Our spring project was to vamp the mid-90s landscape that frames the front of our planetary house . The manual employment of pulling out the old and replacing with new was square . The planning unconscious process , however , was a multi - month project that want many time of day of inquiry and collaboration with our landscaper . I desire that share our experience will be utile to homeowners who are refreshing , modernise , or designing from starting line on a new lot . I ’ll describe the plant we inherited , what we require to change , our goals , and the plant selections that meet our criteria .
THE INHERITANCE
As you may see from the photos , theshrubs were packed in very tightly , which is not unusual for a landscape that is almost 30 year old . The very expectant holly shrubs are most in all probability American hollies , Ilex opaca , pruned to a pear-shaped shape . They flank Japanese maple George Walker Bush which have plain outgrown their allotted space in front of the house . To the far proper , is a cone-shaped - shape tree diagram holly , probably also an American Charles Hardin Holley , and a large manly American holly bush next to it around the quoin . The landscaper assumed the male Buddy Holly was planted to pollinate the tree - shaped holly , and the other American holly shrubs . We decide to keep the tree holly and the male holly . The flowering shrub is a nonnative genus Viburnum , in all probability a Nipponese snowball . ( Although I really wish this foreign-born genus Viburnum , it was just too great for the new plantings . Finding the proper scale can be a challenge when trying to mix old and raw shrubs . ) On the leftfield , in the front corner , is a crepe Vinca minor set very near to the star sign . To the left of the crepe Vinca minor are two Japanese azaleas . On the far left , out of persuasion , are 5 dwarf nandinas . This sterile cultivar does not flower or produce the promising red Chuck Berry ofNandina domestica . A small cerise Nipponese maple tree diagram to the left of the nandinas was go out in shoes . There was a 2.5 ’ broad gardening strip on either side of the front walking . We had planted 2 dissimilar types of aboriginal sedge ( Carex ) , but that combination never really mold . We decided to egest the gardening strip and plant grass up to the edge of the walk . We left in placetwo dwarf inkberry hollies at the goal of the pathnear the circular drive .
NECESSARY CHANGES
On a hard-nosed promissory note , the overgrown hollies , genus Viburnum , and Japanese maples prevented us from reach the windows for washing , and made admittance to the dryer vent very difficult . The hollies also required severe pruning to keep the stair railings useable . In addition , my husband seemed to have a life-threatening reaction from cut back the hollies ( beyond just a dislike of pruning ) when the Charles Hardin Holley touch his skin . He founder out in a serious rash that last for a couple of weeks .
WHAT WE HOPED TO reach
An overall goal was toincorporate as many native plants as possible . Neither the nandinas , the snowball viburnum , the azaleas , the crepe Vinca minor , nor the Nipponese maple contact this criterion . We also wanted to make the innovation plantingscomplementary to the natural setting , which is open land area surrounded by hay fields . The desired look would be something looser and more rude looking than the original instauration planting . right spacing for the plants was also very important . furnish nutrient and cover for native insects and birds were also goal .
SOIL TESTING
We tested the front and back orbit of our lawn field about 3 years ago and theclay soil was acid , with a pH of 5.5 in the back and 6.0 in the front . Many of the bush we chose for the foundation area opt acid soils , which seemed like a good fit . Soil sample were exact this twilight from both sides of the base orbit to check the pH and nourishing profile of the Modern beds . amazingly , the right side of the bottom has a pH of 7.1 ( achromatic ) , while the left over side has a pH of 6.1 ( slightly acidulous ) . We’veadded aluminium sulphate this fall to take down the pHon the right side . Depending on the wellness of our bush next springtime / summer , we may need to retest the territory . See thisarticlefor more information on convert the pH of your dirt .
SELECTING plant TO reach OUR GOALS
We decided to employ native evergreen plant plants as the main foundation plants but there are surprisingly few options . Boxwood is a common foundation industrial plant , but it is not aboriginal to North America . There was also a severe case of boxwood blight at our previous location in Charlottesville . In addition to evergreen shrubs , wewanted to sum deciduous shrubs for dissimilar leaf texture , periods of bloom , and coloured fall foliage .
