if there is clear blue sky above.. im not sure you are limited to shade plants ...

you might get more contribution had you added the annual and perennial forums to your distribution of this post ..

do you have a preference in that regard???

id talk to you about hedges and monoculture but flora wont let me .... lol ... just joking with you flora ...

a pic from the street thru the bed to the house would probably help us with ideas about plants ...

MA has a couple zones ... how about a big city name... just to narrow it down ...

and how much height are you thinking about .... this is where the pic from the roof doesnt help us understand the situation.. and why were you up there anyway .. lol ...

is that the driveway??? .. will you need this space for snow removal??? .. i suspect you didnt have ti before.. but might it help if you could pile snow there???

what are the bare sticks.. is the stump dead?? .. or are both going to explode in growth soon???

ken

Hi Ken, Thanks much. I'm in Boston proper. There's no driveway and, while some snow goes there in the winter, it's not a big lot/too much snow removal for that spot (it gets piled elsewhere, though some is possible). I'd like to stick with perennial for my own sanity.

In terms of height (I was on my front stairs, not the roof!), was hoping for something topping out in the 6-8 range. Any more might overwhelm the property.

Pic from the street back is below.

Note: on less than sunny days, the spot is fairly shade.

PS - the sticks are part of the old shrub...they're definitely dead (cut them last year).

Are you sure they’re dead? Privet is very hard to kill. Can’t I see new leaves emerging in your picture? Or is that something growing next door?

No, it's just something growing next door. I cut out the roots last fall (still have the shredded gloves to show for it!) and slathered on an herbicide top be extra safe. The branch itself crumbles when you press it - just the fact that it's embedded in the old fence keeps it from being totally removed. 99% sure the thing is dead.

remove the alberta spruce on the other aide of the walkway .. and redo the whole area ... maybe even further cross the front of the house ... or at least make that the plan.. even if you dont do it all this year ... of course.. a pic of the whole front of the house would help...

maybe a trellis to walk under to grow something to give you height ... and kinda hide the walkway back????

ken

Hi All,

Thank you. I'm actually a new homeowner and bought the house partly because the landscaping was fairly well done. The spruce is a dwarf and should not be growing much (had it vetted by an botanist), though I am monitoring. I'm really just focused on the one spot noted above - open to suggestions.

The triangular patch at its largest is about 10x 9 (call it 8x7 at middle), and drains well.

Josh

If summersweet is Clethra, I think it needs more sun. Itea should work. Mt laurel is lovely, too. It's evergreen.

I love viburnums, but check viburnum leaf beetles. They like some viburnums better than others, although in the city, you might not be bothered.

As a side note for Ken, I in 5b and my big trees haven't leafed out yet, making my garden look a lot sunnier than it will be for most of the gardening

I've seen dwarf Alberta spruce twice the size of that one. It will get a lot bigger, probably much faster than you expect. I am usually in favor of keeping existing plants, but that one should go.

How much do you use the walkway to the side door? If not a lot, abandoning it will make the plant selection a lot easier. Another alternative would be planting something small, and screening the backyard further back. Right now it sounds like you are looking for something very tall and narrow that can handle shade. Fastigate yews are about the only thing I can think of that fit that description.

A purple leaf sand cherry might look nice there. Another shrub to consider is a red twig dogwood. Although both lose their leaves in the winter, the dogwood retains its red coloured branches and provides interesting “winterscape”.

Thanks, all! I'm looking into clethra, itea, and viburnum further...really appreciate it!

On the dwarf spruce: it's definitely going to go eventually, the only question is when. I hope to redo the front of the house in a few years (including widening a staircase which abuts the spruce), at which time the plant will go. Just gotta keep trimming for now I think.

Likewise, I'd love to get rid of that side entrance toward the back,. Unfortunately, it's over a walkout fo my basement that itself requires amending, so addressing that particular hiccup is a more serious operation than not. Several years down the road....

How about a holly tree? Tons of cultivars to chose from these days. It would be a shrub when small. Then can be limbed up and underplanted when it matures.