Plants and Planting Option
At Atkinson, we take great care in selecting plants that are best suited for their intended environment. To ensure optimal growth and longevity, we categorize our plant selection into three distinct groups based on their light requirements: Full Sun, Partial Sun, and Full Shade. In order to streamline the plant design experience for our clients, we have curated a concise plant list based on their sun and shade exposure needs. However, for clients seeking a more expansive plant design, we recommend visiting a reputable nursery where a plethora of plant options can be explored.
Plant Sizes
Most of our plant varieties are available in 1-gallon or 3-gallon pots, which initially results in smaller-sized plants. This is primarily because these sizes are commonly found at nurseries, and they are easier to plant due to their smaller root systems. It is important for our clients to be aware of this, as they may often seek larger plants. However, it is worth noting that achieving larger plant sizes usually requires several seasons of growth.
Shade Loving Plants
Hostas
Hostas are low-maintenance, ornamental herbaceous perennials with attractive foliage that come in various sizes, shapes, and colors. They grow best in partial to full shade with fertile, moist, and well-drained soil. Hostas form clumps and produce spikes of white or lavender flowers in mid to late summer. They are adaptable and long-lasting, making them a great addition to any garden or landscape.
General Specs:
Type: Perennial
Height: 24”
Spread: 50”
Flower: Lavender
Bloom Time: Summer
Exposure: Partial shade to Full Shade
***As a perennial plant, hostas undergo a natural dieback during the winter months. Therefore, if planted in the winter or early spring (February/March), hostas may display minimal growth and only emerge as a small sprout from the ground.
Photos
1-gallon hosta upon purchase
Hosta appearance late winter/early spring
Heuchera
Heuchera forms clumps of dense leaves in a rainbow of colours ranging from red through to blue, orange, and bright green. Their tiny delicate flowers grow on stalks creating a misty effect over the leaves. They are tolerant of a wide range of light conditions, poor soil, heat, cold, humidity and drought.
General Specs:
Type: Perennial
Height: 20” – 24”
Spread: 20” – 24”
Flower: White
Bloom Time: Late Spring or Early Summer
Japanese Forest Grass
Ornamental grasses add movement and structure to a garden and are an important element in creating a well-rounded display. This grass forms attractive mounds with bright green / yellow blades. They prefer full shade. Unlike many ornamental grasses, it is slow-growing and does not spread invasively.
General Specs:
Type: Perennial
Height: 12”-18”
Spread: 24”
Flower: Yellow/Green
Bloom Time: Summer
Hydrangea
Hydrangea is one of the most revered garden plants, an old-fashioned favourite that blooms in summer and fall. This deciduous shrub comes in a wide range of species and forms. Most prefer regular water and rich amended soil, though oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) is drought-tolerant in some areas once established. Flowers are blue, white, purple, pink or red, with some having variable colour according to soil pH. Plant in a mixed border, as a stand-alone accent, or as screening along a property border. Hydrangeas do prefer more bright shade than deep shade.
General Specs:
Type: Perennial
Height: 24” – 30”
Spread: 24” – 30”
Flower: white, Blue, or pink
Bloom Time: Summer through Fall
Shade/Sun Plants
Rhododendrons
Rhododendrons are evergreen shrubs with showy blooms that come in hues of white, pink, purple, red and yellow. While they do require at least some sun, rhodies do well in part shade and are a beautiful addition to shade gardens. With their shallow root systems, regular irrigation is required, particularly when the weather is hot or dry. Most varieties grow to be between three and six feet tall, so this is a good choice for large spaces that need colour.
General Specs:
Type: Evergreen
Height: 24” – 30”
Spread: 24” – 30”
Flower: Purple or White
Bloom Time: Spring
Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina)
Nandina is an evergreen, ornamental landscape shrub with brightly coloured leaves and crimson red berries. Nandina is a low-growing shrub that is popular in gardens due to its bright red or pink foliage that decorates the bush in the spring, fall, and winter.
General Specs:
Type: Evergreen
Height: 3’ – 4’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Flower: Small White Flowers
Bloom Time: Spring
Ice Dance
Ice Dance has vivid deep-green centers and creamy-white margins on its half-inch-wide leaves. It grows in an arching shape to 12 inches and spreads slowly by rhizomes making it suitable to use as a groundcover. As an added bonus, Ice Dance maintains its appearance in winter in mild growing zones and may remain semi-evergreen in colder areas.
