Evergreen shrub/hedge

Hello everyone,
All of you knowledgeable ones....I would like a evergreen shrub/hedgey type for in front of the shed. It gets morning sun and afternoon shade. I want it to stay at 3' to 4' tall. I would love for it to have interest, not just plain. It is in the dog yard so it needs to be dog friendly. I will temporarily fence the area to give the plants a chance to settle in and thrive without the dogs getting them...lol Flowering would be a plus, but not necessary.
Here is an old picture of the shed...I would want to put one beside the door and one at the end of the shed
Thanks for your help and goodnight all,
Carla

Hi Carla - morning sun + excellent drainage plus flowers = Daphne odora, or one of the ever-popular Sarcococcas: S. ruscifolia (red fruit) or S. confusa (black-purple fruit). Rhododendrens, Azalea, short Pieris (Cavatine to 3'), some of the Kalmias, or Rhaphiolepis (white or pink flowers) and Berberis Stenophylla 'Corallina compact'.
For foliage there are the Ilex - Korean or Japanese with insignificant flowers; Euonymus - but be careful as they are subject to scale, and gall; Evergreen ferns, grasses (Stipa or Helichtotrichon).

Katye, you are a fountain of knowledge!!!

Carla, that will be sooooooooooooo cute!!!

Hi Kayte,
Thanks so much. I am making the list and searching the nurseries around here. I googled Kalmias and would love to find a couple. I also liked the Berberis Stenophylla 'Corallina compact' , does this one get the long thorns? I just recently put in 3 different Euonymus, I did not know they were prone to scale and gall...thanks for that tidbit too!
I have a Sarcococca and never thought of it as a shrub...lol because it is so short, but that is another possibility as it smells heavenly. Daphne would be nice too, I do not have one at this house, but I loved the one in Lynnwood.
I kept thinking of Boxwood, Azalea, Pieris but I wanted something different or that I did not have. You have helped so much and off I will go to find something new.
Thanks again,
Carla

Carla,
I have two Lonicera nitida 'Lemon Beauty' that I love. Here is a link http://www.edelweissperennials.com/largeview.asp?id=209

Rach, that is added too...it is gorgeous. I can't wait for the weather to get better so I can get out to the nurseries. Now I have a list of wants and will keep adding I am sure.
Thanks,
Carla

Carla - you probably have S. Humilis, which is the shorty. The taller ones have the same wonderful fragrance, leaf colour & sun preference - once established, they aren't as fussy about moisture.
I also have Lonicera 'Lemon beauty' - it's very pretty. I really like the shrubby Loniceras - have MANY! However, my observation is they tend to get larger than stated approx. growth, so the jury is out on the Lemon Beauty for a few more years...I seriously doubt it would exceed 5', though. I'll have to take a shot of one of the Loniceras I have - it's pushing 6'. By the way - they do get wide!
There is a short one: Lonicera pileata. Does not exceed 30", gets up to 6' wide, but oh so prunable. They have teeny pale yellow flowers and then dark blue-purple berries in the fall & into winter.

There is a very small Buxus (to 18"), as well as some uprights in case you wanted to mix some height in.
Be careful about having lots of plants with tiny leaves - it can be boring - no "separation" between the individual plants.
How wide of a space & how far out from the shed do you want the plants to extend? That will be a deciding factor for you.
Corallina Compact has tiny thorns - but I like Berberis so I don't mind them at all. Mine has little coral buds - I will take a picture of it when it blooms. No maintenance plants, to be sure!


This message was edited Mar 25, 2008 8:15 PM

Katye, I probably have 24 - 36" each way, so it will need to be a boxy plant I guess, although that wasn't what I had in mind...lol If I put in only one plant I guess it could be 72" along the front of the shed. I would love to find 2 or 3 plants for the entire area but would be happy with one if it were the right one and evergreen.
I am worried about the berberis because of my Chihuahua, she is a very rambunctious puppy. Fun to watch but not yet as coordinated as she will be later. I absolutely have nightmares about the thorns on the last berberis I had, it mangled my arm pretty badly during a pruning session. I have pretty much sworn them off as I yanked that one from the yard with some not so nice words about it.
I do not mind pruning as long as I don't have to do it weekly. I also thought about a dwarf blue fir on one side and a Kalmia.
I wonder if they are readily available at most nurseries? I do like the looks of that plant/shrub.
Thanks again for your help,
Carla

Carla, in another tread, did you want one of my cornflowers? I made a note to my self and cannot find it. I think the Kitties ate it. LOL
Also would look good is a Lilac.

