This is not the most glamorous photo of this bush, but it is the reality here. One can easily see the flowers on the top of this plant, and if you look close you can spot the ugly old fence around it. Deer keep the new growth nibbled to about 40 inches high. If the deer were to get very hungry they can eat much higher on a plant, or push the fence – it is not staked that sturdy.
When the plant was first moved here, the fence was more than adequate to protect it from varmits. The fence has been enlarged a couple of times, and will probably stay just as it is from now on. There is no irrigation here either – definitely a ‘survival of the fittest’ scenario.
Bloom-time is the one time of year this shrub looks great. In summer, when the grass turns brown, it looks good, as it is still green. Winter time shows just a bundle of sticks. Sometimes you just take what you can get!
