Shrubs for Stone Stanchions

Deer and Rabbits Won’t Bother

• Deer and rabbits won’t bother certain broadleaf evergreen shrubs. Mountain laurel “Elf” (Kalmia latifolia “Elf”) puts out pink buds, followed by white flowers in midspring. Able to grow in full sun to full shade, it grows 2 to 3 feet tall and prefers acidic soil in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Boxwood “Green Gem” grows best in a site with dappled shade and moist soil in USDA zones 4 through 9. This shrub grows 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall, and its shallow roots don’t like being disturbed.

Tolerates Clay Soil and Black Walnut Trees

• The needled evergreens American arborvitae “Tiny Tim” (Thuja occidentalis “Tiny Tim”) and Western red cedar “Whipcord” (Thuja plicata "Whipcord") tolerate clay soil and black walnut trees. “Tiny Tim” prefers humid weather, full sun and regular irrigation in USDA zones 2 through 7. It grows as a mound 6 to 12 inches tall and tolerates air pollution. In the first 10 years, “Whipcord,” considered invasive in some regions, grows 2 feet tall and eventually reaches 4 to 5 feet tall in USDA zones 5 through 7. This shrub’s weeping, stringy foliage takes on bronze tones in winter.

Drought-Tolerant and Colorful Foliage

• For drought-tolerant shrubs with colorful foliage, consider lavender cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and Japanese falsecypress “Golden Mop” (Chamaecyparis pisifera “Golden Mop”). Lavender cotton offers aromatic, silver-grey foliage and begets bright yellow blossoms on stalks about 6 feet tall during midsummer, but you can prune them back. This broadleaf evergreen grows about 2 feet tall in USDA zones 6 through 9. “Golden Mop” displays stringy foliage in golden yellow and is suitable for USDA zones 5 through 7. This needled evergreen grows 2 to 3 feet tall in the first 10 years and grows as tall as 5 feet unless pruned.

Drought-Tolerant and Bluish Foliage

• Needled evergreen shrubs with bluish foliage coordinate well with grey stone. Amenable to a variety of stressful conditions, singleseed juniper “Blue Star” (Juniperus squamata “Blue Star”) thrives in places with dry, shallow or rocky soil. It grows about 1 foot tall after five years, matures to 2 to 3 feet tall and is suitable for USDA zones 4 through 8. Colorado spruce grows slowly to 4 to 5 feet tall, but you can control its height by pruning upright shoots. It prefers rich, moist, acidic soil in USDA zones 2 through 7. Both shrubs tolerate drought, air pollution and deer.