Please correct a typo!

Purple Beautyberry ÂPurple Pride should be Callicarpa dicholora. Thanks!

Lisa

Ischibely,
I love your plant choices and the only thing I can comment on is Baptisia australis Blue False Indigo at maturity is larger than the small shrubs you have chosen to border your path. This perennial is a brute to try and transplant so you may want to be extra certain about placement. You have done a wonderful job choosing plants that should be happy in your area, I hope you will post pictures once everything is planted. kt

Looks like a great project. I like all the plants you've listed but want to comment on the sand cherry; most of the regulars on the trees forum dislike this tree intensely. Do you need this for height, or would a sambucus or ninebark do as well for colorful foliage? Will you be spreading the purple-leaved plants in different areas? Will you repeat groups of Purple Emperor and have several singles of Crimson Pygmy, or will you use these some other way?

> Purple Beautyberry ÂPurple Pride should be Callicarpa dicholora.

I googled some of the plants that I'm not familiar with and could not find a Callicarpa ÂPurple Pride - am I misreading your second post?

PS If you are able to keep verbena bonariensis out of this bed, I'd like to know how you do it!

runktrun - Do you think 4' will be enough space for the Baptisia? Do you have any suggestions to what would be good companion plants for the baptisia from the list above. I realized that I had it next to the juniper and I don't think that is a good match. I know I am going to have to do a lot of spot swaping when I get these plants home and next to each other.

digginthedirt - Here is a link to the Purple Pride Beautyberry. I apologize if I didn't list it correctly.

About the sand cherry, the plantman at the nursery I went to nearly sneered when I asked him if he had them. I like it better than the sambucus, though I am not familiar with the ninebark and that one definitely looks interesting. How does its size compare with the sandcherry? I have 7' allowed in my plot for the cherry. Do you have a cultivar, you'ld recommend? To be truth, I just like the look of the sandcherries in my neighborhood and have always wanted one. It helps that cherries are host plants to hairstreaks, blues, and red-spotted purple butterflies.

Yes, I have a couple of groupings of the purple sedums through the garden and a group of the berberis at the corner of the road and driveway. Any thoughts on how the purple sedums and orange carex would look together. Have I mentioned that I like clashing colors? :)

Thank you so much for your feedback. Looking forward to more.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Pride

I know what you mean about sand cherry, that's exactly how I feel about them. I don't think either sambucus or ninebark will give the same effect; I also don't know how clean the cherry foliage stays during the season. There was one at my house when I moved here, but it died (a natural death) soon after I arrived and I don't remember much about it except that I loved the color.

> Any thoughts on how the purple sedums and orange carex would look together.

I *love* purple foliage plants with orange flowers, so maybe the carex will provide that great contrast. I'm afraid to use this plant, because I'm quite sure it would appear to be dead in my garden. The textural contrast should be great, though, as well as the color.

From the Callicarpa link: "Long, arching, slender branches dip to touch the ground."

Shrubs with this kind of growth can be a problem in a mixed bed, you need to leave much more space than you think you need or the arching branches will smother everything around them. I try to stick with upright shrubs and small trees because of this, partly since I tend to pack my borders tightly, and partly because I generally use mounding perennials and need the trees/shrubs to provide vertical contrast. This doesn't mean the shrub won't work in a mixed bed, just that it will require some special considerations in siting it, which you probably already know.

Also from the Callicarpa link:

"Best fruit production when planted in groups or massed to ensure cross-pollination."

You may not get many berries if you plant just one. You didn't say whether these would be repeated or not.

Claire

I'm headed to my nursery to buy tomorrow the first batch. This is what I have settled on for the time being. The rest will wait until spring (or my next cash windfall!)

Beautyberry (1)
Fothergilla (1)
Caryopteris (2)
Snowmound Spirea (1)
Undecided conifer (1)
Purple Sedum (6)
Cotoneaster Scarlet Leader (2)
Orange carex (3)
Baptisia (2)
Cedrus deodara (1)

This nursery doesn't have the purpleleaf sandcherry, or I'd be getting that too. All of the above plants were available on my scouting mission on Tuesday. Anyone want to guess a total? This isn't a cheap place!

Hmmm...about $500?? I'm not familiar with all the plants on your list, but I'm sure that your border will be beautiful. You might find that you'll need to move things around a bit to get things positioned right and it may take a few years.

I have a very similar mixed border in terms of size, location, and soil type (along driveway and street, full sun, sandy-ish soil). It is in its 4th year. I still move stuff around - including the shrubbery - not just for looks, but also because plants don't grow as expected! Next Spring I'm moving out a 10 foot Viburnum dentatum that is getting too big.

With the sun and pavement, I would be sure that your plants are reasonably drought-tolerant, at least once they are established.

Can I ask why you are bringing in six inches of topsoil? That seems like a lot to me. How well will that blend with the surrounding landscape/driveway?

