Friday, June 7, 2013

DIY Landscaping, Finished Product

Pieris Japonica

I had never seen this plant before we looked at it in the nursery.  It is an evergreen shrub has new growth in the spring that is colored red which slowly turns green during the summer.  In addition the plant produces groups of flowers that look like lilies of the valley during the early spring.  We chose this plant for its ability to cover the gas meter as well as for its beautiful spring foliage.  Placement of this plant is important as it prefers lower amounts of sun exposure and does not do well with high winds.

Mature Height: 4-5ft
Mature Width: 4-5ft

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are pretty standard fare for landscaping.  They produce beautiful flowers and are fairly easy to cultivate.  Our specific brand of hydrangea is the endless summer variety.  One neat fact about hydrangeas is that the color of the flower indicates the type of soil you have.  With an acidic soil, pH<7, hydrangeas will produce blue flowers.  With a more basic, or alkaline soil, pH>7, hydrangeas will produce pink flowers.  We were a little concerned about the placement of this plant as the front of our house gets a lot of wind during the year, but so far we haven’t lost any flowers.
For more information on hydrangeas this site is great.  http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/


Mature Height: Whatever Works, prune to size
Mature Width: Ditto

Little Princess Spirea

The Spirea is a deciduous shrub that is great for planting at the edges of landscaping.  It is a good candidate for planting under trees for ground cover.  Its small flowers are also very nice as they add a splash of pink color to your landscaping.

Mature Height: 3-4ft
Mature Width: 5-6ft

Pyramidal Juniper Shrub

Junipers are a fairly common staple in landscaping.  They are a hardy shrub that can tolerate a variety of conditions.

Mature Height: 15-30ft
Mature Width: 10ft

Burning Bush

The burning bush has got to be one of the most well known landscaping shrubs.  Its blazing red color is absolutely legendary and works as a nice focal point on that side of our landscaping.  One thing about the burning bush is that it takes a lot of work to keep it smaller.

Mature Height: 6-8ft
Mature Width: 4-6ft

Green Velvet Boxwood

The boxwood is a fairly versatile plant, and this variety works great for making a hedge.  In our case we placed them under our windows and along our walkway.

Mature Height: 3-4ft
Mature Width: 3-4ft

Blue Star Juniper

These little guys are great for ground cover.  In a few years they will completely block the view of our vent pipes.

Mature Height: 2-3ft
Mature Width: 3-4ft

Green Tower Boxwood

Another variety of boxwood, this one is great for growing tall.  We used it right next the to the slab outside of our front door.

Mature Height: 9ft
Mature Width: 1-2ft

Goldflame Spirea

This is another great variety of spirea.  This one will have new growth that is yellow and has bright pink flowers.

Mature Height: 3-4ft
Mature Width: 5-6ft

Dwarf Crimson Barberry

This little beauty stays red all season long.  This version of barberry stays small and is great underneath our blue spruce.

Mature Height: 2ft
Mature Width: 2ft

Blue Spruce on a Stick

This plant serves as a beautiful centerpiece.  It won't grow much bigger but it will become fuller.

Mature Height: 3-5ft
Mature Width: 5-6ft

Helmonds Pillar Barberry

This is another variety of barberry that works great to frame the garage and not take up a lot of space.

Mature Height: 3-4ft
Mature Width: 12-18in

Magic Carpet Spirea

This is another great spirea but will stay slightly smaller and works great next to the garage.

Mature Height: 18-24in
Mature Width: 2ft

Pyramidal Boxwood

This is another fantastic boxwood that are using to block the view of the AC compressor.

Mature Height: 4-5ft
Mature Width: 2-3ft

I like Turtles



Window Dressing

Here are a few nice pictures of the annuals that are around.




The Big Picture

Here are some final photos of our landscaping.  I hope you enjoyed our crazy adventure and maybe it even inspired you.


Posts in this series
Design
Prep Work
Planting

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