shrubs for my border
- Thread starter George
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2017
- Messages
- 898
- Reaction score
- 1,039
- Country
Hello George....welcome 
So much depends on your soil....whether acid or alkaline ( a cheap and quick PH test will sort that) and how quick draining it is.
However, choisya is a superb shrub......evergreen, aromatic foliage and exquisite vanilla orange scented white flowers in spring and summer. Easily kept to shape etc. Perfect for warm soils.
Euonymous is evergreen and grown purely for foliage.....Emerald n Gold shines in spring but looks good all year round.
Pittosporums too.....evergreen and fast growing. Tom Thumb has almost black foliage esp in winter and early spring. Garnettii has variegated grey cream foliage
Sarcoccoca looks like privet but has wonderful scent to fill a garden in late winter.....dark green evergreen.
If your soil is acid check out pieris.......new growth is red and looks great in spring with lots of white flowers.
Daphne odora aureomarginata also evergreen has probably the strongest scent of all plants....this one has lovely green leaves with a gold/yellow margin.
Abelias are good too.....one called Confettii is a compact beauty. Leaves right now are grey/white/cream with white flowers.
Conifers? Ok, the dratted leylandii has given conifers a bad name but there are some beauties that are well behaved....Taxus Standishii is an upright, compact pillar all gold in winter turning yellow in spring and summer; a real eye catcher. Juniper Sulphur Spray is a mound forming silver grey and Taxus Coppershine is another mound former with copper orange foliage esp in spring.
Hebes....salicifolia alba has white summer flowers and quite a big plant but lots of smaller varieties with coloured foliage.
Mahonias are good too....Charity has yellow winter flowers and sculpted foliage
Dont forget the hollies, the very besf evergreen shrubs. I have Golden King as a large shaped cone here; yellow and green foliage. Another with silver white foliage is Handsworth New Silver. Both handsome shrubs.
Skimmias are terrific for bees and butterflies......they produce incredible red berries in summer on evergreen bushes.
Just a few ideas but dont dismiss deciduous shrubs.....they may lose their leaves in winter but produce lovely new foliage and beautiful summer flowers.
So much depends on your soil....whether acid or alkaline ( a cheap and quick PH test will sort that) and how quick draining it is.
However, choisya is a superb shrub......evergreen, aromatic foliage and exquisite vanilla orange scented white flowers in spring and summer. Easily kept to shape etc. Perfect for warm soils.
Euonymous is evergreen and grown purely for foliage.....Emerald n Gold shines in spring but looks good all year round.
Pittosporums too.....evergreen and fast growing. Tom Thumb has almost black foliage esp in winter and early spring. Garnettii has variegated grey cream foliage
Sarcoccoca looks like privet but has wonderful scent to fill a garden in late winter.....dark green evergreen.
If your soil is acid check out pieris.......new growth is red and looks great in spring with lots of white flowers.
Daphne odora aureomarginata also evergreen has probably the strongest scent of all plants....this one has lovely green leaves with a gold/yellow margin.
Abelias are good too.....one called Confettii is a compact beauty. Leaves right now are grey/white/cream with white flowers.
Conifers? Ok, the dratted leylandii has given conifers a bad name but there are some beauties that are well behaved....Taxus Standishii is an upright, compact pillar all gold in winter turning yellow in spring and summer; a real eye catcher. Juniper Sulphur Spray is a mound forming silver grey and Taxus Coppershine is another mound former with copper orange foliage esp in spring.
Hebes....salicifolia alba has white summer flowers and quite a big plant but lots of smaller varieties with coloured foliage.
Mahonias are good too....Charity has yellow winter flowers and sculpted foliage
Dont forget the hollies, the very besf evergreen shrubs. I have Golden King as a large shaped cone here; yellow and green foliage. Another with silver white foliage is Handsworth New Silver. Both handsome shrubs.
Skimmias are terrific for bees and butterflies......they produce incredible red berries in summer on evergreen bushes.
