Here are easy-to-grow plants for beds near driveways, streets
Q: “I have a raised circular bed in my driveway that needs to be planted with something that is easy to grow with low-maintenance requirements. This area has light shade and will occasionally have snow piled on it. Can you suggest some plants, please?” — Al Rathgaber, Highland Park
A: Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-low’ (gro-low sumac) will be a good, inexpensive shrub for you to install.
This plant reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads out to 8 feet over time. It can grow in poor, dry soil and tolerates road salt, so it should be good for the raised bed in your driveway.
Prune off any branches broken by snow piles, and the plant will quickly fill back in. The spreading branches tend to root where they touch the soil and form a dense mat that will suppress weeds.
Plant the shrubs on 3-foot centers for quick cover of the bed and 18 to 24 inches in from the bed edges. It will be easy to prune the shrubs back as they overgrow the edges of the bed in subsequent years. When grown in full sun, it will have a good orange-red fall color. The fall color will be muted as shade levels increase. Though this plant is vigorous, it is not an invader.
Another plant to consider is Liriope spicata (creeping lily turf ), which is a herbaceous ground cover that will spread. At 8 to 12 inches, it will be shorter in height than the grow-low sumac but will cover the soil and also help suppress weeds.
In addition, you will get purple flowers with creeping lily turf. Install the plants on 8-to-12-inch centers. It would be a good idea to mulch your new plants after installation, especially if you install them this fall.