Front Yard Plants

Sea Holly Eryngium Amethystinium 'Sapphire Blue'

• Clouds of thistle-like steely-blue flowers are larger and a brighter blue than others.
• Performs best in sunny locations and tolerates most soil types.
• Attracts Butterflies
• Great cut flowers
• Fabulous foliage
• Loves a sandy, well drained site - tolerates drought and neglect in hot dry spells. 
• A long taproot makes it difficult to move or divide this plant, but can be done in spring if necessary. Plants will be slow to recover

Exposure: Full sun
Season: Spring to Fall
Hardy to: -20 to 10F
Zone: 4-11
Size: 28"H x 18" W
Drought Tolerant
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Pinus schwerinii 'Weithorst'

• Dwarf conifer with very long blueish needles that move in the slightest breeze.
• Broadly conical shape.
• Produces oversize cones
• Prune for compact form or allow to grow into pillowy branching form.

Pinus x schwerinii ‘Wiethorst’ is a dwarf form of a hybrid of Eastern White Pine and Himalayan Pine. This selection is a small, upright-growing tree with fluffy light-green needles displaying silvery undersides. A valuable trait of this tree is that it will produce abundant cones at a young age. Expected annual growth is 6-8 inches, producing a 6-foot tall tree after 10 years.

Johann Wieting of Giesselhorst Germany made the original selection from a witches’ broom. The cultivar name is actually a combination of the names Wieting and Giesselhorst. This cultivar is very desirable to the conifer collector because it is one of the few existing cultivars of Pinus x schwerinii. (American Conifer Society)

Exposure: Full sun, well drained soil
Hardy to: - 20 to 30F
Zone: 5
Size: 5' x 3' in 10 years
www.robinswoodnursery.com
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Magic Carpet Spirea japonica 'Walbuma'

This is an exceptional low growing shrub to brighten and fill in skimpy beds and borders. Guaranteed to add zest to any foundation planting scheme. Use to flesh out contrast at the lawn's edge. Neaten up in front of old shrubs with bare legs. Line them up along driveway or sidewalk for cheerful curb appeal. Sets nicely into foreground of woodlands to bring light to a shaded background. Even works well with spare modern designs needing vividly colored foliage with some seasonal change.

Care Information

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Fertilize before new growth begins in spring. Shear spent blooms after flowering. Often larger in highly fertile soils; may be pruned heavily to maintain size.Pruning time: late winter to early spring.
Works well with:
This bright spiraea works perfectly with burgundy foliage for high contrast with Crimson Ruby Japanese Barberry, (Berberis thunbergii 'Criruzam'), Raspberry Tart Coneflower, (Echinacea purpurea 'Raspberry Tart'), Blue Moon Kentucky Wisteria, (Wisteria macrostachya 'Blue Moon') and Pipsqueak Burning Bush, (Euonymus alatus 'Pipzam')

History:

The S. japonica clan is a large group of ornamental shrubs that fall into the Rose Family. It's named for the European species from the Greek speria or wreath attesting to its whip like growths bearing white flowers worn at weddings. But the Japonicas came about far later and first identified by Carl Thunberg, among the earliest western plant hunters to botanize Japan. However, plants were not introduced to the West until about 1870. This golden cultivar was bred by David Tristram at Walburton Nursery in West Sussex, England where it received the coveted Award of Garden Merit

Lore:

Native Spiraeas of Europe were well known as the source of white flowered wreaths worn by country brides in spring weddings.

Exposure: Full sun
Season: Spring to fall
Hardy to: -30F
Zone: 4-9
Size: 3' x 3'
Sunset zones: 2-10, 14-21
Shrub,
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'Goldcrest Wilma' Cupressus macrocarpa 

Monterey Cypress

Lemon Cypress can spend the summer outdoors in a sunny location. If you live in Zone 7 or warmer, you can grow it outdoors year round. Move it outdoors after danger of frost is past. If you wish to keep it in a container, repot every 4 years, using a fast-draining soil mixture. To plant in the ground, choose a site that is protected from cold, harsh winds. Although it prefers full sun, it can tolerate some light shade. It is not fussy about soil as long as it is well drained with a pH of 6.6 to 7.5. It will grow to 6–8ft in 10 years with a width of just 1-2ft, having a narrow columnar habit. Pruning is seldom needed, although it can be gently shaped in spring if necessary.Hardy at least into the low to mid teens, low to mid USDA zone 8 and, reported, into zone 7.

How to grow

Cultivation: Grow in any well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from cold, drying winds. Tolerates dry conditions when established. Can be used for hedging

Propagation: Propagate by semi-ripe or hardwood cuttings from young vigorous growth in late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types: Low Maintenance Hedging & Screens Architectural Coastal

How to care

Pruning: No pruning required; prune hedges in late spring

Pests: Can be prone to cypress aphid

Diseases: May be affected by various diseases including honey fungus, see Conifers: brown patches

Zone: 7-9

Exposure: Sun

Plant Category: Conifers

Height: Minimum 6 feet , Maximum 15 feet

Width: Minimum 2 feet , Maximum 2 feet