Just a few ideas but dont dismiss deciduous shrubs.....they may lose their leaves in winter but produce lovely new foliage and beautiful summer flowers.
Sarcoccoca is a good choice, as suggested by @Verdun
It has everything going for it. Shiny green foliage. Perfume, berries and tough and easy to propagate. A variegated hebe smothered with white to purple flowers is a very pretty sight, too.
Ceanothus is also a good choice. Don't forget an acer palmatum dissectum - a red or garnet one. Even though it sheds its leaves, it adds so much elegance to a border.
It has everything going for it. Shiny green foliage. Perfume, berries and tough and easy to propagate. A variegated hebe smothered with white to purple flowers is a very pretty sight, too.
Ceanothus is also a good choice. Don't forget an acer palmatum dissectum - a red or garnet one. Even though it sheds its leaves, it adds so much elegance to a border.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2015
- Messages
- 5,273
- Reaction score
- 4,458
- Location
- Southern Chester County, PA, USA
- Hardiness Zone
- 4 to 5 best for success.
- Country
Height??? Privacy ???/
Hello George....welcome
So much depends on your soil....whether acid or alkaline ( a cheap and quick PH test will sort that) and how quick draining it is.
However, choisya is a superb shrub......evergreen, aromatic foliage and exquisite vanilla orange scented white flowers in spring and summer. Easily kept to shape etc. Perfect for warm soils.
Euonymous is evergreen and grown purely for foliage.....Emerald n Gold shines in spring but looks good all year round.
Pittosporums too.....evergreen and fast growing. Tom Thumb has almost black foliage esp in winter and early spring. Garnettii has variegated grey cream foliage
Sarcoccoca looks like privet but has wonderful scent to fill a garden in late winter.....dark green evergreen.
If your soil is acid check out pieris.......new growth is red and looks great in spring with lots of white flowers.
Daphne odora aureomarginata also evergreen has probably the strongest scent of all plants....this one has lovely green leaves with a gold/yellow margin.
Abelias are good too.....one called Confettii is a compact beauty. Leaves right now are grey/white/cream with white flowers.
Conifers? Ok, the dratted leylandii has given conifers a bad name but there are some beauties that are well behaved....Taxus Standishii is an upright, compact pillar all gold in winter turning yellow in spring and summer; a real eye catcher. Juniper Sulphur Spray is a mound forming silver grey and Taxus Coppershine is another mound former with copper orange foliage esp in spring.
Hebes....salicifolia alba has white summer flowers and quite a big plant but lots of smaller varieties with coloured foliage.
Mahonias are good too....Charity has yellow winter flowers and sculpted foliage
Dont forget the hollies, the very besf evergreen shrubs. I have Golden King as a large shaped cone here; yellow and green foliage. Another with silver white foliage is Handsworth New Silver. Both handsome shrubs.
Skimmias are terrific for bees and butterflies......they produce incredible red berries in summer on evergreen bushes.
Just a few ideas but dont dismiss deciduous shrubs.....they may lose their leaves in winter but produce lovely new foliage and beautiful summer flowers.
Hello George....welcome
So much depends on your soil....whether acid or alkaline ( a cheap and quick PH test will sort that) and how quick draining it is.
However, choisya is a superb shrub......evergreen, aromatic foliage and exquisite vanilla orange scented white flowers in spring and summer. Easily kept to shape etc. Perfect for warm soils.
Euonymous is evergreen and grown purely for foliage.....Emerald n Gold shines in spring but looks good all year round.
Pittosporums too.....evergreen and fast growing. Tom Thumb has almost black foliage esp in winter and early spring. Garnettii has variegated grey cream foliage
Sarcoccoca looks like privet but has wonderful scent to fill a garden in late winter.....dark green evergreen.
If your soil is acid check out pieris.......new growth is red and looks great in spring with lots of white flowers.