Also, with such a large border, you may need more than one pathway to gain access to all the plants. I actually have 3 paths that go through my border from the lawn to the driveway, and stepping stones interspersed throughout so I can get to all the plants.

Btw, I have a Purple Sand Cherry in this border and I love it! Pretty fragrant flowers, nice foliage color, and it's very drought tolerant. Nearby is a large Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' which has a similar foliage color and they look pretty together.

Okay, you guys have me hooked! What is with the purple sand cherry? Why did the people at the nursery sneer? I get the feeling this is not a popular tree/shrub, but can't figure out why, lol!

I googled it and it seems kind of nice, actually. And I'm looking for a small tree - although once again, I get conflicting info on height. Most places say about 8 feet, but I found one site that said 14.

I kind of stopped dead in my tracks though when I read it is a favorite of Japanese beetles. I don't have any Japanese beetles (yet) and I'd like to keep it that way! Don't want to tempt them...

So, anyway, why the sneers?

:)
Dee

You might want to ask this on the trees forum, I searched there and can't find anything in recent posts about this tree, at least nothing saying it's not a good tree, so maybe I'm wrong about it.

My impression, and it's just an impression, is that in some places it is one of those decent plants that has been horribly overused/abused by landscapers. The same category as weeping cherries and Stella D'Oro daylilies.

My Purple Sand Cherry gets nibbled on a bit, probably by some sort of Asiatic beetle. But it's only minor damage. I have a few of those pests but it doesn't seem to be an infestation. And my gardens are completely organic, I just occasionally squish a beetle if I see it.

Here's a pic of what it looks like (sorry about the lighting which is not great). The Chocolate Eupatorium is right behind it - their foliage color is pretty close. Next year I'm planning to split the Eupatorium because it's getting pretty huge and then space them out away from the Sand Cherry to repeat the striking foliage color.

I would describe this plant as a shrub, but I suppose it could be trained more as a multi-trunked tree if you wanted?

{{gwi:1086938}}

Ah, so maybe those are just snobbish sneers, then, huh? :) Thanks for the photo terrene. Can I ask how old your sand cherry is? Is it a slow grower or fast?

Thanks,
Dee

Oh I just remembered, one of the shrub guys at Russells Nursery in Wayland told me there are dwarf and standard-sized hybrids. Mine is definitely a dwarf and grows rather slowly at about 4-6 inches per year. Perhaps the standard size is more suited to a tree form.

I got mine about 10 year ago and brought it from the previous house I lived at. It was pretty small and lopsided then and it sat in a pot for a year before I planted it here. It has taken some judicious pruning and several years of growth to fill in and become a more balanced shrub.

Thanks for that info terrene. I will put this on my list! (and thanks Lisa, for bringing this shrub/tree to my attention!)

:)
Dee

Hi all,

The guys are coming tomorrow to remove grass and install topsoil! For those who asked. The area I am working is fill sand with a very weedy lawn growing. I haven't done anything to that area in terms of maintainence for about a year since I knew eventually I'd be redoing it as a new garden, so the lawn weeds have completely taken over. It has also settled a bit, since the whole front yard was built on fill. The guys are removing about 3 inches of the ground then putting down 6 inches of good topsoil. I think it will work in terms of drainage, since I am not really adding too much height. Does that make sense?

I bought the purpleleaf sandcherry, so it's official. I think my plantman's sneer was from the commonness of it. I went to Katsura Nursery in Plymouth and he seemed to pride himself on having unusual items. But I think it is common around here because it must do well in sandy soil, which is what we have. The one I bought is small and very well balanced. I do see the neglected ones can take on a ratty look with brown branches, but I am hoping love and light pruning will keep it happy like most of the ones in my neighborhood.

Here is the final list of plants I will be installing this week and observations.

Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy' **'Beaver Creek' smaller mature size and better color but x3 times in price
Purple Beautyberry Callicarpa dicholora ÂPurple Pride ** this is gorgeous now and the berries aren't even out yet
2- Caryopteris x clandonensis First Choice
Purpleleaf Sandcherry (Prunus x cistena)
Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound' ** this looks nice in front of the sandcherry
Cotoneaster salicifolius 'Scarlet Leader'
Macrobiota decussata ** instead of Cedrus deodara 'Prostrate Beauty'(too expensive)
Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific' ** instead of J. procumbis 'nana'
2x Baptisia australisx alba 'Purple Smoke'
3x Carex Buchanii 'Leatherleaf Sedge' ** instead of Carex testacea 'Orange New Zealand Sedge', this looks wonderful with the Microbiota
3x Sedum 'Purple Emperor' this looks great next to the fothergilla

I'm already thinking about what to fill with. I've read that Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' would go with the Leatherleaf Sedge. Does anyone need to know how much shade this needs? I have a small crabapple tree that I could put it under.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. I've learned so much on gardenweb. It's nice to be able to share some info back!

Lisa

Best of luck with this project, it looks like you really made some great choices.

