Low Maintenance Combo with Curb Appeal

Pistacia chinensis deserves to be in more gardens than it is. It's not especially hard to grow, but it is hard to reliably find for sale in garden centers. Keep your eyes open—it's worth the effort. It's a medium to large deciduous tree with a fine-textured canopy and fall color that stops people on the sidewalk.

Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire' and Pittosporum tobira 'Tall and Tough' work together at the edges: the narrow columnar arborvitae paired with the dense, glossy pittosporum creates a natural division of space—a privacy screen that doesn't announce itself as one. Evergreen, low-fuss, and effective through every season.

Phormium 'Sundowner' is the one to watch. Strappy bronze-pink leaves with cream and rose margins—nothing else in this combo has that warmth or that form. Zone 8b is pushing it; a hard winter can knock it back or take it out. Worth the risk if you're in a protected spot or willing to replace it. If you'd rather not gamble, Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' delivers the same bold strappy presence with better cold hardiness and even less water.

Carex oshimensis 'Everillo' and Geranium 'Gerwat' Rozanne handle the ground level—chartreuse sedge and long-blooming blue-violet geranium, both settled and self-sufficient once established.


Growing Conditions

Zone: 8, 8b, 9
Exposure: Full Sun
Water Needs: Average, Occasional

Design Considerations

Style: City and Courtyard, Naturalistic, Northwest Eclectic, Woodland
Features: Fabulous Foliage, Four Season Appeal, Low Maintenance, Varied Foliage, Texture, and Form, Winter Interest
Focus: Curb Appeal, Efficient Use of Space, Mixed Border, Pleasing Seasonal Flow, Year-round Interest
Seasons of Interest: Pleasing Seasonal Changes

Care and Maintenance


Maintenance Level: low
Maintenance Tasks: Deadheading



Plants In this Combo