INKBERRY – Ilex glabra
We prefer thenative evergreen plant shrub , inkberry(Ilex glabra ) , as the anchor shrub for our layout . This species contact a mature height of 5 - 10 ’ and a width of 5 - 8 ’ . AnApril 2022 articlefromThe Garden Sheddescribes some introductory challenge with using inkberries . A elemental consideration is that gallberry tend to become leggy as they age , meaning that as they grow tall , they run to lose their bottom branches and look thinned out . Some of the newer Ilex glabra cultivars are supposed to continue fullness better than the straight specie , but there are still warnings about thinning out as they age . WechoseIlex glabra‘Nigra ’ for the back of the creation . ‘Nigra ’ has a mature superlative of 6 - 10 ’ which , with some pruning , will keep the shrubs below the windows . For the front run-in of inkberries , we believe the cultivars‘Densa ’ , ‘ Shamrock ’ , or ‘ Compacta’for a fuller , shorter bush . ‘Densa ’ was available , and we were happy with its size of it of 4 - 6 ’ tall and spacious . ‘ Gembox ’ is the dwarf inkberry cultivarwe selected for the end of the walk . It grows to about 2 - 3 ’ grandiloquent and extensive .
Both manly and distaff gall-berry holly are required if berries are desired . The heyday are not ego - fertile and are pollinated by bees . If pollination go on between manlike and distaff plant , flowers are follow by pea plant - sized , jet Negro , berry - alike drupes which mature in other fall . These berries are attractive to many songbirds . Although female bush are common in nurseries , it isdifficult to find male cultivars , or male inkberry straight species . The Holly Society of America notedthat some gallberry might have ego - fertile bloom , or they may be pollinated by otherIlexspecies , such asI. opaca . We are hoping that the inherited maleI. opacawill pollenate the distaff evergreen winterberry .
VIRGINIA SWEETSPIRE – Itea
One of the deciduous shrubs we incorporate isItea‘Little Henry’,a midget cultivar that acquire 2 - 3 ’ talland wide . Iteais a depleted - alimony bush recommended for well - run out , moist - to - wet , average acidic soils with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5 . Usually categorized as a wetland species , Iteacan also thrive in median moisture conditions , and can tolerate drought term once it becomes established . Although it can adapt to partial sun precondition , it develops a full habit , flowers more profusely , and shows more vivacious descent colour in full sun . This shrub has three season of interest with long , white , sweet odoriferous anthesis “ steeple ” in late May and June ; fall foliation in shade of red , orangish , and purple ; and deep , glossy green foliage in summer . A possible downside is thatIteatends to sucker , i.e. , broadcast by sending up shoots . Some suckering will be welcomed in our foundation area , and suckering is easily controlled by pruning . For more information on this bush , see theApril 2017 issueofThe Garden Shed .
FOTHERGILLA
Fothergillais another aboriginal , deciduous shrub that met our selection criteria . There are only two species ofFothergillaand both are native to the southeastern United States : largeFothergilla(Fothergilla major ) and dwarfFothergilla(Fothergilla gardenii ) . big Fothergilla originate 6 - 10 ’ marvelous and 5 - 9 ’ wide ; dwarfFothergillagrows to about 3 - 4 ’ . We choseFothergilla x intermedia‘Mount Airy’,a naturally happen interbreeding between the two species ( F. majorandF. gardenii).‘Mount Airy ’ grows about 5 ’ to 6 ’ grandiloquent and wideand shew consistently good fall color . In summer , this attractive shrub bears dark gullible to bluish - greenish leafage . It is broadly speaking believe to be superior to the mintage in flower size and abundance , cold hardiness , cosmopolitan robustness , and fall color . Fothergillathrive in acidic land with a pH of 5.0 - 6.0 with plenty of organic matter . It is felicitous in filtered shade to full sun , but the best twilight coloring is bring out in full Dominicus . The nanus mintage tends to mug , and ‘ Mount Airy ’ tends to sucker as well . For more information on this bush , see theNovember 2017 topic of The Garden Shed .
