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Landscape shrubs are divided into two main categories: Evergreen shrubs
grown primarily for the green leaves, and shrubs that are grown for
flowers. Some of the flowering shrubs that are grown for flowers are
also evergreen, such as: Albelia, Azalea, Banana shrub, Bottlebrush,
Bridal Wreath, Gardenia, Ligustrum, Oleander, and Tea Olive. Azaleas
and Camellias are the most important of the flowering shrubs.
Flowering Evergreen Shrubs
Azaleas are perhaps the most well known evergreen flowering shrubs
grown in America. Hybrids of azaleas are now planted in Northern
States. Formosa flowering azaleas are best known and many colors and
cultivars are there for the gardener to buy. Other azalea categories
are Gleen Dale azaleas, Kurume Hybrid azaleas, Nuccio Hybrid azaleas,
Satsuki Hybrid azaleas, and Native American azaleas, the Florida Flame,
Rhodendron austrinum, and the Piedmont, Rhodendrom canescens. Formosa
azalea cultivars are: Bicolor, Duc De Rohan, Dutchess of Cypress,
George L. Tabor, GG. Gerbin, Lavender, Little John, Madonna White,
Magenta, Pink, Pride of Mobile, Red Formosa, Southern Charm, Violet.
Glenn Dale azaleas are Fashion and H.H. Hume. Kurume azaleas are Coral
Bells, Pink Ruffles, Red Ruffles, and Snow. The Satsuki hybrid azaleas
are Gumpo Pink, Gumpo White, Higasa, and Wakebishu.
Camellias are best known for the fall, winter, and spring flowers in
the South. Fall and Winter flowering shrubs are Camellia sasanqua;
Camellias that flower in many colors of red, pink, white, variegated,
and purple. The major winter-spring flowering camellia types are called
Camellia japonica, and many old cultivar listings are available to buy
from an Internet nursery. Cultivars like: Alba Plena, Emily Wilson,
Jesse Burgess, Mathotiana Rubra, Peppermint, Pink Perfection, Pot of
Gold, and Professor Sargeant, Rosea,
Abelia x Grandiflora shrubs are a great improvement over the old common
Abelia shrub. The tubular clusters of pink-white flowers are fragrant
and flowering abelia shrubs are treasured as a long season bloomer that
is cold hard from zones 5 – 9.
Banana shrub, Michelia fuggii, commonly is grown in gardens, much like
Camellia, known for the scent of ripe bananas, when the small, white,
magnolia-like flowers open on hot summer afternoons. Banana shrub is
often planted near door entrances to greet visitors with the aroma of a
banana.
Scarlet Bottlebrush Shrub, Callistemon citrinus, is not known for its
cold hardiness (zone 8 – 11), but the red flowers of bottlebrush are
brilliant when they bloom in early summer.
Bridal Wreath, Spirea nipponica, is also known as Snowmound Spirea, and
is a vast improvement over the old yard white spirea, found in heirloom
gardens. Bridal Wreath Spirea is very cold hardy to zones 4 – 8.
Gardenia shrubs, Gardenia jasmionoides, is the dwarf-form of the
sweetly scented Gardenia. Ever blooming Gardenia shrub, Gardenia
jasminoides 'Veitchii' is a very improved gardenia, with grafted and
large shrubs producing double-white gardenia blooms. The rare fragrance
of everblooming gardenias is a growing, worthwhile garden experience.
Ligustrum, Ligustrum texanum, is grown in some gardens as a shrub with
long seasonal, white flowers, that sweetly scent a passerby with a
pleasing, distinct ligustrum fragrance. Ligustrum, when mature, can be
stripped of lower branches, to grow into a small flowering tree, often
planted at entrances as specimen trees. This plant is popular at the
famous hotel resort at the Cloister, operating at Sea Island, Ga. Other
cultivars of Ligustrum are planted, and most commonly grown, as privacy
hedges, or to border wide sidewalks in urban settings.
Oleander, Nerium oleander, is among the most salt water tolerant
choices for planting in coastal gardens. Oleander shrubs flower in
colors of pink, purple, red, salmon pink, white, and yellow. Very old
oleander plants can grow into small flowering trees. Oleander beings
blooming in May and flowers last until fall. Insects and disease avoid
oleanders.
Tea Olive, Osmanthus fragrans, is very popular as a sweet scented shrub
that begins blooming in fall and continues to fill the air with
fragrance into spring. The aroma of Tea Olive flowers is similar to
that of ripe apricots. Tea olive is an evergreen tree.
Yellow Rose of Texas, Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora', blooms in late
spring, growing bright yellow flowers thickly clustered along long
arching stems. Kerria japonica is very cold hardy in zones 4 – 8.