Tills, Thanks but I have them I put a bloom picture of mine on the thread for someone to see. You are right a lilac would be nice but I think they loose there leaves don't they? I am not sure because I have only smelled them, never grew them.
Happy gardening,
Carla

Hi Carla, yes, lilacs are deciduous. Mine is just leafing out.

Tils-remember I was complaining my lilac had never bloomed? I think it heard the threats-I've got buds this year! Yay!!!


I love my Skimmia-slow growing, fragrant bloomer, likes a fair amount of shade.

Have 3 Skimmia here - they get WIDE with age. But I do like them lots.
As far as cost - any broadleaf evergreen is going to be pricey. They are usually more difficult to propagate, and grow slowly.
There is a dwarf lilac - I'll have to find the tag for it. She is 8 yrs old & 4' tall. Lilacs are notorious for suckering - they spread with age, too. You really need something that is going to be easy to keep within bounds and not have to resort to pruning. Unless, you go vertical and there are other options. Vertical as in Trellis structure in front of the shed.

Pieris 'Cavatine' stays small, under 3.5 feet. there is another, too, that is smaller. Also - look at the thread for Daphne's - Lawrence crocker- uber fragrant & short. Mine is many years old still hasn't hit 18". There are others.

This message was edited Mar 28, 2008 5:20 PM

I have a Korean Lilac. It is dwarf and I've had it for four years. It is only about 30" high and wide and no suckering. It is really nice.

the Korean and the other whose name escapes me are dwarf. I think they've got nice bones for wintertime.

Happy Happy SB.

I have 3 lilacs and I have seen no suckers, and they are at least 10 yrs. old but I don't know who they are, was given starts from a neighbor. they grow straight and tall.

Every old-fashioned lilac I've every seen suckers like crazy. I can't tell you how many rental-house back yards I've cleaned up, only to be thwarted by the ferocity and number of the suckers. You're lucky, Mary.

I bought my mother a Korean lilac for a pot on her patio a couple of years ago. It's done very well - a nice little plant.

Tilly - if a neighbour started them for you, then they are growing on their own roots. Most Lilacs are grafted & the rootstock suckers. consider yourself VERY lucky to have such great Lilacs!!! And for such a nice neighbour!

I saw a dwarf "butterfly bush, summer lilac, WHAT?" in a catalog the other day. It was about 2" high and wide and didn't set many seeds. That would make a great hedge for sun.

Katye, you're right-the skimmia is getting a bit portly, but they're blooming right now and I can smell them every time I open the door, so they're on my mind right now, and oh, they smell so nice! :)

Sue - Skimmias are horribly underused....such wonderful plants & they always look good. So I would plant a Skimmia at one end of the shed - it would have the room to spread & as long as it wasn't in blazing hot sun, would do just fine. But Carla only has about 3' width out from the shed to deal with. Hmmm - Carla, you really need to find a place for a Skimmia!!! Sue & I will feel so much better! LOL...

Katye,

Lol about the Skimmia... I do have a question....Where do I find Kalmia and are they good with dogs? Is this a plant that nurseries generally carry, I do like the looks of this one online. I could also add a small Sarcococca for fragrance between the two.

Thanks for your knowledge and your time,
Carla

Kalmia are going to be found at a Nursery. Molbaks would most likely have them.
If it were me, I would google Kalmia, & take a look at the different varieties that are current. There are smaller Kalmia - just not as many available.
I would call Molbaks (or whatever Nursery that's local to you - I don't know Marysville...) and ask about a special order. Find out who they order from, and how reliable they are. Kalmia can be fussy, but you have a way with plants, so i think they'd be happy & feel right at home with you, Carla!!!
I can check at Wells Medina - they always have them. The availability factor is dependent an what the general public buys, and if there is a reliable source to order from. Fussy plants don't always keep well in pots in a nursery setting - they want to spread their roots like anything else. Another factor is the cost - broadleaf evergreens are more expensive than a similarly sized deciduous shrub. Ease of propagation can vary depending on the plant. Plus they are generally slower growing.

