Shrubs

From Gardening Wiki

1 Selecting Shrubs for the Garden
2 Blooming Time of Garden Shrubs
3 Bright Colored Berries
4 Characters of Growth
5 Planting a Shrub Group
6 Irregular Outline of Shrub Groups
7 Low Growing Shrubs
8 Picking Shrubs at the Nursery
9 Shrubs
10 Special Shrubs

Selecting Shrubs for the Garden

In selecting the shrubs for the landscape planting of the home grounds, emphasis is placed on the flowering time and the time of height to which the shrub grows.

The 6 most interesting photos from Flickr for the tag 'shrubs'

Blooming Time of Garden Shrubs

The time of flowering is another important consideration. In planting shrub groups in borders, we want to plan to have shrubs some of which will be in bloom throughout the season, thus there will always be an interesting bloom from early Spring until late Fall. Starting out with the Forsythia, with its brilliant yellow bloom in early Spring before the leaves appear, then comes the Red Bud or Cercis followed by the attractive Deutzias. White Kerria (Rhodotypus Kerrioides) blooms early and continues to bloom all summer. Next comes that magnificent shrub, Spirea Van Houttei. which has been pronounced the one best shrub. With its white billows of flowers it presents a magnificent effect. After the flowers are gone, the foliage is of great landscape value, being of fine texture and a rich green. Following Spirea Van Houttei comes the Philadelphus, which is commonly called the Mock Orange or Syringa. This splendid old-time, fragrant shrub is a beautiful sight in bloom.

Following it comes the Viburnum Opulus commonly called the High Bush Cranberry with its white panicles which are followed by brilliant scarlet fruit. Tamarix Africana also blooms at this time. Its pink blossoms gives the entire bush a pinkish cast. Indeed it is different in appearance from any other shrub. A clump of Tamarix on the lawn gives the effect of the spray from an ocean breaker.

June has been called the month of the roses and truly so, for in this month the roses seem to outdo themselves. However, in this month, many of our finest shrubs are also in bloom.

In June Weigela rosea presents its wealth of rose-colored flowers. There is also a white type and a red flowering type.

Probably the finest and most popular of all the June flowering shrubs are the Lilacs. For generations Lilacs have been dear to the hearts of all lovers of Nature. The old-fashioned Lilac was very popular with our grandparents, but we are more fortunate in having numerous new and improved varieties, with a great variety of color and larger blooms. No landscape planting is complete without Lilacs.

Next in season of bloom comes Spirea Billardi, with its long plumy spikes of feathery pink. Some of the shrubs which bloom late in the Summer and hold over until early Fall are the Hydrangea Paniculata Grandiflora (with blooms often eight or ten inches long and six inches in diameter) and Hibiscus Syriacus (Old-Fashioned Rose of Sharon). There are many colors in both single and double flowers of the latter and it should be planted much more largely than it is. There are certain shrubs, such as Hydrangea Arborescens Grandiflora, Rosa Rugosa, White Kerria, etc., that bloom throughout the Summer.

Bright Colored Berries

Some shrubs are of great value not only because of their flowers, but because of their bright colored fruit. The long brilliant red berries of the Barberry are very interesting in the Fall and they last through the entire Winter. The Snowberry (Symphoricarpiix Racemosus) has large clusters of pearl white berries in the Fall. The High Bush Cranberry (Viburnum Opulus) is not only valuable on account of its bloom, but because of tlie clusters of brilliant red berries, which appear in late Summer and hold over to the Fall.

Rosa Rugosa has red berries throughout the Summer at the same time the shrubs arc blooming.

Characters of Growth

As far as habit of growth is concerned, shrubs are divided into three main classes: 1) High growing shrubs - which are used largely as a background;

2) Medium height shrubs, which can be planted immediately in front of the background and higher shrubs these are called "fillers;"

3) Low-growing or dwarfy shrubs, which are used to edge down the groups of shrubs these are called "facers."

In addition to the height growth of the shrubs they vary greatly in being upright, spreading or arching in their general character of growth. It is easily seen that by mixing the different kinds of shrubs we can get, an interesting and varied effect, thus breaking the monotony. In Nature you will find a great blending of the many different kinds of shrubs with no regularity as to the planting. It is this natural blending, demonstrated in Nature's planting, that we should attempt to reproduce.

