Gardening advice?

I'm looking for a native shrub with a mature height of 3' to 4' maximum to plant in front of my house. Flowers would be nice, attractive foliage is important; something that attracts birds or butterflies would be a plus. I just got rid of a very attractive bush, not sure what it was, but it grows 8-10' tall, and I got tired of cutting it back all the time. It really was a nice bush, but I wish the builder or previous owner had put it someplace other than in front of a window! I'm really trying to use more native plant materials, so I don't want a Chinese or Japanese anything. Any suggestions?

The area already has a dwarf Alberta spruce and some low-growing junipers.

Thanks!
Pat

 

Try looking here. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/native/common_namea-e.html

 

You might want to try dwarf nandinas, I know the ones we have have green leaves right now, but as it starts to get warmer they change over to a fire/red color. There is always the lilac or dwarf lilac bushes (or is lavender?), and dwarf gardinias, and they smell great (according to the wife).



Craig

 

They are called Firepower and they are gorgeous - let me know if i can help ya out kdsgrandma:-D

 

Well there is this one Bush that I would like to see you plant in your yard! :mrgreen:














Mr. & Mrs. Secret Service Agent - I was only joking, I would like George to spend the rest of his natural born life in prison, however I wouldn't wish him dead.

 

Oh, no, not in my yard! :mrgreen:

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody! Gives me a lot to think about, and I guess I need to get it in the ground soon to give it a good start before the hot weather gets here.

 

Well that is just one more thing my wife will be torqued off at me about when I get home! :mrgreen:

 

My wife will wear them down, she makes me proud! 8)

 

KDsGrandma,
I love to be in the garden, and so I dug up an old article from the N&O to help answer your question. Try these:
Abelia (semi-evergreen with white or pinkish funnel shaped flowers; gets to 3-6 ft), Cotoneaster (pink or white flowers on evergreen shrub; gets to 3-5 feet but there are varieties that will grow larger), roses (for their hips), Mahonia (also called Oregon grape holly; evergreen with yellow flowers and purple berries;gets to 6-8 feet), Ligurstrum (evergreen, small white flowers that don't smell too good; gets to 10-12 ft, though) and hearts-a-bleedin' (Euonymus; starts out green and turns bright red; E. alatus gets big - 10 to 20 ft. you can find 'Compactus' that gets to 6-10ft and 'Rudy Haag' that can be pruned to keep at 3-5ft). Blue juniper for the berries and yew (shelter/berries).
Hope this is helpful. Happy gardening!

 

Thanks, MS. I'm also considering Clethra Alnifolia "Ruby Spice" that I found on Niche Gardens web site, that gets 3-5' tall and has pink blooms in the summer, attractive to butterflies. I like hearts-a-bustin', but it's more a small tree form than a shrub, I might have to get one for some other spot on my property. Flame azalea is another one that's common in the mountains, and I love it, but I'm afraid it would get too tall for that location, like the loropetalum did. You mentioned abelia, that's one I hadn't thought about, I'll have to look it up, too. Thanks!

Pat

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Scientific Name
Clethra alnifolia

[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Common Name[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Summersweet; Sweet pepperbush; Clethra[/FONT]

More info... http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/native/clethra_alnifolia.html

Very pretty. I need to replace an ugly shrub in front of my house, maybe I'll use this one.

 

Is it a full-sun planting?

If the area you are planting gets full sun and is dry, Dwarf Nandina works great. Ours have been in for 10 years now and I never trim and never water(my favorite gardening technique) and they are only about 4 feet tall. They get a firey red berry that is there in the spring. The leaves range from a deep green to a deep burgundy as well.
American Boxwood is also a slow grower and makes a nice contrast planted within the Nandina because it will stay green and grows even slower.

 

Ready, I have the extension service website bookmarked, thanks for reminding me about that! I used to watch that Almanac program on PBS every Saturday, is that still on? The Clethra I was looking at is a variety that has pink flowers, I'm not sure I've ever seen it with pink flowers, I think it's usually white.

frugalhsmom, the area gets morning sun. I agree with you, never trimming and never watering is my favorite garden method as well. It all comes down to putting the right plant in the right place.

Thanks to all for your suggestions, it gives me lots to think about!

Pat

 

That is beautiful!

 

Yep, I might have to make a trip to Chapel Hill.

 

That Clethra is really pretty! Might have to go get one or two... DH will be 'thrilled', I'm sure

Thank you for sharing your ideas, too. I'm interested in learning more about what folks do here in Clayton, as some of the plants I've tried have not made it (clay soil is lovely, no?) and some have completely surprised me by becoming rampant. Oh, well. Live-n-learn!

 

Yep, we never stop learning. The best thing for that clay soil is just keep adding organic matter. I compost everything - weeds, grass clippings, kitchen scraps (no meat or dairy, but pretty much everything else), leaves, I've even been known to rake leaves for an elderly lady from church & take the leaves home for my compost heap! Be careful never to work the soil when it's wet, because it will set up just like concrete. A little moist is fine, but never really wet.

 

Clay is very good nutritionally speaking, but must be broken up for the water management issues

 

Anyone have good tips for preventing (is it possible) hornworms? Those buggers are so invasive.