No one likes a troublemaker in the landscape, especially shrubs that get too full of themselves.
The best way to keep a shrub from misbehaving is to plant the right one in the right spot. Well-mannered shrubs are those that don’t ask a lot from gardeners, grow in ordinary soil and perform reliably every season. Here are five polite species to consider.
Read more of Jodi Torpey’s writing at westerngardeners.com.
1. Carol Mackie Daphne
(Daphne x burkwoodii Turill Carol Mackie)
A 1997 Plant Select introduction, Carol Mackie Daphne grows 3 to 4 feet tall and forms a symmetrical, mounding shape all on its own. This deciduous shrub can tolerate a range of soils and requires only moderate watering once established. An added feature is the small, fragrant, white-to-pink flowers that appear early each spring.
2. Little Lime Hydrangea
(Hydrangea paniculata Jane)
Hardy hydrangeas are lovely, easy-to-grow shrubs. This dwarf form of Limelight hydrangea has beautiful, lime-green flowers that form on a plant that grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. These hydrangeas are hardy to Zone 3 and do well in full sun to part shade. The flowers can be cut for bouquets and dried for long-lasting arrangements.
3. Nanking Cherry
(Prunus tomentosa)
This hardy shrub is one of the earliest bloomers, with its small pink flowers appearing before its leaves. The Nanking cherry’s spreading form makes it a nice specimen plant, and it can grow to more than 6 feet tall. Native to China and the Himalayas, this shrub is cold hardy to Zone 2 and can tolerate dry and windy conditions. The small red cherries make delicious jelly (and the birds really like them, too).
4. Goldflame spirea
(Spirea x bumalda Goldflame)
An adaptable and durable deciduous shrub, Goldfame spirea brightens any spot with its crimson-red leaves in spring that turn to vibrant green by summer. Reddish-bronze fall color is an added bonus. Small pink flowers can bloom twice over the season if deadheaded. Shrubs stay a compact 3 feet tall and wide. Goldflame grows in a variety of soils and has moderate to low water needs.
5. Nannyberry
(Viburnum lentago)
The nannyberry is a native shrub that provides four seasons of interest from glossy green leaves and white flowers in spring to nice fall color. Small berries persist through the winter as a food source for birds. Give this hardy shrub room to grow to 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide.
