Can I plant shrubs in a small yard that has tree roots throughout?
Lynn Nevins
2 years ago
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
What large shrub/small tree to plant close to the house
Comments (4)Redbuds cast a great deal of shade and often make it impossible to garden under them for that reason. They don't get too tall, but their branches will eventually strike the house at the distance you are contemplating. Serviceberry has the nice drooping florets and later the delicious berries that many birds love, so you could observe them feasting on them close up if a window looks out on that spot. It does well in partial shade and seems fairly adaptable; I see no reason why you couldn't keep it in shrub form if you are able to find one trained that way. However, I had some revert to small-tree form when I failed to keep them clipped, so you may be able to find a more trouble-free shrub for next to your house, and save your serviceberry planting for along your driveway or other opening from the woodsy areas. Pieris Japonica comes in many forms these days and is an interesting shrub that grows fairly slowly, so requires little attention. Some of the larger Rhododendrons would also do well in that spot, and the color choices and flower forms are wonderful. Of course Forsythia would also grow there, and there are several size choices. Witch Hazel is often difficult to get established, especially if it is a graft. It has a wonderful fragrance when the tiny flowers appear, but it grows very slowly and takes a long time to fill out, in my experience. If you don't mind thorns you could try Bitter Orange, but eventually it will probably crave more sun. The flowers have a nice fragrance and it has beautiful dark shiny leaves...but it also grows quite slowly. The hazelnut tree or shrub is not often thought of but is worth checking into. There is probably not enough sun for a lilac but the hibiscus can tolerate more shade and has flower choices that range from white to a soft pink to a lovely lavender color. All that said, Viburnums are available in many kinds, and the viburnum in any form makes a good wood that stands up to abuse quite well; they are one of the sturdiest shrubs out there, imo, unlike the hydrangeas, which make a very soft stem. However, oak leaf hydrangeas are capable of eventually getting fairly large, and have the interestingly shaped leaves and flower clusters. I believe their color change in fall is also attractive, and they do quite well in partial shade. Here is a link that might be useful: Pieris Japonica references...See MoreShrubs and very small evergreens/tree for front yard
Comments (2)hey liz.. royal oak eh?? [from your members page] .. grew up in livonia... and bought my first house there ... first.. refer to the link .... for a suggestion as how to proceed ... linds ... did it right.. by catching us.. when we were bored out of our minds.. prior to the weather breaking ... note the pix we requested.. as well as having her define what her goals were ... and they did not end up being what she started with ... and its your use of common terms.. that is confusing you .. and us.. as to where to go with this ... e.g... evergreens... well.. that covers a wide range of things ... i THINK you are talking about conifers ... if you are.. that is where linds started .... and that is usually the backbones of the front of ones house ... but there are many other plants that are .. in essence.. evergreen ... so you need to define what you are talking about ... and technically.. conifers are NOT shrubs.. though i also called them such for decades .... but it is not helpful in defining where we want to go .... BTW .. your link doesnt work.. and that pic is not going to be helpful to anyone defining a plan ... and take a walk some evening.. and snap a pic or two.. of what other peeps have done with the front of their houses.. to help you define what you like.. and give us some guidance as to where you want to go ... you are spot on with the foundation ... when i had my first house in livonia.. i learned that 3 feet AT THE FOUNDATION .. should be left blank ... so i could get a ladder in there.. to do gutters.. paint.. xmas lights.. window washing.. etc ... and if you agree with that.. then you should 'see' that your bed is horribly out of configuration .... lol .. i just glanced up.. and i see the neighbor still has the ugly old improperly planted conifer .... and the root of your problem might be this forum.. but you never know ...... the conifer forum is much more active.. than the shrub forum.. and not every one of the peeps there.. come thru here ... so if this post dwindles.. try over there ... my best suggestion ... is to define and build some great beds.. for planting in fall .. the next proper season for planting conifers .. and trees.. as i doubt you can properly build those beds in time ... you simply should not plant such.. in the heat of summer ... but .... once you define the beds.. and add some of your annuals.. and perennials.. then we can get the backbones in place in fall ... of my 600 conifers.. about half came in the mail ... and that is how you get truly unique things.. rather than JUST what the bigboxstore offers ... well.. that and a budget.. lol .. of course .. as compared to me in adrian mi ... you have some great large upscale nurseries in the area including bordines .. english gardens.. etc ... so.. get us some better pix.. that perhaps we can photoshop ... and lets try to find some words that explain where you want to go .. oh.. i would expand that bed to about 10 feet from the house.. which would make it only 7 feet deep to work with .. it would NOT be straight across.. and we would have to figure out how to deal with what i will guess is an arcing walkway .... [any chance you want to replace that with brick as a part of the process] ... and i would insure.. that some part of the plants introduce a vertical element.. as compared to your 1950's metro detroit ranch ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link...See MoreIdeas for Small Trees/Shrubs for Sad Side Yard (Cross Post)
Comments (5)i would not call that a 'yard' .. i would call that utility access ... and if i understand the map.. this connect one driveway with another from the alley ??? why is/are the a/c on the sidewalk ... is that permanent??? i dont understand this part: The wall is on our property but the top of the wall is our neighbors i see some patio stone.. to go around the a/c?? ,,, is the rest of the walkway poured.. or is that also block that can be moved??? thinking outside the box.. if possible.. you could make a much wider usable bed.. if the walkway was moved to the house.. to to the wall ... arbors.. strategically placed.. can aid as exterior window covering ... i am not TX expert.. but morning glory.. clematis.. autumn flower clematis [better be a stout arbor.. lol ..] ... all could be trained to provide a vertical screen.. with little or no footprint ... frankly.. i can think of no 'tree' that would work ... as i do not like planting things that i have to trim.. 2 or 3 times per year ... ken...See MoreShrub/small tree (or vine) suggestions for side yard
Comments (10)Green X could use something dense that gets to a decent height in a decent amount of time. I would use Springtime Viburnum or Common Myrtle sheared into an egg. I love myrtle eggs. Mine gets pretty white flowers at this time of year. You may want to consider Duranta repens for the yellow x. A dwarf bottlebrush standard will weep for you, and they stay small. Brugmansia would look great. It sounds like an ideal spot for one. Put something like native sword ferns below so that you don't have to pick up all of the dead blossoms. I have a very nice Euphorbia that looks like a smoke tree- stays small, easy to prune into shape. It may live there. I'll take a photo tomorrow. I'd plant duranta up against the wood fence too. The variegated green and white ones would look great, and they get about ten feet tall. I love the shape of the path you laid out. Renee...See MoreLynn Nevins
2 years agoMichauxia
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