GOINGnative
Small Shrubs
Native Shrubs for Year-Round Interest
• Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) This dwarf variety of fothergilla grows up to 3 feet high and 4 feet wide; perfect for tucking into a border. It is lowmaintenance and has a short period of spiky white blooms in late spring and gorgeous fall color. The foliage in summer has a slightly blue cast. These plants thrive in moist soils and can take part shade as well. In sunny locations, they must have moist soil. If you plant this shrub in average, rather than moist soil, it is essential to keep it moist until it is well-established. • Summersweet ‘Hummingbird’ (Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’) This is a smaller version of summersweet shrub and grows to 4 feet tall. This shrub has abundant candle-like white flowers in summer with a noticeable fragrance. I think of it as a native substitute for lilac, although it blooms later and the flowers are smaller. The number of flowers though, make up for the smaller size. In fall, leaves turn yellow. Summersweet also grows in partshade. Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
By Shari Wilson I am reading a new book by legendary plant collector Dan Hinkley. Of course, discovering and collecting plants from other parts of the world to bring back home is the polar opposite of gardening with native plants. The story of how this person came to live in the Pacific Northwest and build two world-famous gardens is interesting, though. Early in the book, Hinkley says, in talking about the need for texture and foliage in a garden, “I am not forging new territory here. Yet, for the freshman gardener, there seems to be no coercion or simple pleading that will force retreat from floral flirtation. Nurseries, blossom dens, pushing floral addictions and thwarting the quantum leap to foliage, don’t make it easy.” 14
WASHINGTON GARDENER
JUNE 2021
A bit over the top, but I had to laugh out loud. This is so true. As a gardener starting out, I planted flowers and then more flowers. It was only over time that I came to realize building a garden, whether for aesthetics or ecological value, requires different heights and textures. Hinkley suggests taking a photo of your garden in black-and-white to help you see whether there is variation in height and texture. I tried it; it really works! This brings us to planting deciduous, native shrubs. They are an excellent way to add layers to your garden for more texture, better design, and amplifying ecological value—not to mention the possibility for more flowers. Here are a few native shrubs worth a try.
• Winterberry ‘Red Sprite’ (Ilex verticillata nana ‘Red Sprite’) This smaller cultivar of winterberry grows 2 to 3 feet high and wide—perfect for smaller gardens. One thing to remember about winterberry is that you need a male and a female. The female shrub produces the berries and one male within 50 feet or so is usually adequate to pollinate up to 10 female shrubs. Nurseries typically sell both side by side. These shrubs grow in clay soils, wet areas, and drier areas, and produce the most fruit in sunnier spots, although I have had them produce abundant fruit in dappled shade once they are mature. Winterberry have small white flowers in spring, dark-green foliage in summer. Berries begin to form around late August and last through mid-winter or until birds eat them. • Pee Wee Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Pee Wee’) This is a smaller cultivar of the large, native oak leaf hydrangea that works wonderfully in a tighter space. Interest-
