Landscape Now: Low-Maintenance Shrubs For Your Yard

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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Frank Crandall, GoLocalWorcester Landscaping Expert

In addition to choosing sustainable trees for your landscape there are numerous low maintenance shrubs that will add color, texture and fall color to your yard. As with tree selection you need to choose plants that are appropriate for your soil conditions, hardiness zone, specific site conditions and full grown size restrictions. Natives are a great first consideration, however, there are some non-natives that are disease resistant and good choices for your design needs. Lets take a look at 10 Sustainable Shrubs for southern New England landscapes.

10 Sustainable Shrub Choices

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) A native, evergreen ground cover that grows 6-8” tall and spreads 4’. It does well in poor, dry, sandy soils in full sun and is salt tolerant. Great plant for those areas that are difficult to maintain.

Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis) This deciduous plant will grow 2’ x 4’ feet in most soil conditions and sun or shade. Blooms with beautiful, small white flowers in May. Good choice in combination with other later blooming shrubs.

Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) This native shrub has fragrant, white, bottle-brush flowers in April-May before the leaves come out. The leaves are a dark blue-green and turn a florescent yellow, orange and red in the fall. Plants like acid, organic soil in full sun and partial shade conditions. Can be used in a natural planting or as a foundation plant.

Oak-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) A native hydrangea that will grow 4-6’ in moist, fertile, well-drained soils. Full sun to part shade and the roots prefer a cool, moist environment. Ivory white flower, fades to pink/purple. Excellent fall color and interesting stems in the winter.

Compact Inkberry (Ilex glabra compacta) An adaptable, native, evergreen shrub that is a great choice for foundation planting and naturalizing. Compact varieties like Shamrock and Densa will grow 3-4’ with no need to trim or shear. Grows in moist, wet soils and is shade tolerant. One of the most useful and sustainable plants for your landscape.

Leucothoe (Leucothoe sp.) A broadleaf, evergreen shrub that gets about 3-4’. Great choice for that shady area...where other plants will not grow. Will grow in moist soils and has interesting fall colors when leaves will turn a burgundy/purple color. Small white flower in the spring.

Swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum) A native, deciduous azalea found blooming along river and stream banks during the summer, its flower is fragrant and white. Grows in moist soils, shade or partial shade. Good choice for naturalizing and border plantings.

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) The native blueberry is one of the more underutilized plants in landscaping. It can grow in dry, acid, poor and sandy soils and partial shade/full sun. Multiple seasonal interest, flower in spring, berry in summer and nice fall color. Blueberries provide berries, year round interest and the twigs can be used for wood working.

Landscape roses (Knockouts, Carefree and Carpet roses) There are many wonderful, low maintenance and disease-resistant, landscape roses available for the homeowner and gardener to use in their gardens. Most all of these varieties require little if any spraying, minimal pruning (mainly dead heading) and are recurrent bloomers all season long...Knockouts I have planted have bloomed into November and beyond!

Beach plum (Prunus maritima) This adaptable native shrub will grow in all soils except wet. It is drought tolerant once established, salt tolerant and thrives in full sun. White flowers in May lead to beach plums in late summer that make wonderful jellies. Good choice for coastal plantings and for those areas in your landscape where you want an interesting shaped plant...that can also provide you with a fruit to make tasty jellies!

Consider Sustainable Shrubs for Your Landscape Needs

When you are designing gardens, privacy screens and naturalizing plantings, sustainable shrubs can play an important role. Many are natives, have fragrant and colorful flowers, exhibit excellent fall leaf color and even more importantly require very little fertilizing, spraying, watering and pruning...making them a valuable asset in your landscape! You will appreciate your low maintenance plant choices, especially during the heat and drought conditions of the upcoming summer months!

In the next article I will explore colorful choices for your annual pots, window boxes and planters!

Frank Crandall, Horticultural Solutions. Frank, is a RI resident specializing in coastal landscaping, organic land care, small business consulting, writing, speaking and photography will be submitting biweekly articles about Landscape Solutions. With over 40 years in the horticultural field Frank will write about pertinent, seasonal landscape topics including effective solutions. Comments about Frank’s articles are welcome by contacting him at: [email protected]

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• Landscape Now: 10 Low-Maintenance Trees For Your Yard
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