With my horticultural background, I tend to get excited about plants more than the average person. Oftentimes, I’ll take photographs of plants that I come across either in backyards or at nurseries.
I’ll collect the photos of outstanding plants because they look great, but also because I’m able to better explain to customers what their new plants will become when they have a chance to establish themselves. When added to new landscaping jobs, most plants aren’t fully mature and look like mostly green shrubs. Here are a couple of photos I took recently that you may find interesting.
Smoke Bush (Also Called a Smoke Tree)
This is a photo of a smoke bush I recently took while on a landscaping job. You can see in the photo, that the flower stalks of the smoke bush hair-like pink and purple clusters that actually look like wisps of smoke. It is a beautiful bush.
The smoke bush is a drought resistant bush that does very well in the arid climate along Colorado’s front range. A smoke bush is an excellent choice for your yard – and works particularly well for xeriscaping.
They require a lot of sun in order to thrive, and once mature, the watering needs aren’t excessive. With some periodic watering, the smoke bush will do fine.
Golden Vicary Privet
I actually took the photo of this Golden Vicary Privet at a nursery. These are a great shrub that adds a nice yellow color that “pops” in your yard and is a nice change from a more traditional green shrub. This yellow color occurs with new growth on the shrub during the spring – which eventually turns green towards the end of the growing season. They also function well as a hedge-type shrub and can grow up to ten feet tall.
These shrubs are a perfect match for Colorado’s climate. They are drought tolerant – although regular watering is advised. They also do a great job standing up to the cold and do just fine in Colorado’s Front Range winters.
