Sunshine ligustrum companion plants are plants that should grow in USDA hardiness zones six to ten, love full sun, and prefer slightly acidic substrate.
Such plants are everywhere; you only need to find them. Here in this article, you will read the guide of twelve companion plants for sunshine ligustrums so that you can make your choice.
Contents
List of Sunshine Ligustrum Companion Plants
Here is the list of the sunshine ligustrum companion plants so that your garden would look prettier than ever.
1. Hibiscus
Hibiscus plants are very beautiful plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. They are naturally growing in subtropical, warm temperate, and tropical regions all over the world as they have a lot of uses worldwide. They are medicinal, used to make tea, and planted as landscape and ornamental plants.
The leaves of hibiscus plants are ovate to lanceolate, alternate, and often have a lobed margin. Their flowers are trumpet-shaped, large, conspicuous, and have up to five or more petals with colors like white pink, orange, red, blue, purple, peach, and yellow.
The flowers are 1.5 almost to seven inches wide and can change color as they age in some species.
Hibiscus plants are sun-loving and their green variegated leaves compliment ligustrum plants. You just need to get a species or variety that grows in zones 6 to 10.
2. Taro
Elephant ears or taro are very popular crops that are widely cultivated for their corms, petioles, and leaves. They are in the family Araceae and their corms are a staple food in South Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Taro plants, or Colocasia Spp, are one the earliest crops to be cultivated by mankind.
They grow medium to large broad leaves that are heart-shaped, growing more than 15 inches in length and 7 inches in width.
The dark green leaves are smooth, hydrophobic, and light green on the bottom surface. The leaf undersides also have veins that grow from the central stem.
These plants are easier to grow than you can imagine and do not need your attention so long as the soil is well-drained. Because of their green broad leaves, they are very compatible with ligustrum plants with little yellow leaves. Also, you get to enjoy their corm.
3. Banana
Banana plants are popular plants in the family Musaceae, which is why they are called Musa Spp, producing some of the most popular and sweetest fruits in the plant.
There are around 70 species in the Musa genus and they grow as tall as trees. However, these plants are not trees as they do not have a woody stem. Their stem is made of their leaves’ bases and the huge stalks are not woody.
This means that bananas are simply large herbaceous plants. They are able to grow up to 30 feet tall, producing an underground stem or rhizome and a network of roots. Bananas can reproduce by asexual (suckers) and sexual, meaning seed processes, but the cultivars we consume today reproduce asexually, so they produce sterile fruits without fertile seeds.
While bananas are heavy feeders, they can grow with ligustrum as ligustrum plants do not consume much. The yellow and green colors in bananas fit ligustrum plants perfectly.
4. Sacred Bamboo
Nandinas are plants in the family Berberidaceae that are naturally growing in eastern Asian countries, from Japan to the Himalayas. Nandina domestica is the only species in the genus. It produces bright red leaves in the fall.
The plant is able to grow up to seven feet tall and 5 feet wide. It produces white hermaphrodite flowers growing in inflorescences that are terminally or axillary erect panicles, having multiple colors.
The glossy, compounded leaves of these bamboos sometimes grow 20 to 39 inches long and pinnately arranged in. The leaves have leaflets that grow 2-4 inches long and 0.5-1 inch broad. The young leaves are colored red or pink in spring before they turn green while the old leaves can turn purple or red again before they die.
The colors of these bamboos can complement your ligustrum plants, however, ensure to remove unneeded plants as they can grow uncontrollably.
5. Barberries
These are beautiful plants in a large genus of deciduous or evergreen shrubs according to the speciesthat grow up to 16.4 feet tall. There is great species diversity in Asia and South America. However, continents like North America, Europe, and Africa have a few species.
The Berberis Spp produce non-photosynthetic leaves which grow on long shoots that develop into one to three spines.
The photosynthetic leaves grow from buds in each thorn leaf’s axil that develops short shoots. The photosynthetic leaves grow 0.39 to 3.94 inches and have spiny margins, their leaves are pink or red in the months of fall.
Barberry plants produce flowers growing singly or in collections (racemes) of around twenty flowers in a flower head. The flowers they produce are of two complementary colors, orange or yellow and grow 0.12 to 0.24 inch long. The flowers and leaves of barberries make a great combination of colors with the leaf color of ligustrums.
6. Oleander
Oleanders, or Nerium Oleander, are small trees or shrubs that are cultivated in every part of the world, especially in subtropical and temperate areas as landscaping and ornamental plants. They are in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae and subfamily Apocynoideae and grow from seven up to 20 feet tall.
These plants have beautiful five-lobed flowers that can be red, white, or pink, growing in clusters. Their dark-green leaves are in pairs of three, thick, leathery, and narrowly lanceolate.
The leaves grow two to eight inches long and 0.6-1.6 inches wide. On the other hand, you must note that each part of this plant is toxic, so you want to handle it with care, and make sure no human or animal would consume it, because the consequences would be severe.
