Some Favorite Bushes

When we bought our house in 1997 we inherited overgrown ugly evergreens and rhododendrons that enveloped the first floor of the house.  I didn't know anything about plants or landscaping at that time, but I knew that I didn't like anything growing around our house.  We had a friend cut down all the huge bushes with his chainsaw and paid to have them hauled away.  Eventually we hired a landscaper to make a plan for the front of the house and start making it look nice.  He worked hard to remove all the roots in the ground, cut the curved bed out of the grass, and then plant some nice bushes and small trees.  I saw what he did and thought to myself, "I can do that!"  So began my adventures in gardening...

I started small with plants that get the light they need around our house.  And I made sure that there was room to walk between any plants and the house.

Here's my absolute favorite bush, Potentilla.  It's a slow grower with soft green leaves.  It bursts into bloom in the spring and continues to give some flowers throughout the summer.  I have 3 varieties, buttercup, apple blossom, and mango tango.  

Hydrangeas are my second favorite bush, maybe that's why I have so many of them.  I love the huge snowball blossoms and I even like the green color of the leaves.

This is Festuca.  The variety is called "Elijah Blue."  It has blue spiked leaves and sends out small brushes as it blooms all summer.  It's a slow grower and accents the front of our house nicely.

What are your favorite bushes?