Hi Kayte,
Cost is not a problem, I just want to put in interesting plants and those look very interesting. They are different from anything I have growing right now. Maybe I should try just one and put something else of equal size or shape on the other side and add the smaller Sarcococca for balance. I see that area from the kitchen window and really would like something nice to look at. I am going to replant and add more to the protected area of garden in the dog yard.
You really have me interested in trying this plant, I will check with Sunnyside and Smokey Point Plant Farm up here and see what kind of help I can get. I will go looking as soon as we have a sunny day...lol
Thanks again for your knowledge!
Carla

check this one:

http://www.daytonnursery.com/Encyclopedia/Trees_Shrubs/Kalmia.htm

and if you really want to understand this plant:

http://www.kalmia-society.org/cultivars.php?lang=gb

By the way - ALL members of the Ericacaea family are poisonous. So, if your dogs have a tendency to chew on the branches of plants, you may want to reconsider.
Remember too, that just because a plant has a high toxicology rating does not mean that one chew & the animal is toast. However - Pieris is highly poisonous, for example. My dogs avoid them altogether, and do not seek out the other plants I have that would be considered dangerous (like Aconitum), mainly because there are other yummy things to go after like the Crepe Myrtles (!).
Just so you know....

Wow gorgeous, guess I need to take a trip to Ohio, do not have a passport to go across the pond...lol
The young chihuahua chews on everything right now, but I will put up temporary fencing to get them established and it will also let them get use to the idea of them being in their yard so I shouldn't have a problem.
Speaking of Crepe Myrtles, I went looking for one at the nurseries up here last year to no avail, kind of gave up on that idea. I was wanting one of the dwarf ones maybe I will look again this year.

Grab one if you find it. These are not widely planted here & they are superb bloomers, even in our "off" summers. They take a while to leaf out, which possible accounts for their scarcity.
I have 'Zuni' which will eventually hit 6-8', but very manageable. They share their space nicely, too.

Carla - do you like to prune? These are fun to prune - not as brainless as a Hydrangea, but easy to shape & hard to make a mistake on. I want more of these - they are beautiful & in bloom over a long period of time.
I got one a couple years ago called "White Chocolate". Dark burgundy-chocolate leaves with white flowers. It will get about 10' tall - but I've got room for it. By the way, it spent the very nasty winter of 2006-2007 in a pot - totally exposed. It came through just fine, so it is hardy. Went in the ground last year & I'm anxious to see how it's faring, but hard to tell because it hasn't budded out yet. I will take a picture of it this summer for you.
In the meantime, here's a little research for you!

http://www.espositogardencenter.com/crape_myrtles.htm

http://www.crapemyrtletrails.org/list

Yes, I love to prune and play with shapes. I have 2 wisteria...and I just took all the bottom limbs off my False Cypress out front because it became to wide and was taking over the small front yard. I learn from my mistakes and am not afraid to start over or have goofy looking plants for awhile. I took one of those red tip photinia (sp) and shaped it into a round topped tree...it no longer will grow into a shrub. I bought it at about 18" and trimmed it to a tree, I also do that with boxwoods. I have a strange way of thinking, I move things when I want but I always do it on cloudy days so to keep the plants from going into shock.
I like to tidy up things maybe a little too much, but I have never lost a plant, unless it was one I didn't want and just tossed it...lol

Carla, how far away are you from Lynnwood?
D-mail Heidi, and see what She has, Us DGers get a discount you know, I can pick them up and take them to work.
Just a thought.

Carla - you sound like me. i like to experiment. I think most of the plants on my property have been moved at least twice!

Thanks Tills I might take you up on that. I was thinking I should check with Heidi first. I am about a 30 to 60 minute drive from Lynnwood...it depends on traffic. Sometimes that area is really bad especially if you are in that 196th and 44th area. I moved from Lynnwood in 1999 because of all the traffic, and guess what it has gotten just as bad up here..lol but we had a few good years before it got crazy.

