Re: LS Designers/Plantspeople Suggestions Please

**"* B* <l*@msn.com>**

Hi, Lois!

For my money in our zone, I would put in a stewartia pseudocamelia. It's a fabulous multiseason specimen, well adapted to the vagaries of our climate. The June flower, the winter bark and fall foliage color make it a winner. 

Amy is right about the tulip tree. Over the course of the past few stormy years, we've lost the top to about every tulip tree we have and several major arms of the those we have left. They are majestic and grow straight up, but become very brittle and unsafe unless you've got it tucked away from the prevailing wind. Fortunately, ours were far enough away from the house or those falling pieces missed major structures. They took down arbors and other trees instead, giving us new design opportunities, right?

The other thought is to consider viburnums. A double file viburnum is a magnificent focal point with its white flowers. Its fast growth will provide ample shade for the rhodies and the red berries are attractive until the birds denude it.  It's one of the viburnums that's not favored by the viburnum leaf beetle so your maintenance chores wouldn't be impacted. If you prune so the lower stems show (limb it up for underplantings of ferns, astilbes, etc.), it will grow taller than what the books say. I can send you photos of what ours looked like (before the October 2011 18" snowfall felled it!) if you're interested. I miss it terribly.

Lorraine 
Lorraine Ballato 
Grow the best plants you can by converting your containers to self-waterers easily and cheaply.  Go to
http://www.successfulselfwateringcontainers.com/<http://www.successfulselfwateringcontainers.com/> to get the full story.
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