That's a good point about viewing angles... in our sloping front yard, we're looking straight out at the japanese snowbell from the front door, and from the sidewalk we're looking up at it.
I like the sound of that crabapple. :-)
My Intro
That's one of the reasons I love gardening so much. Until I started doing a little research, I never knew such a thing existed as a Prairifire Flowering Crabapple. And wow, sounds like a very cool little tree. Will keep researching though, maybe I'll find one every more cool. :)
I think Prariefire is a good cultivar. I.. L O V E .. the scent of crabapple blossoms but my ancient tree has such a short bloom and the weather often doesn't cooperate. Hopefully Prariefire has good scent and better bloom.
Muddy... I will check and double check this weekend. Thanks for the reminder of that possibility.
Sally... Good thing about this tree is that the blooms are just part of the interest. But from the reviews I read, give it a good amount of sun (my spot will get full sun) and it blooms a good long time. I'll read up more on it though. Thanks.
Dogwoods are great 4-season interest trees. They have the reputation of being disease-prone, but I haven't had a problem with that. One of my dogwoods (Cornus florida, cultivar unknown) is at least 35 years old.
Cornus alternifolia (Pagoda Dogwoods) are very striking and not seen as often as Cornus florida, at least not in my neighborhood. I can't believe I don't have one yet!
Okay, going to put a plan out there for opinions just as a double check of what I'm doing. If there are any reasons this won't work or if you think it won't look good, I welcome your thoughts.
The foundation bed just to the left of my front door is uninspiring. There are 6 knockout roses that have done NOTHING so far this Spring. They may be dead as the ones at my office are full of foliage. Never was a fan of them anyway, so they have to go. There are two Nandinas in there that I will transplant to another area. Then there are a few tulips, hyacinths and other bulbs in that bed. Again, I'll move them elsewhere.
The plan: A double hedge. A larger, evergreen hedge closest to the house made of Cherry Laurel "Otto Luykin". Then in front of that, a smaller hedge made with Spirea Japonica "Gold Mound". I think the colors of the Gold Mound will contrast the deep green of the Otto Luykin beautifully.
Then each year, I'll pick a beautiful annual flowering plant to place in the very front along the sidewalk to create a 3-layer effect of differing textures, colors and sizes.
Here's a couple of shots of the bed as it appears today to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
I'm terrible in planning, I have to see things in place usually. How wide is it actually?
That bed is pretty big.... 7 feet deep and 26 feet wide.
Yeah, I have large beds all around this house. I've put down 108 bags of mulch so far and I'm not done.
108, that's insane. I bought two bags yesterday...
Anyhoo- 7 feet isn't a lot when you are talking about three 'layers' -- that is just over two feet per layer before it starts eating the sidewalk. Think about a couple-3 Otto and a few Gold Mound, with something grassy for contrast. And summer annuals for the summer color everyone expects.
Or even, why cover up all the nice brick? Foundation plantins are to cover ugly concrete foundations.
I'm thinking the Otto Luykin take up the back three feet of the bed (and yes, I know they get bigger but they do well as a trimmed hedge). Then the Gold Mound will need about 18 inches. I won't put much space at all between them. That leaves me a couple of feet at the border for annuals.
Is it a lot of work to keep those plants trimmed up ? Hell yeah... but I'm a gardner. I dig it. Pun intended. :)
Only going to let the Otto Luykin get as high as the bottom of the windows. And that's just one of the beds in front of the house. Plenty of brick still showing. :)
Wow, 108 bags of mulch!
CAM, what kind of light do you get there?
I have Spirea japonica 'Gold Mound.' It has a very pretty chartreuse color for 3 seasons. A very early bloomer. I don't prune mine, but I think it's possible to keep it pruned so it looks tidy.
The front of the house faces west. So, of course, gets lots of afternoon/evening sun.
Yes, I was reading up on Gold Mound and it has three seasons of interest and fairly compact and dense and easy to control. Beautiful plant.
I think Cherry Laurels need more than afternoon and evening sun. I recently "shovel pruned" four 12-foot "Schipkaensis" Cherry Laurels that got afternoon and evening sun because they were diseased and entire branches died.
While trying to figure out why my Cherry Laurels had become diseased after growing well for years, I read that don't like to touch each other and start declining when they grow into each other (which seemed to be the case with mine). I would think twice before using them as a hedge or allowing Spirea to bump up against them.
Interesting, Muddy. I discovered Otto Luykin by researching evergreen plants that are the best plants to make hedges. More research coming.