Kayte,
I believe plants are much more resilient than we gardeners/humans are and I also believe they do not mind change....unlike their human counterparts...lol We seem to get in such ruts about rules and I really do not think old farmers and old farmers wives timed out all their flower planting, moving and trimming...they were to busy minding the food plants and the animals which fed their families. They did what they could when they could with the pleasure plants. I come from a great history in my family one side owned a farm in West Virginia and the other side was Native. I've been around gardening of one kind or another all my life. I have always grown things but have become more interested in bones for the perennial gardens in the last year or two. That is something I have little experience with but am having a lot of fun with them.

I so appreciate having the opportunity to use knowledge from those who have more experience with this type of plant. So again thanks for sharing all of your knowledge, it will help me so much in finding the right plants for that area. But like you I can probably make things fit because I do not fear pruning, I figure it is like our haircuts, sometimes we get fabulous dos and sometimes we don't, but it always grows back or we can go buy a wig or new plant...lol

Again thanks I feel much better equipped to go plant hunting.

Carla

Amen & amen.
Funny you referred to haircuts - that is how I approach pruning, the Wisteria in particular.

Pruning done incorrectly can render poor & even detrimental results, but most plants will rebound: everything wants to live. This is their pursuit in spite of a variety of negatives dealt to them.
I think it's important to approach pruning judiciously, but most rules are guidelines. I would cite the number of ways that fruit trees can be pruned & all do well in that the goal is fruit production.
Growing shrubs as standards fascinates me - some plants show well grown this way, others are poor candidates.
Resiliency - yes, more than we give them credit for!
I left a huge clump of herbaceous Peonies out of ground all winter one year (hidden to my eyes behind a pile of bark & trimmings. They flowered beautifully, and never missed a beat. So much for them being delicate.
And Winter time "bones" add much. I have a "need" to be outside as much as possible, so I really appreciate what can be done in the way of visual interest at that time of year.
Arizona is in your future? That will be an adventure in growing. The application of water in a desert setting is incredible: lots of possibilities.....

And you'll have lots of excuses to shop from these guys: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/

Ahhh! what have you unleashed?
I have been practicing avoidance of High Country and had achieved a perfect success rate! That will teach me to click before reading...

By the way, one of my RMtn buddies sent me some different Xeric plant seeds. If I had given it greater thought, I would have planted that seed first, prior to the vegies & others that are popping out their wee heads with nowhere to go.
By the way - I have 2" of snow this evening.
Arizona sounds so very refreshing right now.

I was wondering if that origanum wouldn't capture your attention . . .

Yes, 2 inches for me, too. It's sleeting right now - don't know which direction that means it will go. Looking for a late-afternoon melt at the best. Anywhere without snow sounds so very refreshing right now. LOL

I grew so many more things in AZ than I have ever tried here...lol I pushed the zonal limits there! I used a lot of shade cloth for things I wanted to grow that would normally cook in the heat. I grew most of my veggies and a lot of my summer fruits. I had watermelon, cantelope and cukes growing up trellis' around an arbor and used pantyhose to tie them up. I tried asparagus and grew all of the kales. How I miss my food gardens...sigh Tomatoes were almost grown year around if you did it right! Flowers were mostly grown to protect from insects, but also to soften all the veggie looks...lol It was very humid in my backyard, there was no grass only plants with various water systems set up. I had several rain barrels because when it rains there... it really rains and can fill a barrel very quickly...there were a lot of misting systems set up in the back too....lol very different style of gardening than I have done here.
Well have a good night ladies and sweet dreams, I think I can get some rest now.
Happy gardening,
Carla

Kathy let me see your garden is 100 acres and almost void of any plants. Or you know that you have overplanted your site and you need to realize that there is no more room. Which one is it. Either way you must accept that looking on Highcountry Gardens is essential reading on a snowy day in zone 8. Or better yet from a sunny cabin on the inside passage of zone 4 Alaska. Ahhhhhhhh. You should listen to the seagulls right now. Wait was that a porpoise spout?

There is ALWAYS more room, right?

Q: are debris loaders only available in one size? As in smaller?

Sofer, did you take that from your Kayak?

Nice . . .