Planting a Shrub Group

We have explained how the different characteristics of shrubs, such as their manner of growth, their time and color of bloom, their general color value must be considered in making up the shrub groups. It is a combination of all these characteristics in their proper proportion that produces the successful shrub group. There are a number of general principles or rules that must be observed in planting the borders or groups. The tall shrubs should be planted in the background of the border or in the center of

Characteristics of shrubs should be carefully considered when planning your garden.

The color, size and time of flowering are all important. In planting a shrub group, be sure that the color of the different shrubs will be harmonious. Do not plant shrubs which have pink blossoms near those which have red blossoms, if the two shrubs bloom at the same time. However, if they have different times of blooming, it will be all tight to have them in the same group. You should aim to have variety in color of bloom. This variety will lend interest and attractiveness to the planting. For instance, there are three types of Weigela: The rose-colored, the white blossoms and the red blossoms. The budded Lilacs give a good opportunity for using many different colors. By carefully studying the table given on page 20, you can select a variety of harmonious colors of bloom. This table also

This planting could be improved by planting some trees at the left corner of the house to pin it to the surroundings and counteract the effect that the house is slipping down the hill.

Around and in front of the taller shrubs we will plant the "fillers" or shrubs of medium height. Then on the outside or in front of the fillers we can plant our lower, spreading shrubs, which we have termed "facers." Bear in mind that you should plant the background or tall shrubs first and then work towards the front. Never begin in the front and work towards the back. Second, we must realize that in plant- ing shrub groups or borders we are trying to imitate Nature. Nature never plants single specimens of shrubs when making up her natural shrub groups. Instead, she plants several of each kind in small groups and then these small groups are massed together in one large, harmonious group. If we should plant one shrub of each kind in a group we would get a spotted, unnatural effect. In other words, we must consider the shrubs as groups of each kind not individual plants. By keeping this in mind, we can get harmoniously planted groups which will be interesting and varied.

It is becoming a general practice to plant, our noble, native shade trees as monuments to commemorate great events. In many of the schools and colleges an important part of the graduating ceremony is the planting of the "class tree." It is indeed very appropriate to plant something that lives, grows and becomes more beautiful every year.

In selecting the shrubs for the groups, be sure to get the kinds which will have bloom of different colors, but a harmonious combination, and also shrubs which will bloom early, then followed by those that will carry the bloom throughout the season.

Irregular Outline of Shrub Groups

In laying out the outline of the shrub border or group, the front line of the group should be irregular and naturalistic. Make the curves long and sweeping with bays in the shrubbery at irregular intervals. Sometimes the mistake is made of laying out a shrub border and making the boundary line or front of the border in regular, zigzag curves, all of the curves being just alike. This is altogether wrong and is not in keeping with the naturalistic style. Be sure that all of the curves of the shrub groups are irregular and laid out in graceful lines.

Low Growing Shrubs

Often one wishes a ground cover of very low shrubbery in the shade, and few plants are as valuable as Pachysandra terminalis for this purpose.

Vinca minor is also useful; it is cheaper, but the leaves are not so large.

The common Juniper (Juniperus communis adpressa) is also valuable; it requires sun. All of these three plants are evergreen. Several excellent low deciduous shrubs for ground cover in the sunshine are the aromatic dwarf sumach (Rhus aromatica), Yellow Root (Xanthorrhiza apiifolia), which spreads rapidly by underground stems; it does not thrive in limestone soils. Sweet Fern (Myrica asplenifolia) will thrive on the driest, sunniest slopes; Memorial Rose (Rosa Wichuraiana) is excellent, bearing numerous white flowers in late June or July; English Ivy and Euonymus radicans var. vegeta may also be used.

The English ivy, though very beautiful, is often rather tender; it enjoys a moist soil and shade in Winter.

For more see: Low growing shrubs

Picking Shrubs at the Nursery

Trees and shrubs in nurseries are so cultivated and transplanted that their roots make a symmetrical growth.

The roots are thus short and branching because they search equally on both sides of the row for food. In the case of forest specimens they may have to go several feet for an opportunity to get food; furthermore, the only opportunity for food may be in one direction. The roots are often very long and unbalanced, and when the trees are dug the roots are seriously shortened.

The precaution in using material from the woods should be to carefully prune the tops proportionately, supply water and give extra, painstaking treatment.