Landscape Fillers

When designing home landscapes, I will be sure to recommend two or three thrillers-the accent plants or garden focal points with eye catching form, texture or colour. 

Equally significant but less thrilling are landscape fillers--the plants that serve to perform without grabbing your attention.  I will often describe these plants as obedient; dutifully filling their role as support for the thrillers. 

My criteria for filler plants is short and sweet.  They need to be green, preferably evergreen, medium textured, slow growing, and not have fussy growing requirements. 

Top of list are Yews, chosen for their hardiness and dependability.  Yews have a variety of growth habits, the most common being Hicks Yew (Taxus media ‘Hicksii’) which grows tall and dense.  Hicks Yew makes a wonderful hedge but grows too large for ornamental landscapes. 

My go-to Yew is Dense Yew (Taxus media ‘Densiformis’) which has an informal spreading habit, growing a little wider than tall.  If left alone, Dense Yew will likely reach width of 2 metres.  Dense Yew is very versatile, easy to prune and grows in shade or sun.  Fairview Yew is similar, and slightly taller growing. 

Up-and-coming in the family of Yews is Emerald Spreader Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspitata ‘Emerald Spreader’) with a slow and low growth habit.  Plant in clusters of 3 or 5 to create an informal groundcover.  I suspect Emerald Spreader Yew will soon replace Boxwood as the single most popular landscape plant.

For as long as I can remember, Boxwood has been the number one choice for home gardens, noted for its dependability, slow growth and hardiness.  Boxwood grows in sun or shade, in poor or rich soil.  Easy to trim, Boxwood makes a fine low hedge.  Popular varieties include ‘Green Gem’, ‘Green Mound’, and ‘Green Velvet’, each with similar characteristics. 

Unfortunately, Boxwood has been in the news lately, because of Box Tree Moth, an invasive insect threatening to invade Ontario’s gardens.   The pest was first detected six years ago in Toronto.  Time will tell how Box Tree Moth may affect home gardens and the horticulture industry.

My final choice for a landscape staple is Nest Spruce (Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’), an excellent choice for an evergreen border.  Soft textured, with slightly outward-curving branches, and a tight compact shape.  Nest Spruce has some younger first and third cousins which grow bigger or smaller, and which could qualify as thrillers or fillers in my designs.