I am tempted to purchase one of these, Exochorda "The Bride" or Pearlbush, to replace a Ceonothus which I think is going to get too big and the site may be a touch too shady [filtered sun/dappled shade in afternoons, some small amount early mornings]... soil is a bit acid, encouraged to be so as the site is near a camellia. I really love blooming shrubberies in early and mid summer -- I understand this is a late spring bloomer, but very beautiful from the various web sites. Would Ron or others care to comment?
The pearlbush is coming along interestingly. The leaf buds looked like round green "pearls" evenly-spaced along the branchlets [this is quite small], now they are beginning to open out a bit and something else is emerging... looks like a cluster of pearls still palest green, small, bunched-up... will that be the white blooms which look in photos like the lovely apple blossoms... or maybe they ARE the blooms one sees in Chinese paintings...?
Not a very small shrub either, and pretty much devoid of interest when not in bloom. Locate where space is adequate, allowing for fountain-like habit. Dark green background like hemlock or yew good contrast with flowers. After well established and of some size could probably support a large-flowered clematis or other small-growing vine to add summer interest.
Well, I kept the Ceonothus on intuition, we lost some tall fir branches in nearby trees this winter and there's more light out there... And the Exochorda [pearlbush] was planted near some large-ish Japanese-style stone arrangements because the pearlbush leans over to one side and may suit the arrangement, and does have excellent strong although small branch structure. When it grows large I think I can move other smaller plants away from it, which aren't significant, and the rocks are feather-rock so are moveable. Its closest neighbour is a very dwarf "Beacon Hill" pine which also leans attractively... [more or less same direction, maybe the pine a bit at an angle]... that could be moved as well if necessary. Thanks, Ron, your knowledge always valuable and after a couple of years gardening here many of your comments work out to be true. The pearlbush will balance, when larger, a "Bridal Wreath" spirea, and I am hoping they bloom near in time, but with my luck they won't.
Be sure to flank these with evergreen shrubs so there is year-round structure. Both will appear "dead" in winter with their brushy masses of slender brown stems. Both would be much enhanced at flowering time with a dark green or purple backdrop. Drifts of herbaceous plants that flower at the same time in front of the deciduous shrubs would provide a complete garden picture. Clumps of early bulbs or drifts of early or late perennials could be interwoven to extend the seasonal interest of the area (in addition to training small climbers onto the deciduous shrubs). Plant combinations books can be consulted for specific ideas. For instance, Lord, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANTING COMBINATIONS (Firefly) in the accompanying narrative suggests mixing 'Snowmound' spirea with shrub roses, weigelas, hebes and Potentilla fruticosa cultivars, and draping it with sweet peas; says it combines especially well with blue flowers and silver or glaucous foliage; and that good perennials to put with it are cranesbills, campanulas, later Tall Bearded irises, achilleas, paler day lilies, and most summer-flowering bulbs (esp. lilies). Speaking of ceanothus, a photo of a 'Snowmound' blooming in a narrow border is provided; the caption relates that is is contrasting there with Ceanothus 'Puget Blue', with a shrub sporting yellow-green foliage visible beyond (looks like it might be a forsythia); it is observed that in a wider border a small shrub with yellow flowers or yellow-green leaves could be put in front to tie things together. Specific varieties he lists for combining with 'Snowmound' are Berberis thunbergii 'Aurea', Geranium 'Mavis Simpson', Iris 'Cambridge', Lathyrus latifolius 'Rosa Perle', Lilium pyrenaicum and Potentilla fruticosa 'Beesii'. Unlike 'Snowmound' Lord does not give 'The Bride' a full entry, but does mention it multiple times as a companion to other plants. Looking at libraries or bookstores you can probably find this and other titles mentioning these shrubs and what they look good with. I have collected quite a number of planting combination books during a short period of years, all purchased at local bookstores. The 'Snowmound' is one of the most sold bridal wreaths in this area. Perhaps that is the one you have. Others are S. thunbergii, which flowers much earlier, and VanHoutte spirea, which flowers I think at the same time or a little later.
Thank you so much... I will have to go through my labels in my gardening binder to find the exact variety of spirea, I am afraid it didn't say, just calling it Bridal Wreath spirea, but I am not sure. I have taken into consideration the need for some evergreen background to this, and I am using dwarf conifers of various shades, and spreading dwarf conifers, and some yellow-leaved Golden Gem Ilex crenata which really glows yellow from a distance, looking like flowers if one's eyesight isn't great... A large variegated yellow Euononymus [I think] which is as tall as I am and nicely shaped, in the background, with a number of tall deciduous hardy azaleas coming along -- the spicy bronze-leaved orangey-yellow ones; a nice floriferous Bonica rosebush, evergreen azaleas of dwarf and squat habit, and some smaller-variety nicely-sprawling and leaning forsythia which of course won't look like much in the summer. Heathers, various small shrubby perennials; the shrub-type St. John's Wort 'Hidcote' will bloom later; daffodils and rock cress are out now, too. Then, underneath, various low groundcovers, campanulas, and some of the little white wildflowers common in my garden patch, some would call them weeds, but they are lovely airy fluffy small mounds of white flowers, I think they are a type of Claytonia sibirica, Montia parvifolia, but not sure. I collect them from other areas of my garden area and cluster them together under the yellow Euonymous and the rose and around the abelia and azaleas, they self-seed beautifully and respond "like wow" to fertilizer... But one thing I have to contend with is deer and I have tried to avoid too many things they might eat. [Last night they nipped off the red berries from an attractive specialty cotoneaster I had trimming a large pot near the driveway... they normally don't touch it but managed to take away the colourful berries and dislodge some mosses...] I removed all my hydrangeas owing to their deer-lettuce quotient. The rosebush has to be sprayed constantly with deer repellent. I'll get some photos together when I have some time, must finish sweeping up a messy patio in back which, being sheltered from deer, has some truly hot pink geraniums now potted...
The pearlbush is thriving and the leaves have come out, the "pearls" or budding blooms arrayed along the branches in an interesting way... the surrounding plantings do contain a lot, by chance, of what Ron suggested above. I really have not seen this shrub before. Photo will come in due course.
