Expert: C.L. Fornari - 3/29/2009

Question
Unfortunately, I know very little about gardening in general, but since purchasing a new home my husband and I have many ideas about what to do with our yard.  One of the first things we would like to do is plant some sort of shrubbery that looks nice as a border.  When we first moved in there were several shrubs around our patio, but I have no idea what they were.  After several times of not being able to even walk out onto the patio without getting eaten alive by "no see'ums", we finally pulled them up.  Now I can enjoy my patio, but we would like to plant something that doesn't attract a lot of bugs or bees since I am allergic to them.  We live in the piedmont area of South Carolina, home of the red clay!  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Tracey,
Is the border for the patio? I'm assuming that it is. I don't know of any plants that attract "no see 'ums" but I can imagine that if the shrubs were over three feet tall they might inhibit the air circulation that would normally blow such critters away.

You don't mention if the area is sunny or is shaded by trees, and this is important to know. If the area is mostly shady, you could plant Skimmia bushes, which are low, evergreen and grow just fine in clay. Or you could use a low-growing azalea because these bloom in the spring when you probably aren't out on the patio as much (the bee thing) and are attractive the rest of the summer as greenery. Also good in the shade is an ornamental grass called Hakonachloa grass - growing to about 18" high and available in yellow or green forms.

If the area is sunny, however, you might like Emerald Gaiety Euonymous (variegated green and white foliage) or even some of the ornamental grasses such as Fountain Grass or the taller Miscanthus Morning Light.  The pink-flowering Japanese spireas do well in clay, but the flowers might attract bees. If thorns aren't an issue, look at the Crimson Pygmy barberry.

Finally, in part shade or sun, the short variety of Japanese holly is a good choice if you want an evergreen, tidy plant that won't get too big and demand a lot of pruning: look for Helleri Holly, (Ilex cranata 'Helleri') - it makes a tidy border that never gets more than 2 feet tall.

I hope this helps,
C.L.