What Can I Plant Instead of Azaleas in Front of House?

Types

• Blue muffin 'Christom' (Viburnum dentatum) is a flowering deciduous, or not evergreen, shrub suitable for planting along the front of a house. Its common name is arrowwood viburnum.

  Ruby spice (Clethra alnifolia) is also a deciduous shrub that can be planted in front of a house instead of azaleas. It is also commonly referred to as sweet pepperbush.

Features

• Blue muffin grows to between 3 and 5 feet in height and 3 to 4 feet in width and produces white flowers in May and June that resemble large puffy snowflakes. Blue round berries replace the flowers toward the end of June that ripen in the fall and attract song birds. It is a compact rounded bush with dark green foliage that turns various shades of orange to purple for a fall show of color. Blue muffin is deer resistant.

  Ruby spice grows to a height of 4 to 6 feet and a width of 3 to 5 feet. It produces 6-inch-long panicles of fragrant pink blooms in July and August that attract butterflies. Dark brown seed pods replace the blooms and remain on the plant until mid-winter. Ruby spice is a densely growing bush with dark green foliage that turns a yellow to golden-brown color in the fall.

Water

• Keep the soil moist for the blue muffin shrub for at least the first year until it gets well established. Once established, it should be watered regularly but will tolerate occasional dry conditions. Ruby spice prefers moist soil. Water it regularly to keep it from drying out, especially for the first year.

Soil

• Blue muffin is tolerant of a wide range of soil types but prefers moist loam with a neutral pH. The soil should have reasonable drainage properties.

  Plant ruby spice bushes in sandy acidic soil. It will tolerate clay soil but sand should be added to improve drainage if the soil is heavy clay that does not drain well.

Light

• Plant blue muffin bushes in a sunny or partially shady location. Ruby spice grows best in a location that is partially shady but can be planted in full sun or full shade as well.

Maintenance

• Prune blue muffin bushes right after they finish blooming if necessary. Buds form in the summer for the following year. If the bush is pruned in the fall or spring, the new buds will be removed limiting the floral display for the following bloom season.

  Ruby spice will grow root suckers that should be removed right away in order to maintain its dense, bushy shape.