Rachel and I are finally getting off our duffs to do some landscaping at our palatial estate. We’ll be starting out slowly and are concentrating on the front of the house.

This post is intended to be my staging area for plants I’m considering adding to our landscape and an easy way for Rachel and I to share ideas. Your thoughts are welcome as well.

(Note: this page will be a work in progress, so…whatever that means)

Shrubs

Barberry - Rosy Glow

The Barberry 'Rosy Glow', 'Berberis thunbergii', is an easy to grow shrub that is great for beginner gardeners. This barberry is a vigorous cultivar and is a showy garden plant with its variegated leaves of purple with light pink splotches. With a plant height of 3' and a spread of 2-3', it should be planted in full sun to part shade. Full sun will produce the best foliage color. 'Rosy Glow' needs a well drained area and can tolerate some drought. Yellow flowers will appear in April and they may last until May.

UPDATED: Thorny = no thanks. Sure looks pretty, though.

Rhododendron P.J.M. Lavender

These plants are among the hardiest and most reliable evergreen rhododendrons. This semi-dwarf selection flowers early with lavender-pink blooms. The green foliage becomes purple-brown in winter.

Disadvantage: Attracts bees (but also butterlies and hummingbirds, yay!).

Euonymus - Gold Splash

The Euonymus Gold Splash, 'Euonymus f. 'Gold Splash', a Proven Winners selection, produces big, round leaves that have a bright, bold variegation. It will make a dramatic impact on the landscape and will provide four season color in your landscape. The variegation is very stable and the plant has good disease resistance. The variegated foliage maintains its color all yar long and it is accented by showy, persistant fruit in the fall. Place this plant in well drained soil.

Green Velvet Boxwood

Green Velvet Boxwood is a handsome, rounded, full-bodied, slow-growing shrub with small dark green leaves. Like most modern cultivars, it is a hybrid of Korean Boxwood (for hardiness and compactness) and Common Boxwood (for excellent leaf color in both summer and winter). During late winter the leaf color is best described as dark green with a bronze hue. The noticeable but not showy flowers are cream-colored inflorescences occurring in late April and early May on established plants. The flowers are somewhat fragrant and usually attract bees. It is very tolerant of sunny locations as long as it receives sufficient moisture. It will slowly grow to 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide.

Perennials

Serbian Bellflower

Bellflowers are among the most popular of perennials. This dwarf selection may be grown in rock gardens, used as an edging, or in tubs and pots. Plants form a spreading patch of small green leaves, bearing loads of starry violet-blue flowers beginning in late spring and blooming for weeks on end. Nice when used as a groundcover over a smaller area, especially under shrub roses. Will sometimes repeat flower in the autumn.

Variegated Japanese Sedge

Sedges are grass-like plants, mostly preferring sites with moist, rich soil. This Japanese selection forms a low cascading clump of leathery green leaves, with a bright creamy-yellow stripe down the center. Brownish flowers are insignificant. A choice plant for edging, or in the rock garden. If the tips of the leaves get wind-burn over the winter, they may be trimmed with scissors in the spring. This is a well-behaved, non-spreading plant. Clumps may be divided in early spring. Tolerates dry shade with occasional watering. Evergreen.

Goldstorm Coneflower

Among the best border perennials available, this is a selection of one of our native North American wildflowers. Plants make a bushy, upright clump with a profuse display of brown-eyed, golden-orange daisies from midsummer through the fall. Seed heads have good winter interest. A terrific choice for mass planting, combining especially well with ornamental grasses. Excellent for cutting. Removing faded flowers regularly will greatly increase the blooming time. Plants may be easily divided in early spring. Attractive to butterflies.