I went shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[obsessed]

I bought a sweet olive tree, two pink knock out roses, a butterfly weed, a gardenia ( marked down to $7 buck but in really great condition), a hosta (marked down to $1 but not so great condition, it was all slimy!?, three confederate jasmines, and a spiraea (not sure if I will keep it) and 4 loropetalums.
The front bed to my house only had a few small azaleas and a crepe myrtle. So most of these will go in the in the front bed (the sweet olive, butterfly weed, roses, and jasime)

The loropetalums are for the back bed that is empty and dead. This should give me the foundation shrubery that need and then I can augment with color! I actually need to find room for the butterfly weed but I read that it will keep the aphids from the roses so I am trying to keep it.

 

[vfem]

I love finding great deals like those!!!

Keep the spirea... really attracts some gorgeous butterflies!

 

[journey11]

Congrats on your good buys! I vote for keeping the spirea too!

I'm doing the same thing...buying trees and shrubs as I can and building out from there with perennials and a few annuals for color. Finally getting settled into this new house and I hope to have some spare cash for a few landscape plants for the front of the house this summer. I've seriously neglected curb-appeal in favor of edible fruit and veggies (and chickens)!

 

[obsessed]

My front was lonely as well as you can see just some small azaleas and a cryle mertyle (sorry spelling). The marigolds I just planted buy my neigbor said I need foundation shrubs.

So I added these. The sweet olive will be the one closest to the door. I worry about the roots being that close to the house. The middle bush is the cleymeria? it is supposed to grow pretty big and should cover that area. And then to the left will be the confederate jasmine on a trellis. The pots need to be moved to the back yard they are just the loropetalum for my back bed.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Keep the spirea! I have four and I love mine - just wish they'd bloom all summer. Watch out for the sweet olive - it will get very big. (so will the spirea) Both of mine are huge and I don't have any problems with roots. You'll probably need to keep it in check since it's going right by the door. You're off to a great start!

 

[aquarose]

Keep the spirea! I have three and they grow anywhere I put them and they always look good.

 

[lesa]

Oh, your home is lovely! Those shrubs will look fabulous! Foundation plantings do make such a difference in "curb appeal". Keep that before picture- in a couple years you won't even remember it looking like that! Happy Gardening!

 

[ducks4you]

Watch it with the shrubs! I spent part of my weekend sawing down out-of-control evergreen shrubs on the south side of my garage!! (But they burned REALLY GOOD!!!! ) Now I have another garden area--it's the SOUTH side of my garage, you know, full sun all day?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!