What to consider for your landscape Simply shrubs

By PAM BAYTOS

OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

Whether you are looking for showy flowers, fall color, unique bark or beautiful fragrance, you can find a shrub to suit your needs.

There are thousands to choose from, with new cultivars being introduced each year. Sometimes you can find them locally, but sometimes you have to order them.

Here are some of my favorites for you to consider:

Beautyberry: This shrub grows 3- to 4-feet tall with clusters of purple fruit on arching branches. Japanese beautyberry dies back each winter so it grows to 4-feet tall. “Leuocoparpa” has white-fruited cultivar.

Summersweet (Clethra): The fragrance of this plant is outstanding. C.alnifolia grows 3- to 8-feet tall with 3- to 6-feet spread and bears spikes of fragrant flowers and yellow fall foliage.

“Hummingbird” and “Sixteen Candles” are compact forms, while “Pink Spires,” “Rosea” and “Ruby Spice” bear pink flowers.

Ninebark: This shrub is native to Ohio. This shrub has long, arching branches and exfoliating bark. Grows 5- to 10-feet tall with 6- to 15-feet spread.

Light pink flowers bloom in early summer followed by reddish green fruit. Be sure to prune this shrub to thin it, or deal with the issue of powdery mildew.

Hydrangea: This is one you’ll have to research to find the species that suits your landscape.

These are the types you can choose from: climbing hydrangea, smooth hydrangea, panicled hydrangea, oakleaf hydrangea and sawtooth hydrangea.

Eric Barrett has a chart to explain them all at http://go.osu.edu/hydrangeas.

Weigela: W. florida has arching branches with clusters of flowers in late spring and early summer. It grows 6- to 9-feet tall with 8- to 12-feet spread. A few taller cultivars include Wine and Roses, French Lace, Red Prince. Midnight Wine, “Minuet” and “Rumba” are compact shrubs.

Spirea: This is another shrub with many species, but Japanese spirea has “Goldmound,” “Little Princess,” “Magic Carpet,” “Neon Flash” and “Shirobori” as good choices.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia): B.davidii is the most commonly grown species. It grows 4- to 10-feet tall with equal spread. It flowers on current year’s growth, so in spring cut back to 6 to 12 inches above the ground. Some cultivars need winter protection. Some are considered invasive in southern Ohio.

Fothergilla: Flowers, fragrance, fall color give these plants year-round appeal. Large fothergilla offers “Mount Airy” as a compact cultivar growing 5 to 6 feet.

Mock Orange (Philadelphus): Grow it for its heavenly fragrance reminiscent of orange blossoms.

Deutzia: This shrub grows from 2- to 8-feet tall so you should be able to find one that fits your landscape.

To learn more about cool shrubs for your landscaping, go to: http://go.osu.edu/coolshrubs.