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get my love for perennials from my parents — my mom and dad have beautiful perennial gardens that they have been tending for over 30 years. My dad asked me the other day to recommend some shrubs as he has pretty much every perennial that grows in Illinois! I promised him a list, then realized it would make a great article, too! Shrubs are one of my favorite “genres” of plant material. I’ve come to appreciate their versatility and longevity in the garden as well as their value to pollinators and ease of maintenance. I am still a “perennials girl” but shrubs have edged out perennials lately in my own garden additions. Here’s some of my favorites (and my list for you, Pops!). SMALL FLOWERING • Black chokeberry ‘Lowscape Mound’: this little guy is an excellent border shrub with spring flowers and good fall color. • Flowering quince: an old-fashioned shrub that has been bred to be smaller; a relative to apples that flowers with a large, jewel pink, red or coral flower in early spring. • Beautyberry: a little-known shrub that has purple berries in fall. Some have purple foliage too! • Hydrangea ‘Bobo,’ ‘Little Lime,’ ‘Firelight Tidbit,’ etc.: there are SO many new hydrangeas that run the gamut from 3 feet tall up to 10 feet tall and everything in between — there is one for every garden!! It’s a full-time job to keep up with the hydrangea introductions… • Azalea ‘Karen’: I love this little azalea as it’s hardier and easier than most rhododendrons, only grows to about 3 feet tall and blooms hot pink in early spring, a good burgundy fall/winter color too! • Deutzia: I use them frequently in designs; small, belllike flowers in pink or white, long bloom time (several weeks in spring), and a nice mounding habit that rarely needs pruning.
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HOME & LIFESTYLE MAY 2022
• Diervilla ‘Kodiak Red/Orange/Black’: these tough shrubs are durable with great color, small yellow flowers in summer followed by good fall color, drought-tolerant, take some shade; makes a good border or foundation plant! LARGE FLOWERING • Vernal witch hazel: a little-known native shrub that blooms in March with fragrant, orchid-like flowers, makes a good specimen large shrub/small tree with some pruning over time, tolerates a fair amount of shade (Common witch hazel is a cousin that blooms in fall — also native). • Sorbaria ‘Sem’: this unique shrub is good for places where not much else grows and you want something to spread and colonize, has bright lemon yellow ferny foliage with orange highlights, grows to about 4-6 feet tall but can spread to twice that with time.