General Specs:
Type: Evergreen
Height: 8” – 12”
Spread: 12” – 18”
Flower: Brown
Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
Daylily
Daylilies are perennial flowers that thrive in the sun. The outstanding blooms are available in almost any colour and are easy to maintain as they are generally pest and disease free. Although daylilies are relatively drought-tolerant, they can benefit from afternoon shade in particularly hot areas.
General Specs:
Type: Perennial
Height: 1’-3’
Spread: 1’-3’
Flower: Orange, Pink, White, Purple, Red, Yellow
Bloom Time: Spring, Summer, Fall
Sun Loving Plants
Sedum
Sedums are about as low-maintenance as you can get, drought-tolerant sedum is actually nicknamed stone crop because it does so well in dry, rocky soil. It also grows great in containers, and, true to its nickname, doesn’t require much water. They tend to form tall, upright clumps that produce large flower heads in tight masses of tiny reddish-pink flowers. Their height and attractive flowers make them good candidates for border gardens or pollinator gardens.
General Specs:
Type: Flower
Height: 20”-24”
Spread: 18”-24”
Flower: Orange,Pink,Red,White,Yellow
Bloom Time: Summer - Early Fall
Need Photo - Stand in
Peony
Get a scented garden all year long with these colourful and vibrant peonies. Peonies make fine sentinels lining walkways or a lovely low hedge. After its stunning bloom, the peony’s bushy clump of handsome glossy green leaves lasts all summer, and then turns purplish-red or gold in the fall, as stately and dignified as any flowering shrub. They’re easy to maintain and require full sunlight to grow i.e. at least six hours a day.
General Specs:
Type: Flower
Height: 1’-3’
Spread: 1’-3’
Flower: Purple ,Pink,Red,White,Yellow
Bloom Time: Spring, Summer
Fountain Grass
Deep green leaves form a clump that’s usually 2 feet high. Growth is upright at first, then the leaves arch at maturity, resembling a fountain. The length and width of the long, tapering, subtly serrated blades varies greatly among the cultivars. The leaves turn orange-bronze in autumn, eventually fading to a dull beige. The foliage remains fairly upright to provide some winter interest. The bottlebrush seed heads appear in late summer and linger into early winter. This is a good grass for both wet and dry areas.
General Specs:
Type: Flower
Height: 6”-12”
Spread: 1’-4’
Flower: Pink,Red,White.
Bloom Time: Late Summer
Spirea
Most shrubs in the genus Spiraea are great hedging plants that are easy to care for. The hedges are bright and colourful due to the orange, red, and yellow foliage. However, it’s not just the foliage that makes this border hedge attractive; beautiful sprays of flower clusters appear on the hedge in summer.
Plant as a low-growing hedge up to 4 ft. (1.2 m) tall or plant as a specimen tree in a front yard to boost the aesthetics of your property. These border hedges thrive in full sun.
General Specs:
Type: Hedges
Height:2’-8’
Spread: 2’8’
Flower: Pink, White, Red
Bloom Time: Summer
Hedge and Bordering Plants
Planting hedge bushes, shrubs, or trees in gardens adds more than just aesthetic value. Many types of evergreen hedge shrubs create natural living privacy screens that block out noise, wind, and prying eyes. Other types of deciduous flowering hedge plants can line backyards with beautiful colours and scents when the hedge blooms. You can also grow hedge plants along walls, fences, or even in the front of houses to create striking curb appeal.
Boxwoods
The compact growth of evergreen boxwood plants and its small leaves make the plant perfect for clipped, formal hedges. These hedge bushes are easy to prune and shape. And, as their common name suggests, they’re excellent for creating box-shaped privacy screens for year-round protection. Depending on the boxwood cultivar, hedges can grow to between 3 and 30 ft. (1 – 9 m)
Cedars
Species of arborvitae create some of the best privacy hedges for garden landscapes. The ‘Smaragd’—also named ‘Emerald Green’—is a conical evergreen tree with upright growth. These hedging trees keep their shape without any maintenance, although they are often pruned to keep a uniform top and side. Growing up to 14 ft. (4 m) tall, regular pruning helps to control its height.
Grow arborvitae plants as a natural privacy barrier in backyards to keep our wind, noise, and snooping neighbours. Or, you can plant in front yards as a specimen tree to improve your home’s curb appeal.
Yews
If you're looking for a shrub that stands up to most anything, yew found it! Yew shrubs have been around for ages and are extremely long-lived plants. It is even believed that the ancient (and mythical) Yggdrasil tree of Norse mythology was a yew tree. These plants are tolerant of many conditions, from drought and shade to sun and moist soil.
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