Question
QUESTION: Hi ,
I live in Houston Texas - Zone 8b-- My back  house ( bed room ) was facing West- last 2 years I have some white Oleander  trees planing 1 foot  against the Wall for shading & they re really help ! - Now , the last tree on the row against the master bedroom window was died- I removed the root and would like to plant a Snowball bush tree to replace ! I am not sure if the snowball bush will getting really big ( 10 feet tall is ok but 8 feet wide is no room since the Oleander there on the left side ! )  and how bad is the root ? This spot is about the window size-Or If I could plant the snow ball to the right side a bit! Let me know if I could plant them together- If i Could not please recommend me some other choices !

ANSWER: I am assuming that you are not planting this in a container but in the soil. I am concerned about the Oleander not working. I would first investigate the area where it died to see if you can determine the cause and correct it, before you invest in another tree and have the same result. It could be water or poor soil, or any number of problems. If this area is on the West side, I am concerned that it is very hot in the afternoon in the middle of Summer. If that is the case then you would need to find a tree that can tolerate this  heat. The Snowball would not be a good choice in that case. They prefer wet, and cool.
I would recommend a Photinia (small variety), they have white flowers, they have red and green evergreen leaves, they have thick leaves to shade, and they tolerate hot sun, and are easy to grow. They can be pruned to fit any size you need. Be sure to not plant to close to your foundation of your house. Give the roots room to spread. Water generously for first two years, until established.

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QUESTION: Thanks for your helpful information - but  it seems  bugs love the Photinia  ( snow ball bush too ) what is your opinion about "bougainvilla " - the plant will be 1 foot away from the foundation !

Answer
Sorry I was slow to answer, but my mailbox failed to show anything. I saw the question on Allexperts site. I have changed Email now so I won't have this problem.
Now to the question: I have not seen any bugs in Photinia here in Oregon. Our bugs seem to prefer softer plants. They are such a tough plant I can't see anything bothering it.
As for Bougainvillea, they are an extremely beautiful "vine". But they are not hardy in zone 8.
They are zone 9-10. So let's see what else would work....
Aralia
Buddleia
Ceanothus (California Lilac)
Smoke Tree
Escallonia
Forsythia
Rose of Sharon Hibiscus
Bayberry
Nandina
Lilac
All of these will tolerate sun and zone 8, they will flower, and they are around the size of 8 to 10 feet. Pruning and shaping will get them to fit perfectly. Some are evergreen and some are not. I would give them more then a foot away from the foundation. You need air space between the plant and the house, and root space between the roots and the foundation. Two feet or more would be better.
I need to advise also that the Oleander is not necessarily hardy to zone 8. A cold winter would freeze it. We grow them here in zone 8 but they suffer damage that needs to be cut away each Spring. They seem to get hardier as they mature however, so if the first few years the Winters are mild, they will probably have a chance.