Shrubs

Groundcovers Shrubs

How to Grow: Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster spp   Other Name rockspray cotoneaster   Sun Requirements full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Pink flowers appear in spring followed by red berries and colorful fall foliage   Mature Height x Spread 2 to 3 feet x 5 to 8 feet   Added Benefits drought tolerant, fall color, deer resistant   Cotoneaster is a low growing, colorful shrub with attractive small flowers, berries and fall foliage color. The long spreading branches look particularly attractive when grown to cascade down a wall or bank.  You...

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Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: Crape Myrtle

Sun Requirements Full sun Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Blooms summer until fall Mature Height x Spread 25 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is considered the lilac of the South. This large shrub or small tree is unusual for its long bloom period. Depending on the selection, it blooms from summer until fall, brightening the landscape long after most other trees have finished flowering. Crape myrtle are hardy to USDA zone 6 to 10. Although in zone 6 they may die back to the ground during a cold winter....

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Shrubs

How to Grow: Daphne

Daphne burkwoodii Other Name Burkwood daphne   Sun Requirements full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Pale pink, fragrant flowers in spring that may rebloom in early fall   Mature Height x Spread 2 to 3 feet x 3 to 5 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, attracts hummingbirds, drought tolerant, deer resistant   This spring blooming shrub has small, pale pink flowers that grow in clusters on the stem ends. While the flowers are attractive, what you will really notice is the intense is the sweet fragrance they...

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Shrubs

How to Grow: Deciduous Azalea

Rhododendron spp and hybrids   Other Name flowering azalea   Sun Requirements part sun, part shade   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Early spring in colors such as pink, salmon, yellow, white, rose and bi colors   Mature Height x Spread 4 to 8 feet x 4 to 8 feet   Added Benefits Attracts beneficials, fall color, deer resistant   Azaleas are in the rhododendron family and usually distinguished from other rhododendrons by their smaller plant size. There are deciduous and evergreen azaleas. Evergreen azaleas are not as hardy as...

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Podcast Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: Dogwoods

Learn all about selecting the hardiest dogwood trees and shrubs for the North. Listen to Podcast: podcast transcript   How to Grow: Shrub Dogwoods Cornus spp   Other Name shrub dogwoods   Sun Requirements full sun, part sun, part shade   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Spring with white or yellow flowers with colorful summer berries and attractive fall foliage and bark color   Mature Height x Spread 3 to 10 feet x 3 to 6 feet   Added Benefits Native, attracts beneficials, fall color, deer resistant   Shrub dogwoods are...

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Fruit Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: Edible Plants in Island Beds

Island plantings are becoming more popular in yards as homeowners try to reduce the amount of lawn to mow, create a more visually interesting yard and foster more habitat for wildlife and birds. Island beds are designed for viewing from all sides and usually are surrounded by lawn. Sometimes these island plantings consist of native trees and shrubs that were left over from the house construction. They might also surround a large boulder or ledge that had to be left when the house was being built. If these trees and shrubs survived the...

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Annuals Fruit HerbPerennials Shrubs TreesVegetable

How to Grow: Edible Plants with Seasonal Color

One of the popular ways to have color all season in your foodscape yard is to grow plants that flower in each season. This common concept is used to make cottage flower gardens look so great from spring to fall. You can use it in the foodscape, too. You don’t have to exclusively use just foodscape plants, but they can help provide color, especially ones that will continue to bloom all summer. These might include eggplant, citrus and roses. Some foodscape plants, such as daylilies and bee balm, may flower for a limited amount of time and...

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Fruit Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: Edibles in Hedgerows

Hedgerows are great ways to block an unsightly view, define a boundary or create rooms in your yard. They are more cost effective than building wooden fences and stonewalls, but unlike those structures, do require more maintenance. Hedgerows traditionally consist of a variety of plants. These provide habitat for birds, animals, and insects. These types of hedgerows have a wilder look and are considered more of an informal hedge than a formal clipped planting. In a modern landscape, often hedgerows are constructed of one plant such as...

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FruitPodcast Shrubs

How to Grow: Elderberries

Learn about elderberries, including how to plant and grow them. Listen to podcast: podcast transcript How to Grow: Elderberries Sambucus spp and hybrids   Other Name Elder     Sun Requirements full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Spring with white or pink flowers. It also has attractive red or black berries     Mature Height x Spread 5 to 12 feet x 5 to 10 feet     Added Benefits Native, attracts beneficials   Elderberries are common shrubs often found growing wild in meadows, abandoned fields and...

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Shrubs Trees Videos

How to Grow: Fall Foliage

Every year I delight in the changing colors of the maples, ash, poplar and other deciduous trees. But this year we've had enough moisture that the leaves have held on longer and some bright, sunny days and chilly nights that help stimulate the color change. Deciduous leaves change color when the chlorophyll drains from the leaves revealing the other color pigments that have been covered by the green all summer. While we can't rival Mother Nature in our garden for a fall foliage display, we can augment what she does. There are many native...

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