What to put in place of arborvitae?

12 years ago

Attached are some photos of two arborvitae that are on either side of my sitting room windows. Please keep in mind I took these pictures today and the garden has hardly started to budge! I am in Virginia, along the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in zone 7a. In my opinion, these guys have gotten much too big for their spaces. This year alone the one on the left has gotten so fat he is taking over some other plants. In addition, they both have suffered greatly from this harsh winter we have had. I have attached a close up of the damage done from an early ice storm to the one closest to my front door.

They are on the east side of the house, so they get morning sun, and the one on the left (the fat one), is not shaded until about 2 p.m. in the summer. The one on the right (the one with the damage) is on the northeast corner of the house, and the side of the shrub next to my front door gets no direct sunlight because of the porch over the front door.

I want to remove these guys, but I have no idea what to replace them with! The replacements do not have to be the same - I really don't care about that, but I would like some ideas for plants that would fill the spaces.

Additional info: I am a 60 year old gardener, doing it all myself on a limited budget, so please keep that in mind. Thanks for any ideas you all can send my way!

Featured Answer

Lisa Vogel Bradford

12 years ago

Have you thought about adding a smaller growing Hydrangea - like Little Lime, towards the back and then a dwarf conifer - like little gem nest spruce (not sure if they grow in your area) and a couple of Golden Japanese Forest Grass....That way you can step down your plants so it isn't all bulky around the door.

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Comments (11)

Rawketgrl
12 years ago
If you want to conquer the world, you best have dragons.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

I think your dragon needs to rule the garden! Give him a small stone or gravel patio off that pathway with a bench or chair so you can rest near your dragon, then fill in the rest with lovely green things and of course things he cannot burn... LOL..

Does boxwood grow in your area? I have several they are pretty hard to kill and when trimmed are nice looking and inexpensive and do not grow too tall.

consider a gravel strip between house and garden...

cute place, I adore your blue door, looks like a fun project.
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Jane Gray
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you so much for your ideas! Lisa, I hadn't thought about a hydrangea - I have several in other parts of the garden, though they are bigger ones (Annabelle and Endless Summer). I will definitely consider those. I do like the idea of a dwarf conifer; as you can see from the photos I do have some - just not sure what to put there. I will also look into the Japanese Forest Grass. Some grasses are annuals here and I would like to stick with perennials if possible.

Rawketgrl, I love the pictures you attached, especially the one of the blue/grey house! Yes, boxwood grow here. In fact, I have a row of Green Velvet box just outside the picket fence. As for the dragon, he shares guard duty with my fairy (photo from last summer attached). They have just come back to the garden after spending the winter in the basement. I have extra stepping stones that I can use to make a little patio for him - another great idea!
laurakdesigns
12 years ago
Box woods would look great and be low maintenance and fairly slow growing. I think they'd look great with your home!
laurakdesigns
12 years ago
Actually box woods look great with hydrangeas, you could do a larger boxwood in back with little limelight in front, or like this!
http://houzz.com/photos/3340356
Jane Gray
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you, LauraK. I love both boxwoods and hydrangeas and am going to seriously consider using both in some combination. Stay tuned!
laurakdesigns
12 years ago
Post when you redo! I have box woods and am thinking about the little lime in front of them too!
kathleen MK
12 years ago
We have tiny entry courtyard enclosed by a short wingwall. Two arborvitaes and NOTdwarf yaupons engulfed it. I removed them and added stepping and ajuga(buggleweed) not i can sit on a bench and admire our pots of flowers and and garden statues. I put a couple cement blocks under a large flag stone to be a bench/altar for an angel and grandma's leprechauns hide in the ferns. your dragon needs such a perch.on the other side of the wing walls we have boxwoods and azaleas which should do well in your area too.
Jane Gray
Original Author
12 years ago
Oh wow, Kathleen, that sounds beautiful. Could you post a photo so I could get a visual?

I will definitely post photos as we go along. This weekend a friend is coming to help me remove these monsters and then I will make a trip to the garden center to see what they have. It may be a bit early to find much so I may have to wait a few weeks.
Elizabeth Olin
12 years ago
Pedalva, if you consider ornamental grass when you go to the garden center, be sure you consider whether a grass is clump forming, or a spreading variety. Boxwood is worthy of consideration, for sure. Although most people trim them, they look lovely and soft if left to grow naturally. Hydrangea is another lovely idea I've seen in these comments. Should you wish to plant another evergreen, Alberta Spruce looks great and is slow growing. Azaleas come in several colors and would look very nice in your garden, too. I think your dragon is awesome! If the digging of the old evergreens is too difficult for you and your friend, you might consider hiring teens from a local church who are trying to raise money for a mission trip. Just a thought.
Jane Gray
Original Author
12 years ago
Elizabeth, thanks for the caution about the ornamental grass. I am definitely moving toward using more ornamental grasses throughout the garden (and conifers as well) because I want it to become less daily maintenance for me.

I am one of those non-trimming believers so the boxwood are safe with me! As for azaleas, while they are beautiful, they are also tasty to the deer and in the past I have had lovely trimmed azaleas each spring with no blooms. I think I will probably stay away from them for now, though I appreciate the suggestion.

Great idea about using a church group. Thanks to you I know just who to call if we cannot manage the stumps/roots this weekend.