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small evergreen shrubs?
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Posted by shugnshay 8 La (My Page) on Sat, Apr 14, 07 at 16:20
| Madisonville, Louisiana. North shore of Lake Ponchartrain
Okay, so I need something to to plant across the front of my raised house to hide the cinder block piers. Our house is approx 3 or 4 feet off the ground. The area is 100% full sun.
My hope is that ya'll will tell me that osmanthus fragrans (sweet olive, tea olive) can be kept at this height without killing it, or that there is a dwarf or miniature that smell s the same. Our neighbor suggested miniature gardenias also, but the ones I've seen weren't very compact or dense or whatever you call it (you could see everything behind them.) I've never seen any of these little guys actually bloom, either.
Honestly have no idea what I'm doing, and all suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Shay |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: small evergreen shrubs?
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- Posted by timh z8 E.Tx. (My Page) on
Sun, Apr 15, 07 at 10:59
Hi Shay,
Skip the Sweet Olive...one of my favorits but it is not suited as a hedge. Shearing it makes it major ugly and it never looks "right" after the first time you wack it. Besides, the leaves are to thinly spaced early in life to be a good as a hedge. Instead, find good places here and there in your yard as an accent. They appriciate a bit of shade too. Gardenias, also a wonderfull plant for a lot of reasons, will probably just shrivel up and die in the all-day sun you have along the wall. They are a plant that (like Sweet Olive) likes morning sun but all day can be hard on them.
You need a hard working, utility shrub- there are many to choose from but, if it were me, given your situation, I would choose one of the cultivars of Holly. Thick, evergreen, fast growth, look great when sheared and do not need tons of water once established. Did I mention cheap? Find good sized 1 gal plants for about 4.99 at most any Lowes ect.- since you are needing a lot to go around the foundation of your house, skip the more expensive 3-5 gal ones. There are many Hollies to choose from but the one you want is "Dwarf Burford"---it is goof-proof. Always looks good, nice berries in fall and not many spines but just enough to perhaps keep an intruder from wanting to climb in a window.
Tim |
RE: small evergreen shrubs?
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| Louisiana full sun bakes plants so be careful on what you pick. Have you thought about maybe vines and trellises? I've seen raised houses done that way and it looks nice. |
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