Do it yourself water feature

Add music and beauty to any garden.

If a koi pond seems like too much maintenance to you, then you might want to consider a pondless fountain.  Pondless fountains add an element of water to your garden without the cost and upkeep of a traditional pond.  The secret is underground...a submerged basin, hidden by river pebbles keeps the water flowing.  The water comes out of the fountain and then magically "disappears" into the ground to be recycled.  Best of all, you can install it yourself in just a few hours!

If you can dig a hole and put together components, then you can build one of our user-friendly fountains. How easy is it to build your own garden feature? Just check out the pondless fountain that Diane M. of Greensboro built! Everything you need to build this feature is right here at Oak Ridge Shrubbery and our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to help you find what you need. So what are you waiting for? Your perfect fountain is waiting for you!

First dig your hole and insert one of our basins.

Next, install a water feature pump kit.

Cover the basin and pump with pretty river rocks.

Attach fountain or hollow basalt pillars to the fountain and Voila!  Your feature is finished.

Vegging out without a TV!

Many people, these days, are looking for ways to live healthier, save money, and reduce their environmental footprint.  Growing vegetables is a great way to do that.  When you grow your own vegetables, you have 100% control over what does and doesn't go into them, resulting in a low cost alternative to buying organic produce at the grocery store.  Vegetables, fruits, and herbs also pack the most flavorful punch when they are freshly picked.  Most people agree that there are few finer things in life than a tomato sandwich, made with a tomato, plucked fresh off the vine, still warm from the sun.

Another advantage of home grown herbs and vegetables is the reduction of our environmental footprint.  Not only will it cost you less to grow your own produce, but it will take less of a toll on the environment.  Even chemical-free, organic produce still has to be harvested with machinery, loaded onto trucks and shipped to the grocery store and then YOU have to drive to the grocery store to purchase them.  That's a lot of pollution generated.  

And then there are some benefits to growing your own vegetables and herbs that can't be measured, charted or graphed.  There is a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from enjoying a meal made from your own vegetables or flavoring a dish with fresh herbs that you grew yourself.  Children, especially, can learn early life lessons in responsibility and self worth, and enjoy spending time with their parents, when they are allowed to have their own personal garden.  Of course there are those times when many home gardeners find themselves with more than they know what to do with.  Sharing those extra tomatoes or ears of corn with friends and family is a wonderful, age old tradition.

Growing your own vegetables, fruits, and herbs can be such a fun and rewarding experience, but to the novice, it can seem intimidating.  Oak Ridge Shrubbery has a wonderful vegetable and herb garden kit that takes all the guesswork (and back work) out of building your own vegetable planter.  We will come to your home, install a planter made from Allen Block and fill it with the kitchen plants of your choice.  Your planter will be approximately 3'x3'x8' (sizes may vary from person to person, depending on their needs).  The advantage of having a a raised bed is that it is easier on the back and you don't have to worry about rabbits, skunks, and possums enjoying a free meal.  Total cost of the Kitchen Garden Kit is between $750 and $900, which includes all of the building materials, our custom blend top soil, soil conditioner, and ten plants of your choice:

• Tomatoes
• Zucchini 
• Carrots
• Blueberries
• Basil
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Mixed Mesclin Greens
• Sage
• Mint
• Fennel
•  Lovage
• Chervil
• Coriander
• Cilantro
• Marigold (to keep the bugs away naturally!)

For any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@oakridgeshrubberync.com or call us at (336) 255-2310

Shades of green

In the landscape, green is never "just green."  Many homeowners tend to use evergreens as backdrops for their landscaping canvasses...something to just blend in and let the specimen pieces show.  But many evergreens can stand on their own as focal points to your yard.  Evergreens come in a rich pallet of tones, shapes, sizes, and textures and can compliment almost any setting.   Evergreens can fit almost any bill, from colorful, like the Blue Ice Cypress or Gold Mop Cypress to something flowering and lovely, like a Camellia, to  something more striking and unique, like the Goshiki Osmanthus or Variegated Hollywood Juniper.  All of the plants in the next two photos are evergreens.  Note the wide range of colors!

Our featured plants celebrate the diversity of evergreens.

Emerald Green Arborvitae in flower shape topiary.  Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and whimsy to your Garden space.  This will need pruning 1 – 2 times per year to hold its shape..  15 gallon at $ 329.99 and 25 gallon at $ 470.00 

Monkey Puzzle Tree, Araucaria araucana.  Very cool/bizarre evergreen, native to Chile that will thrive here. In time will attain 45’ T and 25’ W and keep its open funky shape.  This species is estimated to be around 60 million years old, based upon fossil record known today. 25 gallon  $549.99 

Carolina Sapphire Cupressus arizonia var. glabra 'Carolina Sapphire' This large blue tree makes an idea screening plant that will get 35-40’ T and 20’ W.  Nice scent.  25 gallon reg. $ 199.99 SALE 50% off 

Variegated Hollywood Juniper, Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa Variegata'.  An unusual evergreen with vivid green and gold variegated foliage, will add lively color to the landscape and makes an eye-catching specimen.  Loves full sun, drought tolelant shrub. 15’ T x 10’ W 

And remember, just because it's not a tree or shrub, doesn't mean it can't be evergreen.  Be sure to look into other fun evergreens like the Second Chance Combo Jasmine, Angelina Sedum, Akebia vines, Autumn Ferns, Daphne, and Helleborus.

Look at our bloomers!

 It may be the early days of spring, but that doesn't mean some flowers aren't already making a show.  There are three blooming plants that are turning their faces to the sun right now:  Helleborus, Oriental Paper Bush, and Second Chance Combo Jasmine.

 Helleborus ‘Pink Frost’  (AKA Lenten Rose):  These beauties are one of our favorite shade perennials.  Evergreen, it blooms with beautiful pink flowers in February/March and holds blooms a long time.  Deer resistant and drought tolerant.  1 gallon $ 20.00.

Oriental Paper Bush, Edgeworthia chrysantha .  It has Umbrella-like leaves, but it is the unusual yellow flowers aging to creamy white, that are the show. They have a delightful  fragrance and open until late winter from buds that have been obvious from late autumn. 10 gallon $ 89.99

Second Chance Combo Jessamine, Gelsimium sempervirens/ rankinii. This evergreen vine will delight you with bright yellow flowers in the spring and fall.  A good climber if given a fence or trellis to wrap around. Full sun to part shade. 20’ Long. 3 gallon 27.99, 7 gallon at $ 65.99. 

 Stop by the garden center and stroll...relax for a while...see what's blooming or about to bloom, and let one of our experienced gardeners help you plan your dream garden!

Oak Ridge Shrubbery and Landscaping
1016 Hwy 68 N.
Oak Ridge, NC
27358

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