Charming comfort - Los Altos Town Crier

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extra work, but the nice thing about dwarf hedging shrubs
is that they grow slowly, so you won’t need to trim them as
often.
To cultivate a modern or contemporary look for a fairly
large bed or border, plant dwarf shrubs in drifts for a
more relaxed but still organized feel that adds a sense of
movement. Drifts are usually larger numbers of the same
plant or species, or even different plants of the same color,
planted in irregular shapes that (when the plants are fully
grown) interlock like the pieces of a puzzle. in smaller
beds, drifts often work best when comprised of very compact
plants with small leaves.
Year-round variety
Dwarf shrubs are ideal for keeping garden beds visually
interesting during all four seasons. Many new varieties
of evergreen dwarf shrubs actually have interesting leaf
color or variegation year-round, and you can vary the size,
shape or texture of the leaves and the overall shape of the
plants (droopy, spiky, upright, prostrate).
Many dwarf shrubs boast flowers for part or all of the
year, so flower color and bloom time add yet another dimension
of interest. Choose shrubs that bloom in a contrasting
color or at a different time from perennials. Dwarf
fruit trees are another way to provide variety – and fruit
Page 18 | Home & Garden | August 29, 2012
shrubs
– in ornamental beds. Dwarf citrus (oranges, limes, lemons,
kumquats, tangerines) work well, as do very dwarf or
trellised apples and pears.
Beautiful, easy-care dwarf shrubs are divided into two
groups: those that are drought tolerant (needing regular
water only in the first year or so) and those that need moderate
water (at least once a week) even after they’re established.
within each group, they are divided by best use.
unless noted, they grow to approximately 3-feet-by-3-feet
or smaller. Most grow best in full sun, but those that work
well in partial shade are noted.
Drought-tolerant once established
(water occasionally, more in hot weather)
Good focal point shrubs include Leucadendron ‘Jester’
or ‘Blush,’ Punica granatum ‘nana’ (dwarf pomegranate),
Rosa ‘Flower Carpet’ (as dwarf ‘patio tree’), salvia
greggii ‘navaho Red’ and ‘navaho Purple,’ and solanum
rantonnetii ‘Variegata’ and ‘sunny Daze’ (as dwarf ‘patio
tree’).
Colorful flower options include Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’;
Correa ‘wyn’s wonder’ (sun or partial shade); Lantana
‘new Gold,’ ‘Patriot Petite Rainbow,’ ‘Lucky Peach’
and ‘Lucky white’; Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote,’
‘Martha Roderick,’ ‘Munstead’ and ‘Thumbelina Leigh’;
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