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| These shrubs have been in front of my house since we moved in and I am thinking of reworking a few things but before I do I actually would like to know exactly what they are and what care they need.
The first is a fast growing bush and has white blooms in the spring for a short time. In fact it just put out a few stragglers not that long ago.
This one seems to grow slowly because when I trim it, it will hold its form for seemingly ages before finally looking out of shape again.
I believe the third is heavenly bamboo and I have let it get a lot taller that I wanted. Can this one be kept to under 3' tall and bushy from top to bottom?
Thanks everyone and forgive the mess that they are in. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 19, 12 at 14:11
| OK ... since they were there.. since you moved in.. let me tell you ... they are all planted 3 to 5 feet TOO CLOSE TO THE HOUSE ... and that is why you are having problems keeping them in shape ... is it within your physical ability ... to move them in fall??? or within you monetary ability.. to simply get rid of them.. and replace them with better things??? .. planted a more proper spacing from the house???? the happiest day in my life.. at my first house.. was getting rid of the last nightmare.. the prior owners left.. unfortunately.. it took me 5 years of hemming and hawing over 'saving' them ... what a PITA .... is this an option??? and is that last pic.. RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR FRONT DOOR .... that thing is NOT giving your visitors a great impression of the entryway to your castle ???? ken |
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| You are right, Ken. They look horrible and my wife and I both hate the whole look to be honest. I wanted to get IDs in case there was something I could do to make them look a little more appealing but I what I really want to do is scrap the whole thing and start from scratch with something that is better suited to our tastes. As it is right now, the whole thing is a hot mess with no coordination whatsoever. Transplanting could be an option but I am not sure I even have good places for them in the backyard. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 19, 12 at 16:09
| You are right, Ken. ==>>> do you mind saying that again.. i didnt quite hear you .. lol ... yes.. google REJUVENATION PRUNING OF SHRUBS ... and spend the next 3 years.. properly rejuvenating them.. plant ID is not imperative.. because they are all pruned in the same manor ... do i need to yell again .. GET RID OF THEM ... what else do you and your wife agree on in toto .. lol .. the first two look like viburnam.. but that is a WAG ... what!! ken lol... |
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| The first two pics appear to be Philadelphus aka Mock Orange. All the time it is clipped into a blob like that it will not perform to its best. It needs a lot more space and freedom to attain its natural form when it will be a beautiful lax shrub smothered in fragrant white blossoms in the spring. At the moment it might as well be any green shrub. (And presumably is a tangled bunch of brown twigs in winter.) They root easily from cuttings so you could remove the ones by the house and grow new ones in a suitable spot. |
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| lol Ken :D I wish I could just let the Mock Orange grow like it wants but it is huge and will dominate the area it is in. Unfortunately that would mean that other plants would suffer. I am 6ft and that thing would easily tower over my head if I left it alone to do its thing. Online says it could possible hit 12ft so it sounds like it could be a real monster. My back yard is in the process of being transformed into something of a butterfly/bird habitat but I like the front to sort of have a neat and trim look. What I would really like is some sort of evergreen arrangement and just place some annuals in there each spring to living it up a bit for the growing season. I have been thinking of putting down some sort of landscaping stone as a retaining wall so I can add decent soil and have better options for planting. As it is now, is it fairly heavy clay for a few inches with slabs of limestone scattered around not too awfully far under the clay. I think the actual topsoil was all bulldozed off when they built this housing development. |
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| That last one looks like Nandina domestica. You can prune it each year by removing the oldest "canes" and that should keep it shorter. Prune about 1/3 of it each year and prune them right to the ground. |
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| The second type looks like winged euonymus with a second heavenly bamboo popping out of the back. All are mal-pruned, as mentioned. The PlantAmnesty membership organization calls this approach "maintenance shearing". If you don't want them any bigger pulling them out and re-planting with much dwarfer kinds would take away the frequent vertical mowing. |
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| Thanks everyone for the help in identifying these shrubs. I have been reading Bringing Nature Home after seeing it mentioned and it definitely has me wanting to go the native species route which I will do either this fall or next spring depending on plant availability in my area. Thanks again! |
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| I have been reading Bringing Nature Home Yay! I'm a fan as well. |
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