The Garden's Framework

Have you ever driven by a home with an established yard that has no shrubs? It is rather bleak looking, to say the least, and thankfully, not seen very often. To see an endless expanse of lawn and nothing else is depressing. Most homes will have some kinds of shrubs on the property, at least out front. If nothing else is planted, there will be at least foundation plantings of bushes on the property.

Other than the obligatory foundation plantings and perhaps a few roses, how many of us have considered adding a few shrubs on our properties for the ornamental value of them? There is a wealth of planting material here just begging to be used!

Now, I really don't know if there is a difference between a bush and a shrub. There might be. For my purposes, I am going to use the terms interchangeably. Either way, there are so many good ornamentals in this category to choose from, and they will add real depth to your plantings. I will highlight a few of the good performers for our region, and they will be of the deciduous type.

Forsythia is a real spirit-lifter after the long winter. This shrub adds a beacon of golden brilliance to a bare landscape, and is one of the earliest harbingers of spring. There are many newer varieties of forsythia to chose from, and they can all be grouped together for a bold effect, or sprinkled throughout the yard or in a mixed shrub border. Try to maintain a natural flow to the bush, instead of sculpting it into an unnatural shape. It will be even more lovely and will display its flowers in long sprays. Prune these lightly for shape after flowering.

Another good shrub for early spring is the pussy willow. These tend to grow more upright. The catkins are the decorative features of these bushes. Varieties can have pink, black, or the classic silver catkins. Cut a few branches in the late winter to early spring, and they will provide a wonderful indoor display. Kids and adults can't keep their hands off them! I have never met anyone who isn't tempted to stroke the fuzzy buds of a pussy willow.

As the season progresses, viburnums come into their own. There are numerous varieties adapted to our region. Some of them are large and sprawling, some of them are more compact. Soome have a wonderful scent, some of them are without any detectable fragrance. Most of them are good for attracting wildlife, especially birds.

One plant I grow, even though in my opinion it is not the most attractive plant, is the Mock Orange. The one that I have currently growing in my yard is Philadelphus x virginalis, the true Mock Orange. Some years it blooms better than in other years, and it can become gangly. Even though the show varies from year to year, I grow it because when it does blooms and the scent is just out of this world. One word of caution: Not all varieties of Mock Orange are fragrant. You might want to check at a nursery when it is in bloom. Prune judiciously to keep a good shape.

The humble sand cherry, Prunus cistena, is easily found in many retail outlets. It has some very pretty white flowers, and in some instances, pink flowers. I like its foliage, but have found that some varieties are more purplish in tone than others. The plus for me is that it fills in a space fairly quickly, is easily maintained and contained, and it does display superb hardiness. It can easily reach eight feet or more with about a six foot spread. The sand cherry has cherry-like fruits as the season goes on, valuable to birds and other wildlife. Trim them back lightly to maintain them, just after bloom time.

Weigelas are a hummingbird's delight, but can often grow into a monster of a plant in the yard. One variety to consider is 'Minuet', a dwarf weigela that grows about 2-1/2 to 3 feet in height. It sports dark red flowers with purplish to dark green foliage. If you have the room for the larger varieties, consider 'Wine and Roses'. It carries dark burgundy foliage that deepens as the warm season progresses. It has rose-pink flowers that contrast nicely with the foliage. They all tend to have a weeping form, so prune these after flowering and to maintain shape.

One of my favorite shrubs is the Calycanthus floridus, or 'Carolina Allspice'. I was intrigued by the description of its fragrance, which was described as being a "pineapple and strawberry blend" in one catalog source. It blooms in late spring, and although I don't know if it smells exactly as described, it does have a lovely, fruity fragrance. All parts of the plants are fragrant, although to me, the twigs and leaves are more herbal in scent. It has good green foliage, with brownish-red flowers that contrast nicely against the foliage. It grows between four to six feet tall, and I have it by the gazebo, so I can take its fragrance in when it blooms. There is a chartreuse flowered variety called 'Athens', but in my mind, it won't be able to compete with the color contrast of the rusty-red against deep green foliage.

Don't forget the lilacs! There are some amazing new varieties, and it would be a shame not to have at least one of them in your yard somewhere.I am mystified why the owners of so many newer homes don't include at least one on their properties. True enough, they bloom only briefly, and can get pretty tall and wide and they sucker; but there are many good varieties that do not sucker badly. Even the ones that sucker are not that hard to manage by spading into the ground to sever the suckering shoots.

Once again, there are so many more varieties of shrubs that I have not mentioned. Shrubs are so versatile and so numerous, countless books and web sites could be filled with information!

One thing I do know, adding shrubs in a border or individually as specimens adds so much interest to the landscape. If it ever came to the point where I could not maintain flower borders, I could easily add shrubs alone in a border, and it could have as much interest as any cottage border! Just because we live in a solidly northern climate should not limit us in adding different shrubs into our landscapes. They truly are the basis of the garden's framework!