| According to Southern Living Garden Book you don't have a prayer with Ninebark. Sambucus and Cotinus are both said to grow in the lower south, however, other sources I have read have been highly discouraging. I tried Sambucus, Lanciniata a few years ago and it did fine in almost complete shade with constant moisture, however, it quickly became too large for the spot. So I moved it to morning sun where it slowly declined and died over about three years. It was a gawky looking thing, throwing big long whips of branches in all different directions but never thickening up into a shrub. It could have been my fault. I don't know, but I have not been willing to try again. I love golden green shrubs too. HEre are the ones I have grown with my results here in Meridian, MS (East Central, almost on a straight line with Dallas/Fort Worth) Chaemycyparis pisifera, "Filifera Aurea": The only tall golden green I have had success with, but it is a true winner. It gets afternoon shade in two areas of my yard. In one, it gets constant moisture, in the other, it competes with large deciduous trees. Both have been successful. It is a gorgeous tree. Berberis thunbergii, Aurea: Not a big shrub. About 4X4 feet, and thorny. But it is a wonderful shrub for my area. I have it in morning sun, afternoon shade, and in all day full blazing sun. It succeeds in both areas. It looks good from very early spring, to very late fall. Many years it is the last shrub to shed its leaves, and its fall color is a bonus: orangey, pinkish, red. Other than the thorns, it's just about perfect. I do not shear it. I like the twiggy look, and, as I said, it's a very slow grower. Spirea thunbergii, Ogon (Mellow Yellow): A beautiful shrub, but it is struggling. I have three of them. The two that get afternoon shade are hanging in there. The one that was getting full sun appears to have died. I have had them about three years now. They were just rooted cuttings when I mail-ordered them. They are now about 2.5x2.5. They have masses of small white flowers from the time the early spring bulbs begin blooming for about a month. When they leaf out, they just glow. The problem is in our hot summer sun, they tend to scorch. Still, with the right location, they are like no other shrub with their fine, fluffy texture. I just received three Ilex crenata, Lemon Gem shrubs. I am hopeful that they will be successful in full sun. I also grow Deutzia, Chardonnay Pearls. It is beautiful in the spring. It leafs out a perfect chartreuse, and its white blooms are breathtaking. The problem is the leaves turn green by mid summer. I have it in almost all day shade, so am contemplating getting another and trying it in more sun to see if the leaf color holds better. It is small: about 3'x3'. Tanacetum vulgare, Isla gold is a ferny, chartreuse leaved perennial that gets about 2 feet tall and wide. I have had it for several years, and it is one of my very favorite perennials. There is absolutely nothing bad I can say about it: the foliage is ferny and beautiful, the color is gorgeous, it never burns, gets eaten, or diseased. I have it in full sun with way more water than I would have thought it would like, but nothing phases it. I found at the garden center last week a brand new Rosemary called Gold Dust that is a beautiful gold/green variegated form. It is an upright form and I plan to make it a centerpiece in a pot in one of my gardens. There is a golden leaved Redbud out there, but it is not widely available yet. I keep waiting for the price to come down a bit, but I have high hopes for it. There is also a golden Catalpa that should also do well for us in the Deep South, but I have never seen it offered anywhere. |
