Buxus, or boxwood, is the classic hedging plant. It responds well to pruning and clipping and is also great for topiaries. It is a slow grower and is very cold hardy. Some varieties and species turn orange to bronze in winter. For green foliage all year, plant ‘Green Beauty’ or ‘Winter Gem’. Buxus will also perform well in the shade.
Callistemon, or bottlebrush, is a well-known shrub. It is loved by hummingbirds and bees. The most commonly grown species is C. citrinus, a fast grower to ten to fifteen feet tall and wide. An excellent dwarf variety is C. viminalis ‘Little John’ which grows about three by three feet and sports intense red flowers. All Callistemon like…
Laurus nobilis, or sweet bay, is the bay leaf used in cooking. It is a handsome evergreen shrub that grows anywhere from twelve to forty feet, but in our climate, usually stays in the twelve to fifteen foot range. Yellow flowers appear in spring. It can take full sun or partial shade and needs moderate…
Teucrium ( germander) is a genus with some very different looking species. Teucrium cossonii majoricum is a low growing groundcover with grey foliage and whorls of mauvey purple flowers that smell like honey. T. x lucidrys (formerly T. chamaedrys) has dark green, toothed leaves with pink flowers. It grows to about one by two feet. T….
The Cotoneasters listed here are all evergreen and require little to moderate water. They have small white flowers in spring and red berries in autumn and winter. The most common groundcover types are ‘Coral Beauty’, ‘Lowfast’ and ‘Streib’s Findling’, all of which will get about ten feet wide and do well in sun or partial shade. …
Helianthemum is a great low growing evergreen shrub. It only gets about six inches tall and spreads two to three feet. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink, orange or red. The biggest flower show occurs in late spring or early summer, but further flowering can be encouraged by shearing off the spent flowers. Full sun,…
Myrtus communis, or myrtle, is a dense shrub that does well in full sun or partial shade. Leaves are small, bright green and aromatic. White, fragrant flowers appear in summer. It generally grows to about six feet (or more with age), but ‘Compacta’ stays about three by three feet. Good drainage is essential.