Please take LOTS of photos! If you don't have a picassa (google photo) account, this would be a good time to get one. I can't tell you how much you will learn by keeping a photographic record, and picassa makes it very easy (and no, I'm not a google stockholder, sadly).

So, what was the price tag? You never told us, no fair!

Lisa - your planting list sounds wonderful! It's great that you are researching your plantings so well - and establishing the garden "bones" of shrubs and trees before going for the pretty fillers of perennials and annuals. It is so tempting to start with some plants you simply MUST have and then build out from there :-) You have some good stuff there. We have quite a few Sand Cherries and find that they need regular pruning of the oldest, leggiest stems to keep them full and compact. The only plant on your list that I vehemently disagree with is the Barberry - I'm surprised if you can buy it in MA now because it is banned for sale now because of its invasive tendencies here. We have them starting to take over a natural woodland area behind us (seeded by birds who eat their berries) so I see firsthand the ecological changes they can cause.

Are you getting your topsoil from a reliable source? I recommend that you work some good compost into your new beds to establish the soil microbes and earthworms that will keep your new areas healthy and improve the soil structure...

re: your question on Heuchera "Palace Purple"...I find that in this climate they do take more sun than the catalog descriptions would suggest. In shade mine never seem to really take off. With about 4-5 hours of sun, my Heuchera really thrive.

Good luck!
Ellen

I would not plant barberry, myself, but not everyone feels the same way, especially when it comes to the types with red foliage. I seem to remember that the ban is not quite in effect yet, it's being phased in over many years. That was the only way to get the hort industry to go along with it, apparently. (boggles the mind!)

Barberry can't be brought into the state; B. thunbergii can be sold until Jan 1, 2009.

Here is a link that might be useful: banned plants

Final price tag for the above plants was $368.

Hmmm on the barberry comments. It's planned location is at the corner where the driveway meets the road, so I need something small and tough. Does the ban apply to all barberries? The pygmy ones look so innocent.

The top soil looks very good, but I didn't amend with compost. Maybe I'll pick up some tomorrow. I've already gotten some of the plants into the ground, so it is too late for them, but not the rest.

Lisa

Lschibley - the link below will take you to the Massachusetts Prohibited plant list. Most were banned on 1/1/06, but Berberis thunbergi (Japanese Barberry) is one of the plants being phased out over several years. Don't know if this includes cultivars but I would guess that it does.

The phase-out allows nurseries and wholesalers to clear their stock over time without taking a huge hit. Other plants in this category include Norway maple, Burning bush, and Bush honeysuckle.

I have all of these and more growing on my lot - like Ellen S I can see the highly invasive properties of these plants firsthand. Personally I would not plant anything on this list, including cultivars.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mass Prohibited plant list

Well, I just started to learn how to use a new camera, so of course I took some pictures of my garden. I wanted to post a follow up to this thread with pics since I got some awesome information and advice from the board.

Here is the bed from a distance. The existing perennial bed behind is dominated by black-eyed susans at the moment.

A closer view

If there is any interest, I can post more photos, but I wanted to see if I am posting the pictures correctly.

Lisa

Very pretty garden! It is much more beautiful and interesting than most landscapes you see along a driveway or around a mailbox.

What is the reddish tree you have in the middle?

I love it when people bump a thread with an update. Although then I can see what a doof I was to post the same link as DTD two posts later.

The tree is a crab apple. It leafs out in dark purple leaves which gradually turn greener as the summer progresses. Unfortunately the flowers match the leaves almost exactly, so it doesn't have the normal crabapple spring impact.

Here are three close-ups of the mailbox area. I like the contrasts.

Ooh! Thanks for posting the update - it's really great to see a garden like this, after a good discussion (that was a long time ago!)

The garden looks really great - what an excellent welcome when you pull into your driveway.

It also seems like you've done an especially nice job making this fit in with the woods behind, without it getting lost. Those are 2 aims that sometimes conflict with each other, but you have pulled it off well. Excellent job!

Lisa,
It looks really extraordinary, could you identify the individual plants in photos #3, #4, and #5? I agree with dtd you did a great job merging your garden with the surrounding woodland. Congratulations! What have your friends and neighbors had to say? kt

#3 is Baptisia australisx alba 'Purple Smoke' and Ilex Crenata (Japanese Holly) 'Drops of Gold'

#4 is Pinus parviflora 'Hagoromo', Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode', and Sedum 'Purple Emperor'

#5 is Microbiota decussata, Carex buchananii, and Artemesia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade'

I like this picture too:

Cryptomeria japonica 'Black Dragon' with Yarrow and Shasta Daisy

Thanks for the kind words. It means alot coming from such fantastic gardeners. kt - My folks and grandparents are very complimentary. I get my gardening gene from them, but I really don't get much interest from friends and neighbors. I'm glad I posted here. It is great to get positive feedback!

Lisa