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| I was thinking of planting three of these as foundation plants on the north side of my house, because I've had little success with growing things there and I've heard that BBs can handle difficult soils. I also like their general size and shape (of the compact version. that is)
After reading about the invasiveness problems with these plants, however, I'm thinking of trying something else. Does anyone have any recommendations for similar shrubs for a hard to grow area on the north side of my house? Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Do you know how large a 'dwarf' burning bush really gets? It can be ten feet wide. Not a good choice for foundation planting.;-) It would help if you elaborate on what you mean by difficult soil. Construction fill? Overhang from eaves? |
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| Calliope, My neighbors have had a dwarf burning bush as foundation plants for years and they're still small and beautiful. I don't plan on being in this house forever. "Difficult conditions" mean that I've not had much success with ohter plants here, including yews, holly, clethra, mountain pieris, etc. They've all failed or lacked vigor. That's why I'm looking for something different--and something that isn't fussy about conditions. Thanks. |
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| Itea. Aronia melanocarpa perhaps. What exactly are the conditions (beyond the north side of the house) that has made it so problematic for everything else you put there? |
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| ditto...yews should grow anywhere BB can grow. Are there deer? Clethra prefers moisture and some sun. Is there ample moisture? evergreen is preferable as a foundation plant too. the stick look in winter is not so great. pieris is one of my favorites for north & east sites. |
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| Mary, Thanks for the idea. I don't know the exact cause of the problem with the area. All I know is that I've had little to no success with anything in this spot. I planted 3 yews there about 7 years ago, and they've hardly grown at all and they look sad. Same situation with other plants. Now, there is an overhang in this area, but because of this, I make sure to water the plants when they seem on the drier side. What's more, last year, I moved the yews out from beneath the overhang? The result? Little, if any, improvement. So, I need a hardy, vigorous shrub that isn't fussy. That's why I'm looking at BBs. |
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| Whatever you put there will fail if you don't deal with the cultural conditions that caused the other plants to fail. I suspect it is WAAAAY too dry because of the overhang. Plan to install some type of irrigation -- even if just a soaker hose -- before replacing the plants (you didn't give the poor yews time to adjust to the less dry location -- patience, grasshopper). |
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- Posted by becky_pacificnw 8 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 15, 10 at 1:44
| My mom just put in a soaker hose where her overhang prevents the rain from reaching the soil, she was planting a couple of perennials. You know what happened? 3 hostas magically appeared! And many other perennials that were planted there are suddenly coming to life and spreading in a good way. She has only lived in the house about 5 years, but all that time these poor plants just needed a good reliable source of water. Maybe test the soil acidity too? And after that you can get some fertilizer to fit your soil, work it in, add a soaker hose. And as far as a hardy shrub, the evergreen versions of Euonymus might be more preferable so they don't get the stick look in winter. I have really awful clay soil by my house, and Euonymus fortunei are some of the few shrubs that have been surviving it. I had to move an abelia, and a couple of upright fuschias because they started (or almost) to suffer. |
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| Unless the overhang is 6 feet deep, you're planting too close to the foundation anyhow. Shrubs should be planted at least 3-5 feet from the foundation. |
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