Well, if you like pruning, by all means, go for it! My advice came from my perspective- someone who has overplanted and underpruned LOL
Hmmmm... I like this plant even better than the Gold Mound. Smaller plant too, less trimming....
Spirea Bumalda Goldflame.
http://plants.bachmanslandscaping.com/12070012/Plant/1418/Goldflame_Spirea
That foliage color is pretty and turns scarlet in fall, seems like a good three season plant.
Agreed, Catbird... the more I read up and look at pics of the Goldflame variety, the more I like it. And yes, appears to have outstanding 3-season interest.
If I decide to not do the 2-layer hedge look, I'm thinking of maybe reworking that bed using 3 Rhododendren Chionoides and several of the Goldflames, leaving plenty of room to add some colorful annuals in the front.
Just adding a little note of interest about the Otto Luykens. We've had a hedge-row of them growing at work at the back of the porch for year and years. They are in full full shade and all grow into each other to create a very dense hedge-row. There are 5 of them in an 11 foot wide, 4-foot deep space, and they have never had any disease problems whatsoever. They get sheared to shape every early Spring, bloom profusely, and are a beautiful lush deep green.
Mine at home are in full sun, from about 10:00 AM to sundown, and they, too, bloom rabidly and are the same deep lush green. These 2 experiences with them have me believing that they are a very sturdy, easy-to-grow shrub.
Just a little 2-cents' worth. :)
Thanks... I do love the Otto Luykens, have had my eyes on them for at least 10 years but they never seem to fit in at any house I've owned. I'm still mulling over what to do with that front bed but I think a double hedge will appear too rigid and I'm going to go with a softer look. But I still love the Otto Luykens and may eventually replace a bed in the back of the house containing four huge hostas and a holly bush that had a rough winter with a couple of them.
Thanks for the input !
Wooooo... I'm so happy ! I found the perfect Rhododendrens for that front bed. I wasn't going to buy any unless I found the Chionoides. It's a white blooming variety that only grows to four feet high and wide. So one will go under each of the two windows. And for the center, between the two windows I got one that grows larger, a Purple Passion.
And while at it, I also found a pair of the Spiraea Goldflame. Awesome shrub !
I think this will work out much better than the double hedge I was considering.
Next problem... as Coleup so astutely pointed out to me yesterday, I need a small tree/tall shrub for the other front bed, between the two windows, where the peak of the roof line is. Hmmmmmm. :)
So far I've heard preference for multi-seasonal plants, but only an assertion that a 'Shasta' Doublefile Viburnum will find a home.
I must protesteth. Frederick is nigh in the heart of where Viburnums must prosper. I'd suggest many, but I venture that you already know their names.
There are more than a few that make up into tall shrubs and small trees, but most make magnificent border shrubs that grace all four seasons.
I don't remember if you mentioned your soil reaction. I assume acid for your neck of the woods, which may be wrong. If it is acid, why not go for a "nobody else on my block has one" plant like a handsome Franklinia alatamaha, or one of several flavors of Stewartia (syn. Stuartia) sp., or maybe even an Enkianthus campanulatus?
Form, flower, function, fall color - all inclusive with the rapt attention from passersby gasping "What is that?"
Not to mention the occasional "Holy Cow that thing is gorgeous!"
Of the offerings, I like the Enkianthus the best, they have such beautiful and unusual blooms.
Thanks VV, tomorrow I shall comb through the growers' availabilities much more closely to find those.
I say such things, since I live amongst the calciphiles which love our limestone-based soils. I only get to enjoy those exclamatory pleasures as displayed above when I travel northeastward into the world of acid sandy loams.
Actually, I have an old Franklinia alatamaha which has toughed out 15 seasons or more here on my circumneutral clay loam soil. I've sentenced more than a few Stewartia sp. to short lives, but I've got one that came through our last scathing winter that I hold out hope for.
I've never tried Enkianthus sp., though I've had a bit of schadenfreude watching others kill them.
I'll look forward to the next opportunity to stroll through such gardens, coming up in mid June...
Thank you, VV. Yes, soil here is a bit acidic. I'm going to check out your recommendations, especially the one "seconded" by speedie. Must be a real eye-grabber.
Back to planting my items from the swap yesterday and the shrubs I bought today. :)
Take the plunge, try an Enkianthus... (she says with absolutely no intent of doing so herself, the ninny). Schadnefreude HA! With our horrifically clay-y soil, there are just too many things I dare not try here. More work than I'd have time for, it is such an undertaking to amend this awful soil.