WILD HYDRANGEA – Hydrangea arborescens
savage hydrangea or politic hydrangea originate 7 - 7.5 ’ tall and is native to the easterly and primal U.S. Although ordinarily incur in moist , wooded areas , raving mad hydrangea can also turn in full sun if provided sufficient weewee . It has large leave of absence , and beautiful flower head that flower in June and keep flower for about two month . The flowers then evanesce to a soft viridity in other fall , and dry to a tawny John Brown . The dry out flower heads supply winter pastime to the garden . There are two dissimilar type of native hydrangeas : lacecaps and mopheads . Lacecaps have hundreds of prolific flowers usually surround by a ring of showy sterile flowers . Mopheads contain masses of unfertile prime in large - noodle form flowerheads with relatively few fertile heyday . The fertile flower of lacecaps draw in a great number of pollinators , while the infertile bloom of mopheads offer spectacular flowered displays . ‘ Annabelle ’ , a unsubdivided selection of naturally occurring plants , was one of the early wild hydrangeas to exhibit a mophead floral chromosomal mutation . The cultivar chosen for our foundation plantings is ‘ Incrediball’ . It was bred from ‘ Annabelle ’ and is credited with have stronger prow and larger blooms . In fact , ‘ Incrediball ’ issometimes called “ Strong Annabelle ” hydrangea . At 4 - 5 ’ tall and wide-cut , the lowly size is suitable for our foundation layer . Many late cultivar conception based on selective procreation are mopheads because of the popularity of their exquisite flower displays . TheMt . Cuba Research Center has published a reportbased on a trial that compare dissimilar cultivars ofH. arborescens . This subject field compares overall flora characteristic ; the impact of growing in sun versus shade ; and attraction to pollinator . Wild hydrangea are dependent to severe deer browse . Although we ’re hop that law of proximity to the house will provide some protection , we may also involve to bestow credit card fencing for month of heaviest browsing .
OAKLEAF HYDRANGEA – Hydrangea quercifolia
Oakleaf hydrangea is a deciduous , rounded shrub with big , dark green foliage that is lob , coarsely textured , and similar in shape to the leaf of an oak tree tree . White flush appear in elongated , strobilus - mould clusters that bloom 4 - 6 weeks in June - July before aging to either tan or deep pink . The leaf turn a beautiful red to purple and lasts through fall ; the dried flowers also add previous fall interest . Hydrangeas generally prefer moist , well - drained , acidulous stain ( 5.0 - 6.5 pH ) in fond spook / shade . Once demonstrate , the oakleaf species put up dry territory and more Sunday than other members of the genus . Oakleaf hydrangea is native to all the state in the southeastern quadrant of the United States , from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Louisiana . Althoughnot native to Virginia , it perform well here . It is susceptible to pregnant deer damage;we have planted ours next to the planetary house by the entry . The species grows on average to 8 ’ tall , with some growing to 12 ’ . There are many cultivar that offer a range of size . We choose the compact cultivar ‘ Pee Wee ’ which grows 4 - 5 ’ tall and encompassing . See the article , “ Oakleaf Hydrangea , ” fromNovember 2016 issue ofThe Garden Shedfor more information .
MOUNTAIN LAUREL – Kalmia latifolia
Mountain laurel wreath is a broadleaf , evergreen shrub native to eastern North America . In the wild , the specie mature 5 - 15 ’ tall and broad . We selected a dwarf cultivar , ‘ Elf ’ , that develop 3 - 4 ’ tall and broad . Leaves are unripe and glossy , and cluster of ashen flowers emerge from typical shell pink efflorescence bud in late spring / former summer . Mountain laurel tolerates a wide orbit of low-cal status , from full sun to full shade , but produce best in partial shade ( morning sun with early to mid - good afternoon nicety ) and in cool , moist , humous - plentiful , well - drained , acidic soils . It is subject to chlorosis ( yellowing ) of the foliage in alkaline soils . Mulching is recommended to retain moisture and keep rootage zones cool . The metal money is susceptible to several insects such as borer , scale , ashen fly , and lace bugs . It is also susceptible to folio smear and blight . If ingest , all parts of the plant are extremely toxic to humans , true cat , dogs , and knight . Honeybees that feed heavily on these plants are known to bring forth “ mad honey ” that can be toxic for human consumption . Mountain laurel is attractive to many pollinators , admit butterflies and hummingbird . It is unremarkably deer resistant .
RED SWITCH GRASS – Panicum virgatum‘Shenandoah ’
We take to replace the dwarf nandina Bush with a cultivar of the native repeated switch grass , Panicum virgatum . ‘Shenandoah ’ grows 3 - 4 ’ grandiloquent exceed in summer by finely textured , reddish - pinkish flower panicleswhich hover over the leafage like an airy cloud . Panicles turn beige as the seeds mature in tumble with the seed plumes persisting well into winter . come are a wintertime food for thought source for birds . Foliage emerges blue unripened but rapidly wrench burgundy crimson by previous June . ‘ Shenandoah ’ features some of the serious burgundy - red foliation of the many genus Panicum cultivar currently usable . This warm - time of year green goddess tolerate a broad chain of mountains of stain and is easy grow in average , medium - to - sloshed territory ; it may flop in excessively rich soils . It can permit both dry soils and occasional flooding . It more often than not opt full sun and is planted in the sunny spot of our foundation layer . It grows primarily in clumps but will slowly spread by slightly creeping rhizomes . Plants may self - seeded player in optimal raise conditions , but cultivar may not come up true from come . It is not attractive to deer .
