Hi I'm a volunteer gardener for the condo complex where I live. I'm slowly changing plantings with permission. I've been asked by an owner living on the northwest side of the building to remove the photinia shrubs. Hydrangea came to mind. I 'd like to try "annabelle" . Any thoughts? M
beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Annabelle is a large flowering white hydrangea, bloom clusters are sort of football shaped. Personally, I like them. Replacing Photinia with Hydrangea also means you will be replacing a broadleaf evergreen with a broadleaf deciduous shrub, possibly an issue.
Yes: try to do the bulk (so to speak) of planting using broad-leaved evergreens - certainly feasible in this region - with deciduous shrubs mostly at certain points where these are called for specifically, such as where there are perennials and/or other herbaceous plants that harmonize with particular deciduous shrubs - grape hyacinths in front of star magnolias, for instance. Avoid using deciduous shrubs where a blank appearance (hole or interruption) will be produced during winter, try to keep to small numbers mostly at the back of borders, and almost never at the ends. Perhaps the worst common mis-use seen here is gangs of shrubby potentillas at entryways, producing bright flowers in summer (as do the clot-like dwarf annuals that are also often planted at such spots) and dreadful mounds of dirty and dead looking stems all winter. This is not North Dakota. We can have cheerful year-round furnishing of our outdoor spaces, using broad-leaved evergreens.
sorry I took so long to reply. Yes being a deciduous shrub will be an issue. I'm looking for a rodo to take care of this . My other concern is our rainy weather, seems these are prone to flop and I need low maintenance. I'm thinking of vibrnum blue muffin . thoughts? m
