Need ideas for plants/bushes/flowers for our new yard.?

We just bought a house and most of the plants and bushes in the yard are dead. I%26#039;m just going to pull everything for now. Does anyone have any ideas for hearty plants that can last year round? And when would be the best time to plant them? We live in Virginia and the temp gets down into the high teens, low 20%26#039;s in the winter and up to the high 90%26#039;s in the summer. Thanks!

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersHi:


Living in Virginia you have so many possibilities. Most of my clients want low maintenance shrubs. Evergreens are real popular now. Even though you get down into the twenties during the winter months, if your ground doesn%26#039;t freeze, you can get some trees and evergreen shrubs planted. The most important phase of landscaping is to properly plan - prep - and then plant your specimens.





I will link you to my plan - prep -plant page as well as my site map. The site map has everything that is on the website. I am a landscape and designer and have had several clients that have been in your shoes. There are so many evergreens that flower and with your geographic location, you can have some great color as well as texture. Variegated evergreen shrubs will add some nice color with some solids.





If you need some help, please feel free to contact me at the website. I hope this will help you get started and best of luck to you. Have a great day!


Kimberly


http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...





http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...
Reply:Conifers and Hollies would probabl be your best bet.
Reply:If you have poor soil, it does not matter where you live. All plants need water and nutrients from the soil. When you get ready to re-do the garden, you might want to go to a garden center and ask what plants do best in your region. I like azaleas and dogwood, for a regional plant. I live in California where we can garden all year round, but the plants here are different. Why dont you go to some gardening sites on the internet while it is still winter time and google botanical gardens near you. You can go visit them and get ideas.. Also some old historic places have nice gardens. I went to Dumbarton Oaks in WASHINGTON DC one time and they had some nice gardens too. Go for walks and see what does well in the neighborhood yards. Also, if the entire thing is dead, you can perhaps do sections such an area for Shade, a vegetable garden and a separate flower garden. Go to the library too, there are so many books!
Reply:The best time to plant is in the spring and fall. You should look for evergreens like holly, pine, etc or any conifers. Also shrubs like rhododenron, azalea, japanese andromeda, butterfly bush, and hydrangea. Even ornamental trees like the weeping willow and weeping cherry or the crabapple are nice additions. These plants flower during the spring and summer so its a nice way to have color in your yard.nanny