Shrubs for around the house

January 13, 2022
Choosing A Foundation Plant

The Chinese fringe tree is not very cold tolerant.

Chionanthus retusus
Gardener's Note: There also is a native species (Chionanthus virginicus) that is much more cold tolerant than the Chinese. Even as far south as zone 8, winter damage can be seen on retusus and not virginicus.
Deciduous Tree with "fringy" white flowers in spring, flowers are larger on male plants
Female plants produce a blue/black berry in late summer
Plant in average to moist soil
Plant in full sun to light shade
Height: 15-20 feet
Width: 20-25 feet
Hardy in USDA zones 5-8:
Zone 5: Plant in spring to prevent winter heaving; plant in full sun; apply extra mulch after first hard frost; avoid contact with salt; may suffer branch dieback in this zone.
Zone 6: Plant in spring or early fall; plant in full sun; avoid contact with salt; may suffer branch dieback in this zone.
Zone 7: Plant in fall; plant in full sun to light shade; provide supplemental water during dry spells; may suffer branch dieback in this zone.
Zone 8: Plant in fall; plant in full sun to light shade; provide supplemental water during dry spells.

Quartz Rose Verbena

This groundcover blooms profusely all season.

Verbena x hybrida 'Quartz Rose'
Annual trailing verbena grown as a groundcover that blooms profusely all season with bright pink flowers with a white eye
Plant in loose organic soil that is well-drained; makes an excellent container plant; attracts butterflies
Plant in full sun
Height: 8-12 inches
Width: 12-18 inches, spreading
Grown as an annual in all zones:
All Zones: Plant in spring after danger of frost has passed; plant in full sun; water when dry; bring indoors for winter or discard plants after first killing frost.

Source: www.diynetwork.com



Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.

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