Bushes
When laying out a landscape plan, we typically start with a backdrop of evergreen bushes, then move out with flowering plants, then to a smaller accent plant, and lastly a taller bush or two off of the side of your house.
Below is a selection of the plants that we commonly have in stock. There are often a few varieties of each shrub that we rotate through, such as red or pink roses. We strongly suggest using the bushes on this list as we have hand picked them for their ability to grow well in our climate, low maintenance, and overall quality. We also purchase these bushes wholesale, therefore reducing the cost and allowing for more bushes and higher quality. Any special orders cost significantly extra (3-4x) and landscape plans will be adjusted accordingly.
Due to supply issues, some bushes may not be available.
Once the bushes are planted, they are your responsibility. Please water them every day or two to start, then every few days, then weekly until they are established (at least 6 months, a year would be better). Especially in the summer. (Trees too!)
Evergreens
Evergreens are best used to screen foundation walls, and provide a backdrop until other plants lose their leaves in the fall. Their winter foliage and occasional berries provide year round screening, interest, and contrast.
***Evergreens need to be watered YEAR ROUND until established, and are not very forgiving if neglected. Keep a close eye on newly planted evergreens.
Boxwood
One of our favorites, boxwood is a great, easy to care for evergreen with small round waxy leaves. There are a few varieties, either 3-4' tall and form a nice rounded shape, or a 4-6' species that grows faster and makes a better hedge/screen. They can be all trimmed and shaped as desired.
Sea Green Juniper
One of the toughest plants we stock, these plants are fast growers that will provide a quick year round screen. They can grow quite large, up to 6 feet, but are very tolerant to trimming and shaping every few years as needed.
Gold Mop False Cypress
These unique plants stand apart from most evergreens with their vivid green, thread-like needles. They also have a slight lemony scent, and are a great contrast for plants with darker foliage.
Flowering / Specimen Plants
The following shrubs are the show stoppers. The bushes everyone wants to see. They have great flowers, vibrant fall colors, and some pleasant aromas. We typically recommend one or two right by the sidewalk and porch, where they are the closest to see and smell. However, they can occasionally be used as a foundation screen or hedge, and the smaller varieties can be used as accent plants surrounding a larger bush or tree. They are all deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the fall, and are complemented well by evergreens to carry the landscape interest through the winter. As a side note, normally, more sun equals more color and more flowers.
Burning Bush
One of our favorites and among the toughest, the burning bush gets its name from its fall color. It turns an incredible bright red like very few other plants do, hence the name. It matches well with a red maple in the yard, and is easy to care for. We stock a dwarf variety so it will not get out of control, and can be trimmed as necessary.
Hydrangea
Currently Have Bloomstruck
Hydrangeas are very popular and come in many different flavors. We typically have a medium sized (3'-5'), white or pink flowering variety. They are known for their large clustered flowers. They are not very tough, and don't like the heat. They are best suited for partial sun, and preferably not evening sun.
Drift Rose
Currently Have Red Drift
Drift roses are incredible performers. It is almost more common to see them with flowers than without. They are much smaller than knockout roses, and stay around 2'-3' around and tall. We most often have red, then coral, then peach/pink. They are roses, and do have thorns, however, not quite as large as the other species of roses.
Spirea
Currently have Magic Carpet
Spirea are known for their bright foliage and rosy pink puffs of flowers. We often have one or two varieties on hand. They get about 3-4 feet tall and around, and are a vibrant yellow or green, and some have tinges of red as shown in the picture above. They are a great all around bush, and are easy to care for.
Weigela
Spilled Wine Weigela have rosy pink flowers that appear in late spring and often rebloom in the summer. They stand apart from the rest with their rich, dark purple foliage all season. Their elongated flowers also attract hummingbirds. They contrast well with some brighter plants such as spireas and gold mops. They are on the smaller side, at 2'-3' tall and round.
Little Henry Sweetspire
These colorful bushes have a lot to offer, between their lightly fragranced white flowers in the summer, to their brilliant multitude of yellows, oranges and reds in the fall. They are a smaller bush topping out at 2'-3', great as a specimen, or as a low foundation plant. They are tough and grow in any light, and any conditions.
Lilac
Lilacs are often requested because of their very fragrant spring flowers. Even without the smell, the light purple flowers are very beautiful and attract butterflies. The heart shaped leaves turn from green to various shades of burgundy in the fall.
Azalea
Azaleas are another high performance flowering variety. Although they are a little more finicky than roses, we typically stock Poukhanense (shown), which has purple flowers and survives winter the best. Their blooms cover the majority of the plant, and occasionally, they will bloom twice, once in mid spring, and once in early fall. Similar to hydrangeas, they don't like the harsh summer evening sun.
Accent Plants
These little guys add pops of color and fill in where other bushes would be too large. They can be planted in groups to eventually form one large ground cover, or left separate to accent larger bushes. All of the varieties we have picked stay under two feet tall and around. They all also slowly 'creep' or spread to fill a space over the course of several years. This can be easily stopped by trimming as needed every few years.
Daylily
Daylilies are the best flowering of the group, and are known to bloom continuously from May to September. Daylilies will die back to the ground each winter.
Variegated Liriope
This is, in our opinion, the best all around accent plant. It flowers, will grow anywhere, and is an evergreen in our region.
Hosta
Hosta's are the best accent plant for the shade. They do flower, but not often or for very long. If your house faces north, these are for you.
Big and Tall
This selection of bushes mainly gets 6' and larger. If not for their size, they would do well as a specimen, with their beautiful and aromatic flowers, bold fall colors, and winter berries. However, they do grow very large, so we often put them to the side of the house, to screen a large wall, fence, or hide an air conditioner or other utilities.
Viburnum
Our most recommended, Viburnums are tough, produce sweet honeysuckle like aromas from their white puffball flowers. Some varieties are evergreen, and most do well with full sun to shade. They have great fall color, and are a good all around large bush.
Ninebark
Ninebarks are more unique, with their deep red leaves, and some species whose leaves fade to a bright yellow in the middle. The bark has an interesting texture, and they produce light pink or white flowers in the spring time.
Tall Grass
Tall grass is pretty self explanatory, we typically stock maiden grass, which gets about 4' tall and wide, and produces a tassle at the ends. They are best for thoroughly covering foundations, or utility boxes. All grasses need to be trimmed down to about 4" every late winter.
Weigela
Out of Stock
The big sister to the Spilled Wine Weigela listed above. This is the original, larger variety. They can reach 6'-8' and have the same dark leaves and trumpet shaped pink flowers as the spilled wine.
Chokeberry
Out of Stock
Chokeberries have great fall color, and birds love to eat their berries in the winter. They have small white flowers in the spring, and would be ok as a specimen plant if spaced correctly.
Red Twig Dogwood
Currently Have Arctic Fire
Red twig dogwoods are another unique plant, they prefer full sun but can tolerate part shade. They have little white flowers in spring, but what makes them stand out are their vibrant red branches that pop in the winter time. Red twigs get pretty large, but can be trimmed all the way to the ground if necessary, or anywhere in between.