• Boulevard cypress is a full shade tree that is easy to maintain for topiary form. The needles are soft.

• Spiral juniper makes a nice specimen with some pruning to maintain the spiral.

• Heitzi and Blue Point are the best spiral cultivars.

• Blue Point juniper is a drought resistant variety for full sun. The roots are non-invasive.

• Blue Atlas cedar or weeping cedar (Cedrus Atlantica Fastigata) grows to 35 feet tall and 20 feet wide. They are drought resistant but be sure to plant high for good drainage. The roots are not invasive.

• Oakleaf holly grows symmetrically so it needs little pruning. Good to anchor the edge of a home. Place in full sun or part shade.

• Sky Pencil holly is usually available in a three and seven gallon size. It is a good choice for an architectural jog in a new home. Grows best in full sun or part shade and is drought tolerant after established. McClure said this tree is ugly when it is new and becomes pretty in three years.

• Capitata yew grows slowly in shade or part sun. If it is planted where there is good drainage and its roots never soak in water, it has little insect or disease problems. Easy to keep in pyramidal shape.

• Double Knockout Rose grows to three by three feet and blooms all season. The new leaf growth is a burgundy color. Light pruning throughout the season will keep them blooming spring to fall.

• Euonymus Moonshadow grows well in full shade and is the most scale resistant variety. It is an excellent border plant.

Other shrubs they carry include: Azalea, Abelia, Pieris Japonica, English boxwood, Mahonia, Nandina (Harbor Belle, Gulfstream, Standard, and Dwarf), Wine and Rose Weigelia, Itea, Viburnum and Photenia.

For planting shrubs, McClure uses a planting mix made up of one-third Back to Nature cotton burr, one-third fine pine bark and one-third sandy loam.

“Ninety percent of tree replacement is due to planting trees below the soil line,” McClure said.

To prevent this problem, trees should be planted an inch or two higher than the soil surface. Watering levees should be formed with the extra dirt to form a pond around the tree.