Hi, Karen,

Are you wanting shrubs, particularly, or perennials? Or are you maybe wanting a combination of perennials and annuals? Our suggestions would depend on what you are thinking about in that regard.

Marcia

I planted some Dwarf Oleander by my utility box 6 years ago and it has done very well. My sprinkler coverage is not that great and my water main also runs right under them but I haven't had any problems. I planted some aztec grass under them which I'm now in the process of pulling out because you can't see it.I would post a picture, but I'm in the process of pruning them back ( yes, I know it's the wrong time of year for that) because they started leaning over the sidewalk and my neighbor's yard and just getting out of control. If you give them an occasional shaping, they should look very nice.

Thanks, Regine. I had already planned on the liriope being unnecessary after a while, but it's a relatively inexpensive filler until the main plant grows in; I do that a lot.

Marcia, I guess I'm looking for a short shrub, since I have about 20 different garden areas on a 3/4 acre lot and not enough time to maintain them, so don't want perennials/annuals. I'm also assuming, but don't know for sure, that the dwarf oleander can be kept at 2-3-4 feet high (without such frequent pruning that I never have blooms, like happens with my mistakenly chosen plumbago in another spot.) I've seen some very tall leggy dwarf oleander planted in various places, and I'm not sure if that's just because it's never been pruned.