Re: Abutilon and background shrubs

Nan Sterman wrote:

> I have a question about abutilons for you.  I recall one you had
> along the driveway in Cynthia Hall's garden that had rose red flowers
> -- maybe a bit darker.  I've looked high and low for one with flowers
> that color and the only one I've come across is Nabob from Monterey
> Bay Growers. Is that what she has?

Nan,

That group of abutilons along the driveway originally included four
cultivars planted close together and intertwined through a very large, old
plant of Pittosporum tobira:

'Logee's Pink' (Originally, it had another name, but I have forgotten it,
and it is no longer listed in Logee's catalog.  In California it is sold
under this name) - Wide, shallow, light pink bells with deep pink veins,
very tall and treelike (10-12 ft. or more) and vigorous.  A favorite of
hummingbirds.

'Vin Rose' (with accent on final "e"--damn this simple text!) Vinous pink;
the name describes the color.  Much less vigorous than the above (to 5-6
ft.).

'Pink Parasol'- Very large, flaring bells of rose-pink, deeper than the
above, but I wouldn't call it rose-red.

'Nabob' - Very deep maroon-red bells; lax, vining habit.

Unfortunately, 'Pink Parasol' and 'Vin Rose' have bit the dust, along with
Hortus nursery, where they were obtained.  I'm looking for replacements.

I also have another, slightly dusky, rosy red cultivar called 'Raspberry
Parfait' (and it is fragrant!).  Perhaps that would fit your scheme.

All the above except 'Vin Rose' and 'Raspberry Parfait' are pictured on
Monterey Bay's web site:

http://montereybaynsy.com/A.htm

> Also, what can you recommend in terms of shrubs for a green backdrop
> -- about 6' high by 6' wide or maybe 5'x5'?  I have an area [in inland San
Diego >County] that I
> want to "wall off" from the rest of the garden and am considering what
> shrubs will work well -- full sun, moderate water, good draining soil.

You don't say whether "walled off" means a clipped  hedge or just an
informal planting.

Personally, I like clipped green walls as backgrounds because they take up
less space than freestanding shrubs and because I like the contrast and
unifying character of an architectural framework to set off the informal
shapes and varying nature of perennials and informal shrubs.  They also
require shearing, but I have learned that, with our long growing season,
freestanding shrubs can also require considerable pruning to keep them to
5-6 feet tall and wide.  Often, it takes less time to shear a hedge that it
does to do a good job of hand-pruning a vigorous informal shrub.  After more
than 30 years of dealing with evergreen hedges in southern California, I
have narrowed my choices down to four:

My great favorite is plain old, green-leafed Pittosporum tobira.  It can
grow to any height up to 10-12 feet, be kept to any width from 18-24 inches
to 5-8 feet, gets by with shearing 2-3 times per year (if well timed), has
an elegant rosette leaf pattern, is particularly handsome in bloom with
delicious fragrance, grows equally well and looks the same in full sun or
moderate shade, will resprout anywhere it is cut, and is surprisingly
drought-tolerant when well established.  No pests that I know of.  Shear
about 3-4 weeks (mid-late April or early May) after blossoms fade to remove
seeds and tame that first spring burst of growth.  Shear in midsummer and
again in late fall to preserve hedge form throughout the winter and allow
time for flower buds to form in spring.  It can also be grown as a
freestanding shrub, with some judicious pruning or an annual hard shearing.
Many despise it because it is so common, but I love it.  Few plants could be
more undemanding or versatile.

Rhamnus alaternus 'John Edwards'.  Vigorous, upright, to 15-18 feet tall (if
left unpruned, will form a tree) and 6-10 ft wide, but can be kept with
regular shearing to a hedge 18-24 in. wide and 6 ft. tall.  Small, deep
green, shiny leaves.  Will take either very little or a lot of water.

Ilex aquifolium or any of its hybrids with I. cornuta.  Choose a single
cultivar with tight branching habit.  My favorites are 'San Gabriel' and
'Nellie R. Stevens' (a hybrid) but any dense selection with smaller leaves
will do ('Burfordii' also makes a very good hedge, if you can obtain it).
For hedge use, stay away from the larger-leaved hollies unless you are
willing to clip them with hand shears.

Prunus caroliniana 'Bright n' Tight' (aka 'Compacta').  A serviceable ,
reliable hedge but, to my eye, a bit dull.

All of the above can be grown as informal shrubs but will probably need
regular shortening to keep them to your specified height.  Other
free-growing shrubs:

I am still partial to the old standby, Viburnum suspensum (Sandankwa
viburnum).  The foliage can smell like a dirty cat box on damp, cloudy days
in late May and early June, but the spring fragrance of its rather
inconspicuous flowers is heavenly, and it is a powerful attractant to bees
and butterflies.  It remains a handsome background shrub with rounded, shiny
leaves in so many of the older gardens around Pasadena.  In some places it
can suffer from aphids, but in an organic garden with plenty of birds and
predatory insects I have not found this to be a problem.

Prunus laurocerasus (English laurel) has elegant, large leaves, and can be
kept to 5-6 feet tall with occasional pruning.  This is another old stand-by
that is very under-used these days.  Native to Iran, it is much tougher and
tokerant of our heat than the common name would suggest.

Of course, there is no shrub with more beautiful or elegant foliage than a
camellia.  You might also consider some of the more sun-tolerant cultivars
like 'Covina', 'Debutante', and 'White Wings'.  I see these all the time
around apartment complexes in full sun, and the foliage looks great where
the sprinklers are on a timer.

The plain, white-flowered form of Lauropetalum chinense can also be kept to
about 5-6 feet tall with pruning.  The foliage texture is flat and dull, and
the foliage sometimes yellows a bit when it gets old, before the new leaves
come on after flowering.

The effect of a hedge can also be achieved with a fence of chain link or hog
wire, planted with vines.  So far I have discovered four plants that God
made for covering chain-link fences, turning them into narrow, evergreen
hedges:

star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

lavender trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides)

needlepoint ivy (Hedera helix 'Needlepoint'

creeping lantana (Lantana montevidensis) with lavender or white flowers

Once any of these is established, it will make the fence disappear entirely.
All will take full sun and can be sheared a couple of times a year to keep
them narrow.  All require some supplementary water, but the trumpet vine and
the ivy require more than the other two the keep them looking really good.

In writing this up, I realize that none of these are particularly original
or creative choices, but all are, in my personal experience, tried and true.
My bias when it comes to background shrubs is toward reliable and pest-free
plants that require little or moderate maintenance to keep them looking
good.  Your problem with any of the above-recommended shrubs will be to keep
them within 5-6 feet tall and wide if they are not sheared into a hedge.
For either a freestanding hedge or informal shrubs, be sure to allow for a
2-3-foot space on all sides to allow for clipping and other maintenance.

Frankly, I am at a bit of a loss to suggest handsome evergreen shrubs that
will just grow to 5-6 feet tall and wide and stop.  I have decided to post
this to the Medit-plants list.  Perhaps David Feix or some other helpful
soul can come up some other suggestions.


John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9   Sunset zones 21/23
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