I Need Some Bushes

[crokett™]

they need to max out at 4'-ish, preferably evergreen, and I need to be able to ignore them, except for pruning once a year or so. Oh and relatively fast growing. I want to plant them down at the bottom of my hill alongside the road to help stabilize things and they'll look good once they grow. I've got volunteer holly coming up in a couple spots, I was thinking about transplanting that.

Edited to add Boxwoods would fit the ignore part, but I think I want something prettier.

[wpwoodworker]

We put in gardenias. They're evergreen, hearty, bloom frequently in summer, smell good, look good and grow quickly. The height depends on the variety selected. Price isn't bad, depends on the size/variety you buy.

[Cooler]

They have roses that are called "living fences". They were all the rage a number of years ago and were often used as barriers between opposite lanes of highways.

Blackthorn is used as a living fence in England. The thorns are said to be "savage". And the root and root ball are used to make Irish walking sticks and Irish fighting sticks.

http://www.irishwalkingsticks.com/

[Admiral]

Pyracantha has dwarf varieties, Ruby Mound and Elf, google them. Elf is maybe 3', Ruby Mound 4-5', they grow fast and have bright orange berries. Love mine. I trim agressively once a year, makes a great hedge.

[Herb G]

Contact your local cooperative extension service before you buy or plant anything. They can tell you more about what will grow in your area better than anyone else.

[Robert Adams]

Herb G said:

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Contact your local cooperative extension service before you buy or plant anything. They can tell you more about what will grow in your area better than anyone else.

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Most states don't have them or they have one in the state making them nothing but local.

Here its simple nearly nothing grows...

[JosephP]

Robert Adams said:

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[blockquote]Herb G said:

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Contact your local cooperative extension service before you buy or plant anything. They can tell you more about what will grow in your area better than anyone else.

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Most states don't have them or they have one in the state making them nothing but local.

Here its simple nearly nothing grows...

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[/blockquote]

Every state with a land grant University has an Extension service. Most, including Texas, and more helpful to the OP, North Carolina have local county offices.

[crokett™]

Robert Adams said:

---

[blockquote]Herb G said:

---

Contact your local cooperative extension service before you buy or plant anything. They can tell you more about what will grow in your area better than anyone else.

---

Most states don't have them or they have one in the state making them nothing but local.

Here its simple nearly nothing grows...

---

[/blockquote]

This. I also know some of what grows in my state. I was looking for more options. I may end up just transplanting the volunteer holly bushes that are coming up elsewhere. I hadn't thought of gardenias.

[JosephP]

How important is pretty vs. evergreen? I think the nicest looking shrubs are not often evergreen. But here are some ideas from both categories:

*Cotoneaster
*Silky dogwood (though not evergreen, has a VERY fibrous root system if soil stabilization is your goal).
*Mid winter fire dogwood (just saw these for the first time in Seattle a couple of weeks ago at the Washington Park Arboretum...beautiful in the winter...but not evergreen and over 4')
*Holly is a good option
*Arborvitae. Not my personal choice for 'pretty', but some people love them and there are cultivars that will meet your 4' goal. Of if you sheared it every year you could get away with a taller cultivar
*Yew. (ditto on comments above)
*Virginia sweetspire - again, not evergreen, but certainly pretty.
*There are evergreen Azaleas.
*some of the Chamaecyparis (false cypress) also stay under 4'...though not too different in appearance than arborvitae if you are going for the shrubby stuff.
*Viburnums - several species and/or cultivars under 4'. Again, not evergreen, but beautiful flowers.

Several shrubs are quite invasive, so avoid the Asian honeysuckles, Privet, Buckthorn, Burning bush, Barberry, and autumn olive are the bad ones around here. Extension or Forestry should be able to help you rule out invasives.

[daddo]

Build a fence and plant grape or wisteria vine.

Eat the grapes and drink the wine..... er....grape juice.