I am looking for a shrub, other than green, for the front of my house. Preferably, I would like a purple or red color during the spring, summer and fall. I don’t want barberry. Can you recommend anything? What about purpleleaf sand cherry? I need something that doesn’t get too big because it will be at the corner of my house (2 to 3 feet away from the house).

There is a short list of shrubs and small trees that suit your needs. However the first concern before making your selection would be assuring that the plant is properly sited. You mentioned that you would like to plant it 2 to 3 feet from your house. This is generally way too close. The absolute minimum distance from your home should be 3 feet, and if there’s an overhang, even further. Planting too close is not only a hindrance for both home and garden maintenance, but also your home will, because of grading and height, not allow rain to reach the plants roots. That said here is the list. Note that these all will color their best in full sun.

Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) – 15 by 15 feet. ‘Royal Purple’ and ‘Velvet Cloak’ are two good purple varieties. Smoky, cloud-like panicles of pinkish flowers in June. Smokebush can be kept to a smaller size by hard pruning in early spring, thus sacrificing that season’s bloom. Well-drained soil, full sun.

Purpleleaf sand cherry (Prunus x cistena) – Can grow to 10 feet, but is usually pruned or hedged. A respectable landscape plant when a dark purple, almost black leaf is desired. However, many chewing insects find the leaves just as appealing. Average to well-drained soil, full sun.

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’) – ‘Diablo’ has deep burgundy leaves and attractive pinkish-white, button-like blooms in summer. It’s a quick grower to roughly 8 by 8 feet, however it may also be hard pruned in early spring to maintain a desired size. Well-drained site, full sun. It will take some shade but will color best in full sun.

Weigela (Weigela florida ‘Wine and Roses’) – Compact shrub, 4 to 5 feet high and wide. The leaves are a dark burgundy to a brownish purple with bright rose-pink flowers in June, then sporadically through summer. Can be lightly pruned after the June flush to maintain its rounded shape. Average to well-drained soils in full sun.

Redleaf rose (Rosa glauca) – This species rose has bluish to red-mauve foliage (resistant to blackspot), single, bright pink flowers in early summer and clusters of scarlet hips in autumn. This is a vase-shaped rose growing to about 6 feet by 6 feet. Average moisture needs, full sun.

Cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum) – Very slow-growing, small mounded trees ranging from 2 by 2 feet to 12 by 12 feet (depending on the variety). ’Crimson Queen,’ ‘Garnet,’ ‘Red Dragon’ and many more red-leaved varieties available. Moist, highly organic, well-drained soils in light shade to full sun.

European beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendula’) – If there is no overhang. A very slow-growing, weeping, purple, irregularly-shaped tree. Grows to about 10 feet, however can be kept smaller with thoughtful pruning. Moist, well drained soils in full to part sun.

I would like advice on how to lower my soil pH level. I used a home test kit and found my soil pH to be around 7. I have planted lots of evergreen seedlings and would like to lower my soil pH to around 5.5 to 6. Do you have any recommendations?

A home pH test is a good start. It has given an indication that alteration to the soil for optimal health of your plants may be needed. An appropriate next step would be to contact your County MSU Extension office and obtain a soil test kit. Collect the samples and send in the soil for a complete test.

The soil test done by Michigan State University will include much more than just pH. The test results will show the type of soil (clay, loam, or sand) and analysis of the micro and macro nutrients. If, as a part of testing, you tell them what you want to grow, they will make specific recommendations as to the proper type and quantity of material that should be used to amend the soil.

Be sure to evaluate where and how these plants will be situated in the garden. If these evergreen seedlings are to be used as foundation plantings near a house, the soil amendments may need to continue over a more extended period of time than if they are to be planted away from any structure. Also look into how many plants will be contained within how large an area. If this is a small foundation planting, you can simply use a readily available acidifier formulated for evergreens according to package directions.

We would like to interplant lilacs and rose of Sharon as a sight barrier along a property line (extended blooming is the goal of the combination). What are your recommendations? Are the plants compatible?

Lilacs (Syringa) and rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) have the same site requirements: full sun and fertile, moist and well-drained soil. Both will tolerate light shade. This is an interesting combination as a shrub hedge in the landscape as they are both shrubs that were used in Midwestern “yards” at the turn of the century and have continued to be part of the Midwestern landscape since the earliest communities were built. Both can be formidable shrubs and should be planted away from the house. You may have noticed how they were often planted in the outer corners of rural, then city and later in suburban yards, or as borders, often in front of hurricane fences. They have also been used as foundation plantings but that is not where they show their beauty best.

The height of the lilac ranges from 6 to 18 feet with a spread of 4 to 15 feet, depending upon the cultivars chosen. The rose of Sharon has a height of 8 to 12 feet and a spread of 6 to 10 feet. We welcome spring with the lilac’s profuse and fragrant lavender, pink, or white blossoms in May and June. When they are finished blooming, the foliage is medium to deep green on arching or upright mounded branches.

The rose of Sharon is the other bookend of the spring-summer season, showing off its big, colorful blossoms in the heat of the summer and still blooming when the children go back to school. The big, bold flowers of the rose of Sharon come in white, pink, lavender, violet or blue and can be flat, single blooms to carnation-like doubles to the newer anemone type that has a single flower with a lacy center. During the summer, when not in bloom, the foliage is dark and dense with three distinct lobes.

Both plants have proven that they are hardy, rugged and versatile in the Midwestern landscape. The common lilac is known to have problems with mildew and can become leggy and open at the base, but there are some cultivars such as Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ that are less troublesome. Think about throwing an early-blooming forsythia and mid-season bloomer like a spirea into the combination and you will have continuous color.