Ornamental Shrubs

Ask the Experts

new introductions for your garden

After a long winter and numerous snow storms, spring is finally here! Gardeners across the area are coming out of their winter hibernation to clean up their yards and prepare for the coming growing season. Last month, I discussed some of the new and exciting perennials available in the market this spring, but perennials are only one part of an everevolving garden. Where perennials add blooms and color to a garden, ornamental shrubs add structure, texture, and color to landscape. This month, we explore some of the newer shrub cultivars available to plant enthusiasts this spring.

Each year, it seems that more and more gardeners go to garden centers in search of compact plants. Many of the plants in this article fit this bill and are smaller or more compact than some of their “usual” counterparts. For the Hydrangea lover, ‘Little Hottie’ is a compact, panicle type that only gets about 5 feet tall and wide. It is more heattolerant than other varieties and needs very little to no pruning. Our summer heat tends to scorch some plants, but ‘Little Hottie’ can tolerate our extreme summer weather with blooms that do not burn.

Another landscape favorite, Spirea, can get out of hand. Most varieties can tolerate hard pruning every spring to help maintain size, but ‘Little Spark’ offers a spark of color that others don’t. New growth emerges orange and fades to bright yellow, which it holds throughout the rest of the season. This bright foliage sets off its pink summer blooms which are sure to attract pollinators. The grower recommends shearing blooms immediately after it finishes to encourage a rebloom later in the season.

There are always gardeners looking to replace their roses when they succumb to rose rosette disease. One of my favorite substitutions to recommend is the Weigela. For gardeners that seek to both replace roses and plant something that is a little more compact, ‘Very Fine Wine’ Weigela boasts a beautiful, dark foliage and countless blooms while only reaching 3 feet tall and wide. This variety does exceptionally well in a mass planting

and needs full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun) to thrive.

Nandina is one of my favorite landscape plants ever since I first saw it during “Woody Ornamentals Class” at Mizzou. They are reliable and low-maintenance, and uniquely showy. ‘Cool Glow Pomegranate’ Nandina has dark green foliage all summer which turns to brilliant red in fall. This bright red lasts all winter, making it a stunning specimen in the garden. Planting this in sun will give it the best color, but it can tolerate some light shade. At 4 feet tall and wide, any gardener should be able to find a space for ‘Cool Glow Pomegranate’ in their landscapes.

Many gardeners struggle to find plants that can tolerate shady conditions and bloom well. ‘Fizzy Mizzy’ Sweetspire (Itea) is a newer variety that can thrive in both sunny and shady conditions. Proven Win-

ners boasts that it is one of the most tolerant shade shrubs and that it will still bloom. Plants like this that can handle a wide variety of light exposure are great in the landscape because they offer the opportunity to add some unity to the yard by planting some in sunny or shady areas. ‘Fizzy Mizzy’ grows to a compact 3-foot mound, has beautifully fragrant blooms, and attracts pollinators to the garden.

For gardeners that need some height but don’t want to sacrifice a lot of space in the bed for a larger shrub, ‘Illuminati Tower’ Mockorange is the answer to their prayers. At only 2 feet wide, it reaches 4 feet tall and produces the same beautiful, exceptionally fragrant blooms as its parent. Mockorange is one of the most fragrant spring bloomers, so make sure and plant it where you can enjoy its heavenly scent.

Some gardeners don’t need compact plants. Larger shrubs have a place in taking up space, adding structure to the yard, and creating privacy. Ninebark is a beautiful shrub with nice flowers, but its true value is in the dense, purple foliage. ‘Fireside’ reaches 5-7 feet tall and wide, so give it some room. It is perfect for creating some privacy along fence lines or around a patio.

For those that need something on the tall end of the spectrum, ‘Sky High’ Juniper is perfect. It reaches 12-15 feet tall while staying relatively narrow at 3-5 feet wide, so it can be easily tucked into a landscape area that needs a focal point or some height. It can be pruned lightly to keep its narrow shape, but its inherent columnar habit usually limits the need to trim. It can handle drought conditions and requires well-drained soils in order to thrive. Plant among Viburnums, Ninebark, and other privacy-creating plants for a beautiful texture in the landscape.

As gardeners visit garden centers to hunt down these varieties, remember to ask about the many other varieties available this season. Each garden center has its own collection of plants to offer and each professional has their own list of favorites that we are always happy to share with our visitors.

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners.

Mockorange ‘Illuminati Tower’

SEAN HOLLAND Perennials Manager

Sean Holland is Perennials Manager at Suburban Lawn & Garden, 135th and Wornall location, in Kansas City, Missouri. You may reach him at seanh@suburbanlg.com.