SEDGE – Carex
Although not a grass , sedge isa “ grass - alike ” perennialplant withtriangular stemsand inconspicuous flowers . Of the familyCyperaceae , there are over 1,500 coinage of the genusCarex , which from Latin means “ cutter ” in reference to the keen foliage and stem edges . As a native ground natural covering , it can reduce the need for mulch and suppress weeds . It is sometimes used in place of turf to reduce lawn upkeep and is also an efficacious specimen flora in ornamental and rainwater gardens . Various native sedges act as cat hosts industrial plant for moths and butterfly . While many sedges favour moist condition in shade / fond shade , some will stick out drier conditions in more sunlight . Prior to our groundwork planting project , we had included two different type of sedge along our front manner of walking , a dry area with 5 - 6 60 minutes of full sun . Blue wood sedge ( C. flaccosperma)grew very full but lean to turn brown as the summer break on . The 2nd sedge , Pennsylvania sedge ( C. pensylvanica),was well capable to withstand the sunny , teetotal conditions . Although both types would likely be happy with more shade , we decided to transplantC. penslvanicainto the foundation bedto act as a ground cover to boil down the pauperization for mulch , and to provide food and cover for native insects . It has accommodate well andhas not been nark by cervid . For more information , also see this clause in theJune 2019 proceeds ofThe Garden Shed .
works NATIVE TO VIRGINIA
Many gardeners are now cognizant of using plants not just aboriginal to North America , or even to a part , but to area more specific to topically limit area . Inkberry ( Ilex glabra ) , American holly ( Ilex opaca ) , Virginia sweetspire ( Itea virginica ) , legato or wild hydrangea ( Hydrangea arborescens ) , switch grass ( Panicum virgatum ) , quite a little bay wreath ( Kalmia latifolia ) , Pennsylvania sedge ( Carex pensylvanica ) , and blue wood sedge ( C. flaccosperma ) are allnative to Albemarle County . See thePiedmont Virginia Native Plant Database .
DWARF OR COMPACT SHRUBS
Although our goal was to include native plants , many of the aboriginal shrubs we take grow quite large at adulthood . This mean thatdwarf varietieswere a welcomed summation . We chosecultivars that go along the green - colored foliage of the mintage , since work by Doug Tallamy has shown that the Bourgogne , purpleness , and other colored foliage of cultivar may not be as attractive to native caterpillars . For more information on thick cultivar , see this clause in theOctober 2022 issue ofThe Garden Shed .
SUMMARY
Our end was to change an out - of - date , overgrown foundation bottom intoan attractive , aboriginal - plant - based design that would also be productive . Productive think of that the industrial plant would support native insect , represent as larval hosts to aboriginal moth and butterfly stroke , and provide productive sources of nectar and pollen . The landscape would also provide nutrient and pass over for boo and other wildlife . Of course , we also wanted to produce a beautiful context for our home that would highlight the natural features of our landscape painting and beckon us outside .
FEATURED PHOTOPanicum virgatum‘Shenandoah ’ planted in home of dwarf nandinas . Photo : Susan Martin
source
“ Inkberry — A Native Evergreen Shrub,”The Garden Shed , April 2022 .
“ Inkberry Holly,”University of Maryland Extension .
“ Virginia Sweetspire,”The Garden Shed , June 2017 .
“ Fothergilla – An Outstanding Choice for Fall Color,”The Garden Shed , November 2017 .
Albemarle County Native Plant Search
“ Wild Hydrangea for the Mid - Atlantic Region,”Mt . Cuba Center Research Report
“ Oakleaf hydrangea,”The Garden Shed , November 2016
“ Kalmia latifolia,”NC State Extension
“ Panicum Virgatum,”NC State Extension
“ The Sedge Alternative,”The Garden Shed , June 2019
“ Compact Versions of Commonly Grown Trees and Shrubs,”The Garden Shed , October 2022
“ change the PH of Your Soil,”Clemson Cooperative extension phone
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center , Native Plants Database
