Before the Project

There is an existing Norway maple tree (Acer platanoides) that should be incorporated into the design. The planting must require minimal maintenance and look attractive all year.

The garden area looked like this at the start of the project

Design Discussion

Two types of trees are used in the design. As there already is a Norway maple thriving in the area, more Norway maples were added. The other type of tree selected is Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora). Japanese White Pine was selected because it is tolerant of street salt, is a hardy tough tree and, being evergreen will provide year round interest. As they mature, Japanese White Pine frequently develops twisted shapes that are very unique.
Under and around the trees a variety of shrubs are densely planted. The shrubs will help block the view of the road and will provide a dense ground cover as they mature. The shrubs selected are low maintenance and are attractive all year.
Three mass plantings of a shrub commonly called Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) are indicated by the letters G, I, and O on the layout (the link at the bottom will take you to the layout). This shrub has small, inconspicuous purple-pink flowers in the summer (June – August). In September it gets lilac or white colored fruit that, depending on the severity of the winter, will look attractive for months. It will grow three or four feet high and wide.
Leatherleaf viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum) is an evergreen shrub used in a mass planting indicated by the letter E on the plant. In addition, an isolated specimen of this shrub is used. This is a very large shrub, getting ten to fifteen feet tall and wide. Its size and the fact that it is evergreen make it a good plant to use as a screen. It gets creamy white flowers in May. In the fall it gets berries that change color from yellow to red and then to black. It likes shade, so it will do well as an under-story plant beneath the maples.
There are two mass plantings of shrubs known as Lily of the Valley Shrub (Pieris japonica - represented by the letters F and K on the layout). This evergreen shrub gets creamy white flowers in March and April. The new growth on some cultivars, such as ‘Mountain Fire’ is bright red. This bright red growth is more showy than many types of flowers.

In the spring, like this:

In the fall, like this: