Shade Trees and Some Of Our Favorite Perennials In Ann Arbor
Posted on June 23, 2023
With Summer in full swing, let’s talk about shade.
Michigan is blessed with an abundance of trees and your property is probably no exception. Our on staff arborists have seen it all when it comes to health, removal, and planting. Here are some things to consider when evaluating your trees and plants:
- Trees are a generational decision. What you plant today will be growing for 40-50 years or more. With just a little planning, you can make sure those trees stay healthy. Think long term when it comes to trees.
- Trees are great sources of shade and can provide a creative element to the look and feel of your property. If you’ve ever seen a tree lined drive, you know how much beauty trees can add to your home.
- Removing trees is serious business. The Lotus team completes many hours of safety training to keep up to date on the best practices of tree removal. We to make sure everyone is safe and your property is protected.
- Tree removal is frequently used to renovate landscape layouts. Removing a tree that was poorly placed or too close to another tree can create new options for your design. Plant spacing is important and the removal of a tree can give our horticultural team a bigger menu of planting options.
- Plant spacing applies to gardens as well. We see plants placed too close to houses or too bunched together. This can lead to plant diseases and throw off the health of other plants. Our plant experts can fix these situations by adjusting the spacing.
Ideas From Our Experts –
Late Spring/Early Summer Plantings
Here are some of our favorite plants for planting in late Spring and Early Summer.
Lauren Yelen, Designer
Lauren’s favorite? “Salvia + Catmint for early summer Piet Oudolf vibes.”
Catmint is a frequently a beautiful Violet color, but also come sin white, pink, and lavender/blue colors.
Lauren also likes “The Pagoda dogwood for late spring/early summer tree blooms.”
Nicole Lloyd, Designer
Nicole’s favorite late spring plant is Mazus!
It’s a great groundcover that fills in quickly to give quick coverage to stepping stone walkways or other areas where you want to keep weeds down and avoid having the extra expense of mulching every year.
The initial cost of installing the groundcover is offset in the future in not having to mulch those areas. A great investment in a beautiful garden and lower maintenance and cost for our customers in the long run.
Groundcover and dense planting in general is my best tip to get ahead of future costs if you are sick of spending money on mulch year after year!
Kylie Williams, Horticulturalist
Kylie’s favorite? Witch Hazel “I just love the little spidery blooms early spring when everything else is still dormant and gloomy.”
She also loves Salvia, “its always nice to see the pollinators gravitate towards it as they wake up for spring and start doing their thing.”
Other favorites – “My Soloman Seal, Bleeding Hearts, and Epimedium were all sooooo lovely earlier this season!”
Holly Preston, Horticulturalist
Holly’s favorite – “Brunnera for its resistance to deer and rabbit damage and the all season interest of silvery leaves in shady areas. A tough plant that holds up in a wide range of soil conditions.”
Stacey Rayer, Horticulturalist
Stacey’s favorite “Epimedium and Bleeding Heart add color, Woodland Phlox for heavenly scent, Solomon Seal and Ferns give interesting texture below emerging Japanese Maple leaves. Understory flowering trees such as Redbud and Dogwood lift spirits with a stellar display.
Woodland gardens are always magical in the spring as plants emerge and bloom within a matter of days.
Other favorites “I forgot my beloved Hellebore and Tiarella!!!! The favorite flowers for bumble bees.”
