Nice setting. I just bought and planted two pairs of shrubs this weekend. Never really thought about it until I read your post. Now I'll obsess over it! lol

Oh no...I'm sorry SnailLover... I have many Rose of Sharon in the yard. Different varieties...so in my minds eye they are "different" lol It only bothers me if they are in the same vicinity like...sharing the same flower bed.

Thanks for the compliment...it's our memorial area for our beloved pet/s plural for when we have to add another back there. At the back corner of our property. Since I have a Rose of Sharon next to the bench...I can't add another one...even if another variety...it shares the same bed. ((((Sigh)))) I hate these weird quirks of mine.

Enjoy your shrubs...and shrug off my post.

Nah, I was kidding. I obsess over everything when I garden. I get too linear and end up measuring things. Can't stop myself and I hate it. Must be the analytical side of me.

Aw, love that it's a memorial for your pets! Makes it even more lovely. I can't help with your 'one shrub or two' dilemma, but it's very pretty the way it is.

Glad I'm not the only one with hang ups...even if it's a different aspect of gardening. And thanks...I will try not to stress over not being able to add a second summersweet ruby spice then. In my minds eye...I think it would be appropriate. But, not if it bugs the dickens of me.

Yes...our children's first dog Butchie. He was a rescue...that was an amazing part of our family. His bark brought my oldest son's first gut laugh...and so many more memories that I won't bore you with. But...he deserves a memorial bench and an area we can go and just rehash wonderful memories.

What a beautiful family and beautiful doggie! Sorry for the loss of Butchie. I know how hard it is to lose a dog. The memorial is a wonderful tribute to him.

Typically, from an aesthetic point of view, in informal landscapes shrubs are often planted in odd numbers, such as in groups of threes or fives.

In more formal landscapes, there would be more symmetry.

Two separated, but similar shrubs -- such as those placed on either side of a front entrance -- would look OK to me -- as long as they were separated by a structure (the door). I prefer this to only one large shrub (in this situation).

And I don't have a problem with planting two of one kind close to each other as long as they would eventually grow together and become one 'shape', as long as that 'shape' fits in the garden design.

But remember...rules are always made to be broken ...sometimes!

It all depends upon the situation and your sensitivities!

I guess that would be the key...planting them close enough that when they matured...it gave the appearance of one shrub verses two and one looking nicer than the other.

So...if one would plant another summersweet how close would one do the planting? Dave...you have any idea what that would be? I might be able to handle that.

SnailLover...thank you...yes, one amazing dog he was. He was abused. The owner came out and said he beat him profoundly...for tearing stuff up. He was never an indoor dog. But a farm dog. Who later the owner learned was at the wrong place at the wrong time. You see...it was his sister the other litter mate they kept...that kept destroying things after we took him home with us. Things kept being destroyed...He was a saint. Though it took years for him to not hunker down when my husband walked by. Poor thing was covered head to tail with ticks as well. So glad we had many years with him. He was hands down one of the best dogs ever. He actually passed 8 years ago...but my son is forever sitting out by his stone that says something about a dog leaves paws prints on the heart. That...I felt I should incorporate a bench for him...for we sit by his grave and talk about all the good memories we have of him often. The bench just seemed the right direction to go.

I can't do two, but one or three would be fine.

So...if one would plant another summersweet how close would one do the planting?

I dunno, maybe 10 or 20 feet away! I'm not familiar enough with Summersweet.

It might be nice to work two more into your landscape, but keep them as repeating elements to unify the landscape, but I wouldn't plant them side-by-side.

3-4 foot wide...wonder if they can handle juglone... The only place other than beside it would be near a walnut tree. Unless I plant one out front where it can't even be seen near the location this one currently is.