Question
Dear Russel Ray,
 I hope you can steer me in the right direction for purchasing shrubs to put around the front of our small brick house. We live in southeastern VA and during the summer it can get pretty hot and dry. We have just moved into the house and currently it has no plants around the front. I would like to give the front of the house more curb appeal and at the same time not spend a fortune on time and money. I want some type of evergreen as I don't want it to look dead in the winter. Possibly a grouping or assortment of different kinds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Wanda Mixson


Answer
Hey, Wanda.

You live in an area similar to where I live in San Diego in that there are a lot of microclimates that can exist. For example, in a hot, dry, desert-like environment, a microclimate can exist under shade trees that get daily watering. The microclimate on the south side of a house in the northern hemisphere is different from the microclimate on the north side of the house. Early morning sunshine on the east side won't be as hot as mid-day sunshine on the south side or the sunset on the west side.

You're also similar to me here in San Diego in that there are areas that can get down to freezing (in your case, depending on exactly where in southeastern Virginia you live, possibly -10癋) but also have to suffer through 60-90 days of temperatures exceeding 85癋, again depending on exactly where in southeastern Virginia you live.

So without knowing which way the front of your house faces, it is difficult to go through the hundreds of plants that are available to you. Also, I might need a definition of "around the front." Are you meaning the whole front yard or just the foundation planters? Are there already some trees providing shade in the areas where you want to plant? If there are, what kind? Pine trees? Deciduous trees that lose all their leaves each fall? There are also several "trees" that can be pruned regularly to be kept as "bushes."

Here's what you can do, though, in order to get the right plants for the right location. First, get a compass and note which way the front of your house faces. Then, take a day off and note how the sun affects the area where you want to plant something.

Next, and I'll start a new paragraph here because this can be disastrous and expensive if not done properly. Drive the streets in your neighborhood to see what your neighbors have planted. However, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Too often, someone sees something that their neighbor has planted in the front of their house, but their house faces south (hot) whereas your house faces north (cool). So planting the same type of plants won't necessarily have the same results, many times resulting in disappointment and heartache, not to mention a lower balance in the bank or a higher balance on the credit card. So if you drive the neighborhood, go to parallel streets and look at houses that face the same way yours does, or at least compare areas in their yard that have the same microclimate characteristics as the area in your yard. If you see something you like, you can also stop by and ask the neighbor what the plant is and/or if you can take a small branch, flower, or leaf to take to your local nursery.

Lastly, consult with your local garden center. There are two things that you can do here: Ask the garden employees what will work for the area you are planting. I have found that small, local, mom & pop garden centers usually are better than the home improvement garden centers. That's usually because the mom & pop centers have less turnover. Less turnover many times means longer experience and better expertise in working with the local population to meet their needs.

It will be difficult to find something (other than pine trees) that are green throughout the year because they will freeze. However, in my opinion, that is a plus because you can plant a great variety of things that result in flowers and/or color throughout the year. Many people plant spring and summer flowers, and once the cold weather hits, their homes look like they've been deserted. There are many flowers and bushes that can provide year-round color with little or no water or maintenance. Generally, hard, waxy leaves can withstand freezing better than soft, hairy leaves.

If you can provide more information, even some pictures, I could help you more, or if you can tell me what city you live in, I can find you a good nursery there.

Hope this helps you. I know how difficult and frustrating it can be to find the right plants without mortgaging the house, so feel free to come back once you get more information about or if you have some questions about specific plants and how they might work in your city or in those microclimates.