Have you any photos readily available of the Franklinia alatamaha you mentioned? I'd love to see it, if you please.
The past couple of winters around here have been brutal for this area; many normally-hardy plants in this area have met their demise due to the sub-zero temps, including various Rosemary and many Hydrangeas.
Cold should not be an issue for any of the species I mentioned - except for some of the more tender forms of Stewartia like Stewartia rostrata, Stewartia serrata, or maybe Stewartia monadelpha. Those might not like it colder than zone 6.
Here, my Franklinia alatamaha has gone through quite a few bad winters (-20sF in 1994 and -20sF this year), but cold hasn't cost it anything. Ice has broken parts of it, but it has even overcome that to flower another day.
If that is what you wish to see evidence/photos of, here you are. The first three are from bloom time in early August 2006. The last two are from late October 2006.
I think it is the warm embrace of the Viburnum dentatum massing that gives it comfort...
Reading up on the various options. Not too many are what I'm looking for... something that gets to be about 10-15 feet tall and with an upright grown pattern. Think Crape Mrytle. But I just planted one around the corner from this spot. Want to try something different. The Chinese Stewartia comes closest to fitting my vision.
Reading up is good - seeing is so much better.
You are fortunate to live within spitting distance of a lot of excellent plant collections. I get to drive for 8-10 hours to enjoy places like the US National Arboretum, Brookside Gardens, the State Arboretum of Virginia, and a host of others - while you can fall out of bed and be in their front yards.
We'll expect a full report...
Too bad this fella could grow to over 30 feet. Don't want anything taller than that house peak. But love this one:
http://nurseryguide.com/find_plants/cedrus_deodara_twisted_growth
Hmmmmm.... Really like this one. Not many google hits though, bet it is rather rare and not easy to find.
Weeping Larch "diana"
http://www.horticlick.com/p/larix_kaempferi_diana1.html
CAM, I prefer smaller trees for my small suburban plot, so 10-15' works best for me, as well.
I fell in love with Serbian spruce after VV posted pictures of it a few weeks ago. I found one at a local nursery, but it was so much bigger than what I'd imagined after only seeing the pictures online.
One of my neighbors has a fringe tree that's in full bloom now. So pretty!
Cam, those are very lovely and unusual specimens; now I've got a better idea of what you might be looking for. Have you considered a Weeping Bald Cypress? (Taxodium distichum) Like, perhaps, "Cascade Falls", maybe? Those can get up to 20' tall (usually more in the 12-15' range though), and about 6' wide. That is one of the "fun" ones we carry at work. I'll take a closer look at what we carry to see if there is anything else "different" that you may be interested in.
VV, those photos were precisely what I was hoping for, thank you kindly. My goodness she is a spectacular little beauty, and I'm sure you're right, those Viburnum are the perfect warm-and-snuggly backdrop for her.
SSG and Speedie... thanks for the ideas, the more the merrier ! :)
Wow, the bald cypress, if pruned and trained the way I envision a tree for this spot, would be an exceptional choice.
For example...
http://www.willowaynurseries.com/detail.php?recordID=4006
Ooooh that's a pretty one! Very glad to help. I peeked around at work this morning, and darned if we don't have anything that would fit that spot just right - everything just gets too darned big. :(
No worries... thanks for looking ! I'm not in a huge hurry, Speedie. Maybe I'll find something closer anyway. If you found something there, I'd have a rough time getting it.... I own two MINI Coopers. I have hauled over 100 bags of mulch, two ornamental trees, a crape myrtle, 4 rhododendrens, and various other shrubs and flowers in one of my MINIs this Spring but any tree over about 8 feet long would have to go thru the sunroof and just imagine the wind burn. LOL
Been doing some yardening all evening. Yikes, it's hot and muggy out there. Can't wait for July. Phhhhhhhhhhhht.
This message was edited May 11, 2015 7:38 PM
Haahahaaaa, that is a visual and a half Cam!! You and your MINI.... don't be surprised if the employees at your favourite garden centers see your car and smack their foreheads saying (maybe not aloud), "You want me to fit THIS in THAT!?" < =D LOL!!!!!!! ... then again, we popped an 8+ foot dogwood into a Volvo yesterday, so what do I know? :P
It is too bad that you live so far though, we (at work) could make things so much easier on you. We deliver! And of course you'd get my discount. =)