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| Hi,
I am having to rip up an old flower bed in our front yard (several shrubs died down or looking spindly) and they were not something I would have planted in the first place.
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| I was going to say Abelia Kaleidoscope - I've been wanting one too, but geez they are expensive! We have this Osmanthus, and I really like it. Third year on it here. It does seem to be slow-growing. This year it's starting to fill out a little. I've seen someone post a picture of this at about 6-8' tall, and they said it just suddenly did that after slow growth for a long time, sooo...no sign of it yet here, but time will tell I guess. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Goshiki Osmanthus
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| A pieris might work for you. I don't have one but am considering it for my yard. For all I've read about it, it seems to be a rather slow-growing shrub, but it's evergreen and supposedly smells delightful in bloom. |
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- Posted by bumblebeez z7b Seneca SC (My Page) on Fri, May 6, 11 at 9:43
| How tall do you want these shrubs to be? Variegated privet can be a small tree year -aside from the fact it's invasive and a reason to avoid for that reason- in some locals Burning bush is invasive too. Pieris is a shade shrub and likes the same culture as camellias. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Fri, May 6, 11 at 11:19
| The heat of your Texas climate in summer might pose some challenges :-) The pieris will not be happy in full-on, hot sun, ditto the osmanthus (and that can get much bigger than 6-8 feet) and burning bush is not evergreen. The abelia is a great choice and IMO, worth the investment. There are other compact variegated abelias as well - 'Sunrise' and 'Mardi Gras' have been around longer than 'Kaleidoscope' so perhaps less pricey. A compact selection of nandina, like 'Gulf Stream' or 'Sienna Sunrise', would offer a lot of color - check to see if invasive in your area. There are various types of evergreen euonymus, many with colored/variegated foliage, and they tend to be very adaptable to a wide range of planting conditions. Some can get quite large, so choose carefully for size. Other possibilities are Loropetalum (many with red foliage) or Ilex glabra 'Shamrock' (lime-gold new growth). Unfortunately, the vast bulk of variegated or colored foliage shrubs would either prefer some shade (especially in your climate) or are deciduous. But lots of choices possible with deciduous shrubs :-) And the list of truly 'evergreen' perennials is pretty small. I'd pick out a couple of shrubs to form the foundation planting and then fill in from there with any flowering, sun loving perennial that strikes your fancy and tolerates your heat. Even more choices abound here and a visit to your local garden center should offer many possibilities. |
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