Deciduous Flowering Shrubs
Crape Myrtle (Crepe Myrtle) Lagerstroemia x Fauriei hybrids are also
called Japanese Crape Myrtle (Crepe Myrtle). These shrubs are often
grown as shrubs, but many of the new cultivars are marketed as trees,
and can easily grow to 30 feet tall, with trunks growing in diameter to
over one foot. It is difficult to place boundaries on the growth size,
because newly introduced hybrids have not aged enough to predict the
ultimate limits of size fifty years from now. Old species of Crape
Myrtle were Lagerstroemia indica, that bloomed attractively, but new
hybrid Crepe Myrtle shrubs bloom in fiery clear colors for as much as
45 – 60 days, and then flower again in the fall. Crepe Myrtle flowers
are beautiful, but the new peeling bark colors provide a new and
different attraction after the winter cold freezes the leaves. Crepe
Myrtle have been placed in several color categories: Red flowered
Tonto; White flowered Acoma and Natchez; Lavender flowered Muscogee;
Pale Pink flowered Biloxi; Dark Pink flowered Miami and Tuscarora;
Intense Pink flowered Sioux; and Dream Pink;
Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, and Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea
quercifolia, are the two important species of the hydrangea group.
Hydrangea macrophylla has been much improved to create hybrid flowers
of pink, red, white, blue, and purple. Some of these colors of
hydrangea are stable, and not subject to change with the changing of
the soil acidity (soil pH). Hydrangea macrophylla flowers come in
various new hybrids, such as Cardinal Red, macrophylla 'Cardinal Red';
Lacecap 'Blue Billow', microphylla 'Blue Billow'; Lacecap 'Pink
Diamond', microphylla 'Pink Diamond'; Lacecap 'Variegated', microphylla
'Variegated'; Oak leaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, produces giant
white flowers that perch above a 6 foot shrub with large leaves, shaped
like oak tree leaves.
New Zealand Tea Shrub, Leptospermum scorparium, is a winter and early
spring flowering shrub in colors of red and pink, that are cold hardy
in zones 8 – 10.
Berry Evergreen Shrubs
Valuable evergreen shrubs for garden landscapes are 2 types of Mahonia
that grow thorny type-holly shape leaves, that in the spring, flower
and the blooms grow into colorful berries. Mahonia Featherleaf shrub,
Mahonia japonica, flowers turn into attractive grape-like clusters of
fruit, that are cold hardy to zones 5 – 8. Chinese Mahonia, Mahonia
fortunei, produces short spikes of yellow flowers, cold hardy to zones
8 – 9.
Nandina shrubs, Nandina domestica, is a great plant for all seasons.
The canes of nandina produce fragrant clusters of flowers in the
spring, that turn into green, orange, and red persistent berry
clusters, that will only fall off next year after new flowers appear.
Nandina domestica can be grown as a foundation landscape plant, next to
houses, to replace overgrown azaleas. Nandinas rarely grow larger than
4 -5 feet, and will not block views from windows, like many foundation
plants. Neat growing nandina is disease free, and can be found to buy
at local nurseries, or mail order nursery sources. Dwarf nandina plants
are called heavenly bamboo, and the dwarf cultivars are the best winter
coloring Nandina, with brilliant crimson foliage, lasting from fall
through winter. Nandina shrubs are cold hardy growing, when planted in
zones 6 – 8.
Deciduous Shrubs With Berries
Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, was discovered by William Bartram,
the famous American botanist and explorer, who wrote in his book,
Travels, records of this beautyberry with stems hidden in the fall with
bright purple berry clusters encircling twigs after the leaves drop
down from the fall frost. The white berry clusters of the white
beautyberry shrub are quite stunning in the dark forest under story
landscape.
Mock Orange shrub (Philadelphus X Virginalis 'Natchez') is an
improvement of the heirloom native American plant that flowers in the
late spring with citrus, orange, scented blooms. The Mock Orange shrub
is rarely offered by mailorder nursery websites to buy. Many gardeners
wanting a pleasant native shrub should buy the Mock Orange shrub.
Pyracantha, Pyracantha coccinia, is often grown to shut out unwanted
visitors, because of its deadly thorns. The beauty of the berry
clusters is undefinable in the winter and spring, when the leaves drop.
The berries grow in large clusters of orange or red. Pyracantha,
Pyracantha coccinia, will bloom fragrantly white in the spring, and
will remind any burglar that he should not have visited that special
execution-style garden. The two cultivars recommended for planting are
Pyracantha Victory, Pyracantha coccinea 'Victory' and Pyracantha Orange
Berry, Pyracantha coccinea 'Orange Berry'.
Learn more about various plants, or purchase ones mentioned in this article by visiting the author's website: TyTy Nursery
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