plant shrub near Japanese maple?

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jasperj Plainfield, NJ May 09, 2009

I'd like to plant a shrub next to a mature Japanese Maple but I don't want to damage the tree. We live on a corner, there are a lot of passersby and I want a more private enclosed feeling for our backyard. There are quite a few shrubs already along the fence, except for this one big gap by the J.M. What can I plant there that will grow tall fairly fast, but not hurt the roots of the JM? I want to plant a shrub that'll reach 6' tall in a few years, if that's possible. I'm in zone 6.

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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) May 09, 2009

I suggested to a landscaper to plant Leucothoe f. Rainbow below a Red Japanese Maple yesterday and they went for it and bought a dozen.

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jasperj Plainfield, NJ May 09, 2009

An attractive shrub, but I did a bit of research and apparently it grows to 3' - 5' tall, and it doesn't grow very fast. For a good screen, it should get to at least 6' - and do so in my life time ; - )

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jhart May 18, 2009

Is the spot you are trying to fill a sunny or shady spot? Some fast-growing shrubs that occurred to me are smokebush (cotinus coggygria) which can get taller than 6 feet but you can prune it if desired. From what I understand, they can be pruned close to the ground in early spring and then be 6 or 8 feet tall by end of summer. If unpruned, they look more like a tree at 10 feet tall or so. The leaves have the best coloring in lots of sun. They come in burgundy and golden varieties.
Another fast grower is dappled willow (hakuro nishiki). It has very pretty new growth, variegated green, white and pink. A lot of people end up pruning these because they grow fast and large, and pruning promotes more variegation. You may see sites that say 4 feet tall for this, but real life experiences I've read about say they get to 6 to 8 feet pretty easily and quickly.

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kenboy Big Sandy, TX(Zone 8a) May 22, 2009

Anything that grows large and fast will be competition for the Japanese Maple.

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snapple45 Holland, OH(Zone 5b) May 22, 2009

I'm not certain of your wind/sun conditions but perhaps you could research Pieris japonica. There are 6' to 8' cultivars. They take the same soil conditions and have the same water requirements as the JM. They put on a beautiful spring show and are evergreen the year around.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59720/

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