Landscaping 5: Path Lighting and Shrubs

Although the street light on the street opposite our houses lights up our driveway quite well at night, the pathway leading to our front door is darker, especially as you pass the rental unit's west wall.

We ordered solar-powered landscape lights to light the way. They last about 8 hours on a full charge so during the winter, morning walks may still be a little dark but for the most part, they are great!

The bill from Peak Landscaping came in and at first I worried that the budget was way over-spent and we'd have to wait for plants. Steve was able to rearrange the budget, freeing up a fund for plants that we can plant this month.

Fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs but, on the other hand, the nurseries have been selling stock since spring so the selection is diminished. Fortunately, they are also trying to clear out what stock they have, so if what they have is what you want, the prices are pretty good. We will wait until spring to plant the more fragile plants, such as Hostas, Artemisia, and other herbs or annuals. I may still put some bulbs in the ground or put some pansies out for some garden color that will come back again in the spring.

Interestingly, I rarely found the plants I had investigated in my advance planning of the landscape design. And the plants I did find were rarely mentioned in the plant book I used for reference. I decided to try to find the shapes I had designed around and trust the advice of the nursery workers. Then, we'll just hope for the best.

I was able to find a set of three columnar evergreen plants for the center of the front of the house; the middle one is a Hick's Yew, flanked by two "Sky Pointer" Japanese Holly bushes. All three grow narrow. The Yew probably will grow to about 10 feet tall while the Holly bushes will only get to about 5 feet.

On both corners of that north wall, I found Elderberry bushes with dark, black-green lacy leaves. The one on the east, or left side, (see photo below) will grow straight and taller (6-8') and is called "Straight Laced". The west corner Elderberry bush will grow to a similar height but a little bushier and is called "Black Lace". The leaves look very similar.











Beside the east Elderberry, I plan to plant a Weigela bush called "Sonic Bloom". Its name comes from the fact that it blooms both in the spring and in the fall and, indeed, it is currently in bloom! I wanted to draw attention away from the water controls there in the front of the building while still making them accessible.




I also chose four compact Weigela bushes for the west walkway, next to the wall of the rental house. The leaves are multi-shades of green and will blossom in the spring. They will stay small, only 1-2 feet high and wide. I hope they soften the look of the walkway.

Next to the porch, I chose Mock Orange, a bush that may grow quite tall but the feature I was after was the fragrant blooms. Although they are reportedly supposed to bloom only spring to early summer, there were a few blossoms on the bush that I purchased. The smaller plant in the corner nearer the door is Brunnera, a shade-loving plant that may self-sow as an informal ground cover. I think I may plant that in the southwest corner of the backyard where the neighbor's trees provide a shady spot.

I purchased a nice Hydrangea for the area outside the basement bedroom window. It should provide a little more privacy and have some showy flowers in the summer. It needs to have a lot of shade, so to protect it from the late afternoon sun, I will place an Arborvitae bush to the west of it at the corner of the house.

I also bought a rose bush and haven't decided where to put it. For now, the pot is on the south side of the porch but I am thinking of planting Bridal Wreath Spiraea there instead (they are sold out of it this season though).  I think I'll plant the rose bush on the east fence near the door we use to walk out of the garage. It is climber so we should be able to weave its branches into the chain link fence. It won't hide the parking lot and the junk that collects next door but the bright red blooms will provide a cheerier focal point.

The plan is to get these shrubs into the ground in the next couple days. Steve returns from his trip to Virginia Monday night so we'll aim for Tuesday (or Wednesday) to get them planted.