Our Garden
One of our home improvement projects was to re-decorate front and back yards and to plant more evergreens because the front yard looked very plain during winter season. On this page we put a few little notes about our plants and posted their pictures.

Plant	Quick info
Mountain Fire Pieris	Mountain Pieris (evergreen) grows in sun or partial shade and in a moist, cool, acid soil. It is denser than Pieris Japonica. The plant needs shelter from winds and needs shade in winter. The flower buds form in the fall and open to white, fragrant flowers in the spring. The plant has limited tolerance to pruning but needs little. Remove the old flowers before seeds form. Semi-Shade; -20F (-29C); Semi-Moist
Valley Rose Pieris	Japanese Pieris is a broad-leaved evergreen shrub that requires a moist, acid soil. The best light exposure is partial shade. It will tolerate considerable shade but flowering is reduced. The main ornamental feature is the white flowers in terminal racemes. Flowers are sometimes injured by frosts. The new leaves, emerging after the flowering, are bronze colored and can be ornamental. Remove the flower heads before seed forms. Semi-Shade;-20F (-29C);Semi-Moist
Purple Gem Rhododendron	Rhododendrons are ornamental, ericaceous, broad-leaved evergreens. They tolerate shade or partial shade but a sunny exposure increases the chance of winter injury to evergreen types. Plant in an acid, moist, well-drained soil with a pH between 4.5 and 6.5. The height and spread depends on the type selected, but some are quite large. The shallow root systems are easily injured by deep cultivation but benefit from mulching. Remove the old flower clusters as the flowers fade. Plants fail to absorb iron and have yellow leaves with green veins, a condition referred to as chlorosis, if the soil is not sufficiently acid. Semi-Shade; -20F (-29C); Semi-Moist
Dogwood, Pink	Flowering Dogwood grows in sun or shade but shaded trees will be less dense, grow more quickly and have poor fall color. The flowers consist of 4 bracts which subtend the small head of yellow flowers. The bracts may be pink or red but the normal color is white. The fall color depends on site and seed source but on most sun grown plants will be red to maroon. The bark on mature trees has an interesting texture. Trees from southern seed sources should not be grown in northern areas because they lack adequate cold hardiness. Partial shade; -15F
Burning Bush	Burning Bush has an outstanding red fall color. The plant is shade tolerant but has inferior fall color and reduced density in shade. Burning Bush transplants easily and may be sheared. The corky wings on the twigs hold winter snow, outlining the branch structure. The orange and red fruit is ornamental if produced in quantity, but plants vary in the amount of fruit they produce. Burning Bush is a favorite winter food of rabbits and mice. Full sun; -20F
Ilex x meserveae-Blue Holly	The Blue Hollies are so named because the dark green foliage has a blue overcast. The bark on young twigs is purplish. Many male and female cultivars are available and both must be grown in order to obtain fruit production on the females. Although the plants are fairly hardy, foliage can still be injured during severe winters in northern areas. Full sun
American Arborvitaes	Loose pyramidal growth habit; tends to develop multiple trunks. Dark green in color. Gets too large for single story homes; annual pruning is needed once desired size is reached. Occasional winter desiccation may occur.