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  • A Wish for the Whites
    		•
    From "Desperate Landscapes"
    episode DDSL-202


    (Continued from page 2)

    Gwen and David's plants

    Following is a list of the plants used in the landscape makeover for Gwen and David's yard, along with some summary information and care tips on each.

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    PHOTO

    'Dallas Blues' switch grass
    'Dallas Blues' switch grass
    Panicum virgatum 'Dallas Blues'

    A great ornamental grass with light blue-green foliage and, beginning in fall, a "bloom" of very finely textured reddish-purple panicles. When it's in flower, swtich grass has a very airy appearance.

  • This grass was originally discovered in Dallas.
  • It is drought tolerant. (Once established, dry soil can intensify the blue color.)
  • It grows to about 5 feet tall.
  • USDA Zones 5-9
  • Cost: $402 for 14

    PHOTO

    White Dome hydrangea
    'White Dome' hydrangea
    Hydrangea arborescens 'White Dome', also called 'Dardom'

    White Dome hydrangea is a deciduous shrub that produces white dome-shaped flowers in mid to late summer. Flowers form on new wood, so early spring frosts won't hurt its summer display.

  • Mature size is 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide.
  • USDA Zones 4-9
  • Cost: $40
  • Maintenance tip: Water regularly and mulch to keep roots cool.
  • Deciduous

    PHOTO

    Foster holly
    Foster holly
    Ilex x attenuata 'Fosteri'

    With its bright red berries that persist through the winter and its glossy evergreen leaves, Foster holly provides year-round interest in the garden.

  • Foster holly is a fast grower, reaching 20-30 feet tall.
  • It produces a lot of berries (regardless of whether a male holly is nearby).
  • No major insect or disease problem.
  • It prefers sun to part shade.
  • USDA Zones 6-9
  • Cost: $172
  • Evergreen

    PHOTO

    Dwarf Serbian spruce
    Dwarf Serbian spruce
    Picea omorika 'Nana'

    This lovely blue-green spruce comes in either a low wide mound or a tree form — a three- to four-foot globe above a three-foot-tall trunk.

  • Design tip: We chose this spruce because the blue in its needles mimics the blues in the grasses to create a rhythm effect. You can create this same effect by repeating a single plant species or form. For instance, you could repeat a conical shape throughout the garden.
  • This spruce is a standard, meaning it was grafted onto a tree trunk.
  • A standard spruce is usually about a 3-4 foot globe atop a 3 foot tree trunk.
  • It prefers full sun.
  • USDA Zones 2-8
  • Cost: $134
  • Evergreen

    PHOTO

    Cleveland Select pear
    'Cleveland Select' pear
    Pyrus calleryana 'Cleveland Select'

    The Bradford pear, the ubiquitous flowering pear in many landscapes, is easily damaged by strong storms. By contrast, the Cleveland Select Pear holds up better to wind than other pear trees — and has more blooms.

  • It has white blooms in early spring.
  • It has purple-red leaves in fall.
  • It grows to about 30 feet high and 15 feet wide.
  • It prefers full sun.
  • Cleveland Select is drought and heat tolerant.
  • The tree is fruitless so there's no fruit litter to clean up.
  • USDA Zones 5-8
  • Cost: $230
  • Deciduous

    PHOTO
    'Wine and Roses' weigela
    Weigela florida 'Wine and Roses', or 'Alexandra'

    'Wine and Roses' represents a welcome improvement on an old-fashioned shrub. The standard species weigelas have always been appreciated for their bright pink flowers that attract hummingbirds, but after spring is done, so is the shrub's appeal. 'Wine and Roses' offers dark reddish-purple leaves that turn almost black in late summer, so long after the flowers have faded, the foliage is still attractive.

  • It grows to about 4-5 feet tall and wide.
  • Plant in full sun for best color.
  • USDA Zones 5-9
  • Cost: $430 for 15
  • Maintenance tip: prune immediately after flowering.
  • Deciduous

    'China Girl' holly (not pictured)
    Ilex x meserveae 'China Girl'

    This broadleaf evergreen is prized for its prolific crop of bright red berries. 'China Boy', the usual pollinator, is typically planted nearby to increase berry production.

  • It grows slowly to about 10 feet tall and wide.
  • It prefers full sun to part shade.
  • USDA Zones 5-8
  • Cost: $172
  • Evergreen


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  • ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  		• A Wish for the Whites
    		•