Topic: Suggestions For A Small Shrub/Bush

[Dianna]

I need some suggestions for a small shrub/bush to plant in the foundation flowerbed at the front of the house, please. It needs to remain small, or easily trimmed, and keep its' leaves during the fall. If it flowered it would be a bonus. Any suggestions for me?

[duh]

I think shrubs near a foundation are scary.  Their roots can damage a foundation or foul sewer or water piles.  So please make sure that the shrub won't be near enough to any of that.

Arbutus unedo 'Compacta' Strawberry Tree - I think you already have one of these but this is a short variety.  I'm not sure about the roots though.

Boxwood comes in a variety of sizes and even has some with varigation.  But again I don't know about the roots.

Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth' California Bush Anemone

Ceanothus 'Victoria' California Lilac

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Zanzibar' Variegated Wild Lilac

Clerodendrum paniculata 'Firefly' Pagoda Flower - this is a maybe

Duranta erecta 'Golden Edge' Golden Dewdrop

Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' Euonymus - This is suggested as a foundation plant.

Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' Japanese Aralia, Variegated

Fatsia japonica 'Variegata' Japanese Aralia, Variegated

Hebe buxifolia Hebe

Helwingia chinensis Helwingia

Ilex verticillata 'Southern Gentleman' Winterberry Holly

Jasminium fruticans Hardy Yellow Jasmine - No Scent

Kalmia latifolia Mountain Laurel

Loropetalum chinensis 'Sizzlin Pink' Chinese Fringe Flower

Myrtus communis 'Variegata' Myrtle, Variegated - This cultivator is recommended for foundation planting.

Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Variegatus' Variegated False Holly

Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire' Japanese Andromeda

Skimmia japonica Skimmia

Hope something on the list gives you an idea or two.  Good luck with your foundation bed.

[Dianna]

Thanks for the list, Tammy.

We have had the Lorapetalum in the bed, but moved it because it was struggling to take over. Those things can really get huge. We need something quite a bit smaller than that. We moved the Lorapetalum out beside the highway to border our land. It is really growing out there and seems to like not being trimmed...

Foundation plants scare me, too. I am so afraid the roots will creep up under the brick and start heaving it out of the ground. That is why I am looking for something really small. We don't have to worry about the septic system or the well. They are on the side of the house and I am planting in the front...

A couple more qualifications for the shrub/bush I am looking for are that it needs to be deerproof and has to love sun. So far the deer haven't been up that close to the house, but I am sure a nice tasty bush might make them think I am setting up a picnic area for them. The sun hits that bed full strength in the afternoon...

I am off to Google Land now to check to see if any of the others will be good candidates for the bed...

[barleychown]

Consider one of the "knockout" line of roses. They are nothing like regular roses, no need to deadhead or spray, just mulch and water. I regularly whack off the top foot or two, and they don't mind at all. They make a great back wall to a flowerbed, and bloom all summer.

I have the red, but they also have pink, "rainbow", white, and lavender.

[Triss]

Great suggestions!

How about Japanese Barberry.  Prickly thorns but it has leaves all hear round, tiny yellow flowers in the spring and goes through an amazing color change throughout the year from a variegated green/pink to a flaming deep pink.  I love mine!

[duh]

Deer love roses so they just might come up to sample those.  Unless the knockouts don't have that problem.

I thought about the barberry but it migrates over time and I wasn't sure that would be good in a foundation bed.

There are a couple on the list that are suggested for foundation plantings.   Maybe it would be best to start there?

[Triss]

That is one problem I have not had with mine, migration.  I still only have the 3 plants I started with here though they look a lot better since I am keeping them pruned, they are so full and lush now.

[Dianna]

Sure would love to see pics of the barberry and the knockout roses (hint, hint)...

I am sort of leaning toward India Hawthorn right now as a foundation plant. I will have to research a little bit more before I make up my mind...

Anyone have any experience with that?

[Triss]

Here are the pics of the barberry.

This would have been from late spring.


And in this one you can see them in the winter and then again in the summer.  That was probably a couple of years ago and they are all a lot bigger than that now.  I will have to get shots of them tomorrow if you want to see them closer.

[barleychown]

Here's a picture of the knockout roses in full bloom:



They are the row across the the front, down the sidewalk.

And another, closer shot. Please excuse the weed.

[Dianna]

That barberry is a beautiful bush. It scares me with the wicked thorns, though. I could guarantee that I would look like a pincushion if I had those around. I do like the idea of color all year round, too...

Sarah, I may have to do some rethinking about the knockout roses even though I am assuming that they have thorns, too. Are the thorns as bad as the barberry? They are gorgeous. For some reason I was thinking that they wouldn't fill in and look so lush. How close did you plant them? Do you have a problem with deer?

It is always nice to see what others have in their own yards when I am planning on doing something with mine. Thanks for posting pictures for me!

[Tina]

I love gardenias if they will grow there. They do not have invasive roots and will stay small if trimmed to be. Here they are evergreen and then you would have the bonus of heavenly scented blooms.

[Dianna]

Tina, I hadn't even thought about gardenias, but I do think they would grow here. One of my next door neighbors has a huge one in her front yard. I love the smell and with them not having invasive roots, that is a huge bonus! Thank you for suggesting them...

[UNCLEG]

I would suggest Dwarf Yopuns(sp) or confetti shrub( I will have to get proper name)  stems are bugundy and leaves are white/green and burgundy, color get deaper in fall and winter, has small whit blooms in spring/summer grows low and compact, very easy to trim if needed.

[Jim]

I looked at some Yaupons at Lowes this weekend because I thought that was what I had at my house in Sumter.  I was mistaken though and think mine were the Helleri Japanese Holly.  They were evergreen but I don't remember a flower of any kind.

[Dianna]

G, I saw the Yaupon at Lowe's this past weekend. Haven't researched it yet to see if it would be a candidate or not...

Is the confetti bush you were talking about the Abeliea shrub? That is what I keep coming up when I google confetti...

Thanks for your input...

Jim, I really would like a shrub that flowers in the front. I think it would be beautiful to see if from the road...

[Dianna]

Thanks, G! That was very sweet and thoughtful of you to bring me a cutting off of an abeliea (confetti) shrub last night when we met up at Hardee's before the ghost hunt. It is a pretty colored shrub with flowers at the tip. Seeing the cutting in person helped clarify what it looks like in my mind. I will be looking for it at the flower centers to get the full picture now...

Last night while at Hardee's, I notice that they had a low-growing "hedge" of India Hawthorne. Sure was pretty and I can just imagine it in bloom, but need to do more research to see if I could keep it under control.

There are so many options to choose from that I just cannot seem to settle on just one right now...

[UNCLEG]

I hoped that cutting helped.  I have Indian Hawthorns as the main base planting at my house, they are in their natural mound shape and staggered in their planting, gives them more texture/depth I don't really care for straight lines, that just me.  They require less pruning than say a Boxwood and maintain their mounded shape naturally.

[Dianna]

Found some Lingustrum shrubs yesterday that I was able to buy at only $2 each per five gallon pot and they were healthy. The guy, also, had some oleanders for the same price, but I didn't have any more room to haul them in...

May be calling Aunt Bonnie to bring me up some when she comes to visit on Wednesday. I just need to figure out where in the world I will be planting them before I decide on that...

[Triss]

Sounds like a great deal.  Remember on the oleanders that they are very poisonous to pets and kids.