggestions for your gardens "foundation" plantings...as Track says, the bones for your landscape.

http://www.gardenideas.com/trees/tree_flowering.html

http://www.gardenguides.com/94201-flower-gardens-charlotte-north-carolina.html

http://www.nichegardens.com/

These are links to deer resistant plantings for your area.

http://www.nhcgov.com/AgnAndDpt/COOP/Documents/DeerResistantPlants.pdf

http://ncbg.unc.edu/pages/10/

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17826270/Deer-Resistant-Plants

don't forget cold hardy palms...they would look great with your house. also remember that a foundation plant doesn't have to be near the physical foundation. many times plants are put too near the house and it ends up being a major pain with trimming or removal. think good air circulation too.

Have you thought about using purple fountain grass or another kind of ornamental grass? It is beautiful and it would add some height to your garden. Purple Salvia is also beautiful. Both of these I use in my garden and they are full sun. Hostas are pretty for a shaded area. I don't know if you like roses or not but they have knock out roses that are mostly disease resistant and require little maintenance.

I agree with slow growing palm and if I can find ours in my file I will post it.
I got it!! Here are 2 palms in front of our house , has one at the back as well as right side.I agree with putting flowering shrubs then your non invasive perinials. Sp
Take your time, your house is beautiful and I am sure you live in a nice neighborhood. A landscaper -designer will work with your budget. Belle

Pardon the mess in the open garage, i have an Ebay store and just finished unpacking. Belle

This message was edited Mar 22, 2010 10:17 AM

i took a picture of a few blooming loropetalums today. regardless of your decision, they are gorgeous.

another

i'm training these young ones as standards.

Just popped in to say "I LOVE your house!!!!"
Good luck with your plant search.

Lots of good comments and I love the house too. One thought-- fragrance. You can mix the knock out roses with some fragrant ones near your porch. I also love the fragrant viburnum (korean spice, I believe is the official name). It blooms in early spring for about 3 weeks and is great. Perhaps cluster 3 (always plant in odd numbers) near your door, walkway, etc.

Here is one link:

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/gardening/Detailed/816.shtml

I just popped in to say that if you don't want or need the larger variety of loropetalum, there is a miniature variety that won't get nearly as big as the standard kind. I like loropetalum because they are evergreen and the leaves turn a pretty shade of purple in the fall. Mine aren't the miniatures but I keep them trimmed because the builder planted them in the foundation beds in front of my house and I don't want them getting to be 9 ft. tall. I don't round them off but just try to maintain them in a form that looks natural--sort of like a forsythia. Speaking of forsythia, have you thought about those? It looks to me like you have received lots of good suggestions, so I won't offer any more. I will, however, post a pic of the knock-out roses I have in one of my beds in the front yard. We first planted these in the spring of 2007 and they were only about a foot tall at the time. They are pretty care-free.

What did you end up deciding on (or did you yet)? I can relate... our builder put in the most boring cliche foundation plants (lorapetalum which I loathed, ligustrum, and those small little red shrubs).

I must say, I've come to appreciate them, because all of them have thrived and grown well in spite of three years of total neglect, two of those years being drought years. (I didn't water, fertilize, or re-mulch a single time for the first three years we lived here.) Plus they are evergreen (or "ever-red" in some cases) so they look nice in winter.

Now that I'm actively gardening, I let those "cliche" shrubs be the backdrop to plants that suit my personality. I've planted things like:

- Wine & Roses weigela
- anise hyssop (beautiful, long-blooming throughout summer and fall)
- Veronica "Georgia Blue" (pretty blue flowers in spring)
- daffodils, hyacinth, tulips, canna
- Flower Carpet Amber rose (I like these better than Knock-out, but maybe that's because every house in my neighborhood has exactly the same Knock-out roses)
- one big beautiful lilac (Tiny Dancer which is hardy here)

Then I have other areas of the yard (not near the house) where I have things like a patch of lavender, a butterfly garden (self-seeding annuals), a raspberry patch and a blueberry "walkway," etc.

That reminds me - definitely consider edible landscaping! I have a dozen blueberry shrubs as well as raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. There are other fruit shrubs and trees that can work well right in your landscaping.