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![\"grancy's](\"https:\/\/secondwindjewelry.com\/jewelry-weaving-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/grancy-closeup.jpg\" "\\"grancy's-greybeard-closeup\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nI planted these three shrubs for color & texture variety: doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum tomentosum – it’s a poor flowering year due to the weird weather), purpleleaf ninebark (Physocarpus opulofolius “Diablo”), and tri-color Japanese willow (Salix integra “Hakuro Nishiki”). That willow is quite assertive – I have to cut it back every year, not only to keep its size in check, but also because the 3 colors (green, white, & pink) only show well on new growth.<\/p>\n I planted this purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygia “Royal Purple”) more than 10 years ago, but it’s never really taken off. It’s still quite small. Still, I love the color and shape of the leaves. But smoke? Not so much. Here are flower buds, which is all I’ve ever seen. They’ve never once opened into the ‘smoke’ for which the plant is named. Here’s a domestic azalea in an interesting salmon color. A bit out of focus, but I like the impressionistic nature of this photo. By contrast, taken at approximately the same distance from the plant, here’s a native azalea, commonly called Pink, known by me as The Queen. The flowers are much smaller but more numerous. Their tongues delicately reach far out from their throats, and they have a wonderful aroma. Most domestic azaleas have no fragrance.<\/p>\n Also taken at a similar distance, here’s a plant that’s part perennial, part shrub – it’s a tree peony. You can tell it’s related to the typical peony, but sort of in the same way that a small, caged parakeet is to a large parrot in the Amazon.<\/p>\n My yard is best considered a zone 4, so I can’t reliably grow a Florida dogwood, which I love. Instead we planted a Japanese dogwood (Cornus kousa). There are lots of varieties, and I don’t know the name of mine, but it’s more bush-like than tree-like, and the flowers are not as showy as some. Still, it’s amazing in that the flowers start out looking just like the leaves, and then gradually lighten up as the days pass. The center of the flower eventually grows to about an inch in diameter turns bright red. This sweet little thing is the best type of shrub ever – it’s a volunteer! No planting needed.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nIt’s tripled in size in just one year. I wonder how long it will take to produce fruit?<\/p>\n