ladyinfidel in gardening

shrubs?

Feb 09, 2012 18:12

This is my first attempt at shrubs. So, I hate that the front of the house looks dead in the winter. I'd like to get some sort of shrubs that stay green in the winter and are thick and can be shaped into a box like structure. I live in Michigan so I'm zone 5 and it's a brick house. Oh, and I have a personal irrational hate of junipers. What ( ... )

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tezliana

I like boxwood. You can find different varieties at garden centers in the spring. They can be planted in the spring. Boxwood stays green all winter and should do well in your zone. The only drawback is they are slower growing, so might take a few years to get to a reasonable size unless you are willing to spend more for larger plants. Silver lining with that is they don't get out of control quickly.

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ladyinfidel

yeah! thanks!

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squid_ink

boxwoods are facing a nasty blight in the US and in other parts of the world. I've seen several affected plants this past year, its awful.

also, I've always thought boxwoods smell like cat pee. Supposedly its not as bad in areas that are part shade (not full sun) but i think it's nasty.

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oxymoron02

Seconding boxwoods. I prefer English to American, but get what grows well in your area. I think English boxwoods smell much nicer.

My second suggestion is NOT holly. I have a rational hatred of holly. It trys to maim me when I prune it, and I end up with welts up and down my arms in spite of how much or how little protective gear I wear. It drops berries and thus spreads. Further, I have suckering holly, so even if I got every last berry off the ground, it still spreads. Stuff's evil. I have considered burning it to the ground, which would seriously endanger my home, as a viable option for getting rid of it.

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falnfenix

soak a few nails in plant killer or bleach, hammer them into the trunk. should kill it.

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miraje

Boxwoods have a smell? I've had five in our foundation plantings for about five years now, and I've never noticed!

Also, what kind of holly do you have? I totally agree with the unpleasant pruning of them with the sharp leaves, but the two varieties I have never reseed or sucker.

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oxymoron02

Couldn't tell you what variety of holly it is. I have been told we have male and female holly, since some produce berries and some don't. I pull holly seedlings out of my grass 10 feet away from the nearest bush every spring, and there are no runners hopping the stone border. It sends out suckers, some I have traced back to the mother plant over 15 feet away. It's evil. It needs to be destroyed ( ... )

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ursulav

Well, despite the call against holly above, inkberry holly is very nice and quite slow-growing (ultimately something you come to value in a hedge) and has neither thorns nor prickly leaves. It also provides berries which attract birds, which is nice.

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squid_ink

love inkberry holly. good choice!

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rhodielady_47

Mind if I give you some advice?
Read the label on the shrubs before you buy them (if you buy them locally). Make sure the shrubs are completely hardy in your hardiness zone. Many stores get a load of landscaping plants in without making sure they are completely hardy for your hardiness zone.

Yew is also a good choice I think. In the summer, it makes a nice background for flowering plants.
:)

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virginiadear

Seconding yew. It's happy in Zone 5; it lends itself to shaping so if you want a boxy-looking shrub you can have it; it stays green all winter; it makes a nice background for anything flowering.
It gets listed as a deer-proof shrub, which is correct and not correct. I used to watch deer wander into my parents' yard and garden and eat the young growing tips of the yew. Apparently yew isn't a preference, but if nothing else is at the peak of perfection that day---the buds on your daylilies, for example---deer will eat the new shoots on the yew. (I never did work out whether deer will eat new shoots on yew first and then move on to eating everything else in the garden.)

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