Shrubs and Trees

Before lawns and irrigation timers, a home place was known by its plantings. A traveler might not remember the house, but he remembered the camellias by the gate or the big maple that turned red every October. Ornamental shrubs and trees are how a property gets a memory.

This category gathers the plants grown not for timber, fruit, or hedge alone — but for beauty across the seasons: spring blossom, summer shade, autumn color, winter form. Dogwoods lighting the woods edge, hollies carrying berries into December, magnolias holding glossy leaves through August heat, crape myrtles standing like porch columns, and maples writing poetry in October whether anyone notices or not.

A well-chosen ornamental does more than decorate. It anchors a house to the land. It softens corners, frames doors and walkways, screens what should be hidden, and highlights what ought to be seen. The right plant, in the right place, will outlive the paint on the house and sometimes the house itself.

A shrub or tree is not a seasonal purchase — it is a long decision. Annual flowers decorate; woody plants define.

Plant them once with thought, and years from now you will walk outside, look around, and realize the garden finally feels settled. That is when a property stops being a project and becomes a place.