7. Asian Bleeding-Heart
These are super beautiful flowers that may steal the shine of your ligustrum plants. Asian bleeding hearts are plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae and indigenous to Eastern Asia. Other names for the plants include lyre flower, the lady in a bath, and heart flower.
The plants can grow 47 inches tall and 18 inches wide, producing underground stems or also known as rhizomes. They are herbaceous perennial plants with lobed compound leaves growing on green or pink thick stems.
Expect to see the most beautiful flowers in spring and early summer. Their flowers are heart-shaped and are mostly pink outside and white inside, which is why they are the perfect sunshine ligustrum companion.
Just like your sunshine ligustrum shrubs, grow these bleeding hearts in full sun. Also, fertilize monthly or according to the instructions that come with the fertilizer.
8. Stonecrop
Stonecrops are plants in the genus Sedum and family Crassulaceae with over 400–500. The plant is often called a leaf succulent because it stores water in its leaves and stems. They are mostly and usually found in the Northern Hemisphere. However, they extend a bit into the southern hemisphere, especially in South America and Africa.
Plants in this genus can be perennial, biennial, or annual according to the species. These plants produce flowers with five petals (sometimes four or six) and eight to twelve stamens. Their leaves and stems are thick and succulent.
These plants grow perfectly fine in USDA zones 3-11, so you can grow ligustrum plants with them in zones 6-10. Don’t forget that you must make sure that they all get full sun.
9. Loropetalum
These are beautiful plants in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae that are naturally growing in China and Japan. They produce their flowers in clusters in the spring months and the flowers are similar to those of witch hazels. These plants are evergreen, multi-stemmed, broad-leafed, and known for their delicate, fragrant flowers.
Each flower has four to six petals depending on the species. The petals are strap-shaped, slender, and grow 0.3 to 0.7 inches in length.
Their leaves are also very beautiful as they can change colors from hues of red to pink, magenta, deep green, or pink throughout the year.
Just like ligustrum care tips, loropetalums require full sun and a fast-draining substrate. Please ensure to prune your plants regularly so that they can stay beautiful and in shape.
10. Japanese Mahonia
Japanese mahonias or Mahonia Japonica, are plants in the family Berberidaceae that are indigenous to Taiwan. Even though they are referred to as Japanese plants, they do not originate from Japan, you can find it and plant next to your Lingustrum.
They are evergreen plants that grow up to seven feet tall and 10 feet wide. Their dark green leaves are pinnate, glossy, sharply toothed, and have a pale green beneath.
The leaves usually have twelve to sixteen leaflets occurring in pairs with a lone terminal leaflet. The plants have little, sweet-scented, yellow flowers that grow in late summer until early spring. The flowers grow in inflorescences that are 10 inches in length, first arching when young and then becoming pendant.
Grow your mahonia plants in rich and acidic soil. In addition, grow them in full sun. On the other hand, you must note that they can tolerate partial shade.
11. Yarrow
Yarrows or common Achillea Millefolium are flowering plants in the family Asteraceae that go with other names like devil’s nettle, the old man’s pepper, soldier’s woundwort, thousand seals, sanguinary, and milfoil. These perennial, herbaceous plants are naturally growing in the temperate regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.
They are erect plants producing one or multiple stems reaching heights of eight to 40 inches. Their leaves grow from two up till eight inches tall and are tripinnate or bipinnate, arranged in circles on the stems, and almost feathery.
They are often used as medicine to cure hay fever, absence of menstruation, common cold, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) tract discomfort, dysentery, and diarrhea.
The green leaves and bright yellow, white, cream, red, or peach flowers of these plants match those of ligustrum sinense ‘sunshine’ perfectly and they both have almost the same soil and water needs, so you can grow them in the same garden.
12. Cordyline
This is a beautiful plant in the subfamily Lomandroideae and family Asparagaceae naturally growing in Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, and Asia. The plant has enlarged underground stems or rhizomes that look like clubs.
This plant is a long-lived, evergreen, broadleaf plant that grows slim lance-shaped leaves with a length of up to 30 inches and widths of around six inches.
The leaves emerge as pinkish red but later transform to deep green. The flowers of this plant are scented, white or pale lavender, and grow in panicles that can reach 12 inches in length. This plant produces red berries. If you are looking for plants with multi colors to plant in a yard where your yellow sunshine ligustrum grows, this is a perfect example for you.
Conclusion
Sunshine ligustrum companion plants are equally beautiful, so your ligustrums do not have to grow alone in your yard. You can easily grow beautiful plants such as Sacred Bamboos, Japanese Mahonia, and Yarrow, so consider giving them a try because a theme with them would go perfectly.
Which plant would you like to add to your sunshine ligustrum sinense garden? Whichever you pick from this list, it is for sure that they will thrive together and look absolutely beautiful.
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