Daphne odora aureomarginata also evergreen has probably the strongest scent of all plants....this one has lovely green leaves with a gold/yellow margin.
Abelias are good too.....one called Confettii is a compact beauty. Leaves right now are grey/white/cream with white flowers.
Conifers? Ok, the dratted leylandii has given conifers a bad name but there are some beauties that are well behaved....Taxus Standishii is an upright, compact pillar all gold in winter turning yellow in spring and summer; a real eye catcher. Juniper Sulphur Spray is a mound forming silver grey and Taxus Coppershine is another mound former with copper orange foliage esp in spring.
Hebes....salicifolia alba has white summer flowers and quite a big plant but lots of smaller varieties with coloured foliage.
Mahonias are good too....Charity has yellow winter flowers and sculpted foliage
Dont forget the hollies, the very besf evergreen shrubs. I have Golden King as a large shaped cone here; yellow and green foliage. Another with silver white foliage is Handsworth New Silver. Both handsome shrubs.
Skimmias are terrific for bees and butterflies......they produce incredible red berries in summer on evergreen bushes.
Just a few ideas but dont dismiss deciduous shrubs.....they may lose their leaves in winter but produce lovely new foliage and beautiful summer flowers.
Thank you for your response. We would like the shrubs to be about 3ft tall at maturity.
My wife likes Azaleas. Are Azaleas an option and if so what varieties would you recommend. Thank you
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2015
- Messages
- 5,273
- Reaction score
- 4,458
- Location
- Southern Chester County, PA, USA
- Hardiness Zone
- 4 to 5 best for success.
- Country
Azaleas are nice. For me variety would be my choice. As azaleas only bloom in the spring. I would look at the leaf color of the shrub also, besides the flower. And you can mix the shrubs, in your line. Like French lace weigela Or wine .weigela.
The other thing you did not say is --- what way does the wind blow to where you are sitting outside. I plant fragrant shrubs on the right side of our property mainly, as we sit on our deck and the wind blows from the right to the left. So we have wonderful smells. Also it blows through our bedroom windows, and more beautiful smells.
Azaleas don't smell. there is only one that may have a scent.
There are short varieties of lilac shrubs, we have 4 of them . their leaves are a sweet heart shaped, loaded with flowers about the size of thumb when blooming. the smell is wonderful.
They also have a short variety of mock orange, which is nice. That would give you some white notes .
Now--- weigela's are not fragrant, but the wine colored one is a lovely contract color to mix with other leaf colors.
Keep in mine, when done flowering for any shrub, you have to look at the leaves. There are also short varieties of hydrangea.
And don't forget the lovely Viburnums, the smell is outstanding with those.
The other thing you did not say is --- what way does the wind blow to where you are sitting outside. I plant fragrant shrubs on the right side of our property mainly, as we sit on our deck and the wind blows from the right to the left. So we have wonderful smells. Also it blows through our bedroom windows, and more beautiful smells.
Azaleas don't smell. there is only one that may have a scent.
There are short varieties of lilac shrubs, we have 4 of them . their leaves are a sweet heart shaped, loaded with flowers about the size of thumb when blooming. the smell is wonderful.
They also have a short variety of mock orange, which is nice. That would give you some white notes .
Now--- weigela's are not fragrant, but the wine colored one is a lovely contract color to mix with other leaf colors.
Keep in mine, when done flowering for any shrub, you have to look at the leaves. There are also short varieties of hydrangea.
And don't forget the lovely Viburnums, the smell is outstanding with those.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2015
- Messages
- 5,273
- Reaction score
- 4,458
- Location
- Southern Chester County, PA, USA
- Hardiness Zone
- 4 to 5 best for success.
- Country
Your statement said that above. Sorry Azaleas don't give year round color. I have 12 of them in a circle out front, its a short bloom time, maybe 3 weeks, and that is it. we got them free from my father-in-law. So not my real choice. but we have so much property its ok. And I can't have all my garden complicated .