Hi all, I am trying to get ideas for my mom who is in the southeast corner of Alabama. She having some work done on her lawn so she could have them plant some new shrubs. She is 82 and wants something for along her back chain link fence. Full sun and not something she needs to prune. I am in Texas so I' m not sure if spirea would do well there. She must have acid soil because she has some azaleas doing well in a more shaded area. I couldn't grow azaleas in my alkaline soil if my life depended on it :). She isn't concerned about blocking the view to the neighbors. Just something pretty for her to look at. Let me know your suggestions please.
ideas for fence line in Alabama
Azaleas would be my first suggestion, mock orange another, and any of the bright Mountain Laurels shrubs. Then there are hibiscus, Rose of Sharon (some late fall pruning required though), and hydrangea who love acidic soil. And Vanhoutte spirea should do well too. I prefer a mix of plants so that the blooms range from spring through fall.
Dave
Some other low maintenance pretty plants in acidic soil down here, to include those already suggested by Dave, are Camelias (of various blooming seasons, some bloom in the Fall, other in the early spring. Rose of Sharon, may create a lot of stray seedlings, in which could become high maintenance plants for her. I love Tea Olives for the fragrant however, the flowers are so small, you can't see them to appreciate their beauty. Hydrangeas of various blooming time could be great.
She had mentioned spirea so I am going to look into that and the others too. Thanks for the ideas.
There are many different varieties of spirea and not all will tolerate acidic soil. Nor are all of them prolific, large, white flowering, etc. So you need to explore the various varieties. I specifically mentioned one of the better ones above.
Dave
That is good info Dave. I am not familiar with spirea so it will help her when she talks to the landscaper over there.
I would say most azaleas would prefer a bit of shade in southeast AL. Rose of Sharon loses its leaves in the winter, as does hydrangea. I would think ligustrum, bottlebrush, Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorne, wax Myrtle, and larger growing loropetalum would all be good choices. The sasanqua variety of camellia would do ok, but slow growers. All of the above are fast growers.
Hi Happytail,She has azaleas that are doing well and they are in shade so I think you are right. What are your experiences with spirea?
Most common Spirea here is Bridal Wreath, and also does great, but loses leaves in the winter. There are lots of other spirea, but just not common in our area. Also, I second the "Tea Olive" idea. A beautiful shrub/tree, and a heavenly scented flower, tiny but powerful. Medium growth rate.
I was thinking the same thing on the azaleas and also the camellias - I wouldn't think they would take the full sun. Daylilies might be a good option - although they wouldn't be a shrub and they wouldn't be evergreen, but they like the sun. Or what about climbing roses? Or would that be too much maintenance? I just know they like the sun as well....although depending on rainfall they might have to be watered too often..............
Curious as to what you decided to use?
Genna
She decided to just move what is in front to the back. Mostly nandina.
She is waiting on the guy to present a plan for the front when they replant