Great Shrubs For Spring Color

My garden relies heavily on shrubs and small trees for spring color; nothing in the landscape is easier or more reliable to produce swathes of fresh, bright foliage and lovely flowers.Shrub border by the patio, April 2016

The azaleas have been gorgeous, though most of their blooms are past their prime now. The bright red-orange azalea in the following photo is the evergreen Karume azalea 'Hershey Orange.'

'Autumn Fire' is a new Encore azalea recently planted by the parking area in front of the house. Although it is fabulous in the fall, it is just as spectacular in spring:Encore 'Autumn Fire' azaleas bloom in front of dwarf Yaupon Holly.

Viburnum macrocephalum, commonly called Chinese Snowball Viburnum, is another shrub blooming prolifically at present:

Behind and to the right of the Snowball viburnum in the image above is Philadelphus, commonly called Mock Orange or English Dogwood, just beginning to bloom:

Next to the patio is this lovely weeping lace leaf Japanese maple:

Most of my roses are low-maintenance, work horse type roses, but I think they are all beautiful. They are just beginning to bloom in the front garden. Here are a couple:Rosa 'Mutabilis', also called butterfly rose

Rosa Rugosa 'Alba'

Caryopteris incana 'Jason' glows near the patio. Later this summer it will have blue flowers that attract butterflies:

Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku', also called Coral Bark Maple, grows in the arbor garden:

Spreading Yew is another favorite in the woodland garden. I love how its lime green new growth contrasts with its darker bluish-green needles:

Cryptomeria japonica 'Tansu' is a dwarf Japanese cedar in the woodland garden. It has stiff, somewhat prickly evergreen foliage:

Here are more of my favorite shrubs for foliage:Clockwise from top left: Variegated osmanthus; Pieris japonica; Juniper 'Saybrook Gold'; Variegated Japanese pittosporum; Sambucus 'Lemony Lace'; Spirea 'Goldflame'; Variegated hydrangea; Deodar cedar 'Feelin' Blue.'

Finally, I am enjoying the sweet honeysuckle fragrance and pretty blooms of deciduous azaleas in the woodland garden. I have planted several varieties so that they will be blooming at different times from now into summer:

Changes to the Woodland Garden: A New Sitting Area!

I have been busy in the woodland garden the last few weeks, work that involved a lot of muscle and a bobcat. I have long wanted to add a sitting area adjacent to the fern glade, and now it is done! It is not a large area, just big enough for two small chairs. The metal chairs are quite heavy and surprisingly comfortable, and the new area creates some badly needed structure in the space.

First, here is a before photo of the area.

This is what one now sees from the same spot. The sitting area is tucked to the right side of a large rock, which marks the entry to the sitting area and the path overlooking the fern glade. There is only a hint of the new space from this angle.

A trail leads from the main woodland path toward the fern glade and the new sitting area.

Here it is!

Did you notice the frog?

Plantings around the sitting area include native Phlox divaricata, Hosta Aureomarginata, Gumbo Azalea, Heucherella 'Yellowstone Falls', and some colorful Coleus. There is an old magazine rack, put to use holding potted New Guinea Impatiens.

I turned this rock on its end to create a more defined entry to the round space. Lou thinks it looks like a tombstone!

My fern glade has, at last count, 87 ferns, added over the past few years. Many are deciduous and are just now emerging from dormancy, so they are not very visible in these images. The concrete bench overlooks the glade. The fern glade is a large semicircular area, and I still need to add more ferns. I will have to publish another post on the fern glade when all of them are up and growing. 

At the opposite end of the fern glade from the sitting area is a group of evergreen Autumn Fern:

There is a small 'Butterfly' Japanese maple in the pot, and there are also several fragrant native azaleas in the area.

From the sitting area one also has a view of the new woodland path that started it all, back in 2010. Since I published that post, I have eliminated most of the mahonia and nandina in the woodland garden. Both proved to be horribly invasive, and I still pull seedlings every year.This project is a good illustration of the snowball effect! You may also enjoy reading my post Planting a Fern Glade, published in 2012, to get a perspective on progress in this part of the woodland garden, as well as My Decision, in which I write about eliminating the mahonia and nandina. I enjoyed going back and reading these old posts, then looking at what my woodland garden has become.