Three great shrubs to try

Afew suggestions that have proven to be easy care and beautiful additions to my home garden

If the busy garden centres are any indication, everyone seems to be gardening this weekend. If you are new to gardening and in the market for one or two new shrubs for your property, where do you start? Here are a few suggestions that have proven to be hard working, easy care and beautiful additions to my home garden.

Pagoda dogwood

(Cornus alternifolia “Golden Showers”)

This variegated pagoda dogwood is a charming little tree (or shrub) that will brighten a shaded corner of your garden with its graceful form. This native dogwood features gently horizontal branching and variegated foliage, yellowish/green with painterly darker green markings in the centre of each leaf. Tight bud clusters appear in May, followed by white lacy flowers. Cooler weather sees new growth take on shades of pink.

Deceptively easy to grow, this small tree (three to four metres tall with a similar spread), is a North American native and can grow in difficult conditions. My “Golden Showers” pagoda dogwood thrives under the canopy of a large Manitoba maple, brightening the dark shade with its cheerful leaves and graceful form. Once established, it is quite drought tolerant. It is deerand bunny-resistant, if browsing animals are a problem in your neighbourhood. Disease resistant, prune out any branches that revert to plain green. It rarely needs pruning except to remove any broken branches after a hard winter.

Black chokeberry

(Aronia melanocarpa)

Aronia is another native shrub that should be planted more often in local gardens. At this time of the year, it is covered in clusters of dainty white flowers with showy pink anthers and features glossy, small, dark green leaves with gently serrated edges. Black autumn berries (about the size of a wild blueberry) are edible, but the fruit has a bitter taste that reputedly makes many people choke, hence the common name chokeberry. It is said to make a tasty jam. The glossy foliage turns brilliant shades of red and orange in the late fall and contrasts nicely with the black fruit. In my home garden, it is one of the last berries to be eaten by foraging birds, the bush adds interest to the winter garden.

Black chokeberry grows into an upright shrub that can be somewhat leggy, it can reach one to two metres tall. It is not fussy about soil, and will even accept wet conditions. It prefers full to part sun. It can be massed in shrub borders, along a stream or the margin of a pond. Aronia is a good candidate for naturalized gardens, as it supports pollinators and wildlife. No serious insect or disease problems.

Several newer varieties are available if a plant with a lower profile would suit your needs. Proven Winners offers Low Scape Mound Aronia (30 to 60 centimetres tall) for edging a border, and Ground Hug (20 to 35 cm tall) for a durable, weed suppressing ground cover. Both feature similar flower, leaf colour and black fruit, along with the hardiness and ease of care of the standard variety. When purchasing Aronia melanocarpa, be sure to check the tag for size profiles, if you have a specific site in mind.

Lilac

(Syringa hyacinthiflora)

I’m not sure why, but this seems to be a boom year for lilac bushes. I have two lilac bushes, one was a gift from a co-worker many years ago. It graced the garden for a decade or more before becoming overgrown and blocking the growth of the nearby hornbeam tree. It was cut to the ground, only to return and flower magnificently several years later.

The second lilac, is a newer variety, possibly Scentara Double Blue from Proven Winners. This plant started out as a sample and was planted in a container on the patio. Eventually, it was planted toward the back of the border where it bloomed and continued to grow, but did nothing spectacular, until this year. Suddenly the tip of each branch is topped with several large clusters of violet-blue, tone-ontone flowers, said to resemble sea shells — and the perfume is out of this world. Lilacs form upright, tall plants (1.84 to 2.44 metres tall) that make attractive additions to shrub borders. They are deer resistant and prefer a sunny, well-drained site. They flower on old wood, and should only be pruned (when necessary) after blooming. Any suckers are best removed mid-summer. Lilacs do not need to be deadheaded, although it makes for a neater appearance if the dried heads are removed, if you can reach them. Mature plants are generally drought resistant, but should be watered during extended periods of drought.

After several visits to several local garden centres, I’ve got loads of plants to keep me busy for a while, fingers crossed, the weather co-operates. Here’s hoping you get outside and make the most of this glorious time of the year.

Above left, Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia “Golden Showers”) features elegant yellow/green leaves with painterly deep green patterns and clusters of flower buds in the spring garden. Above right, deliciously fragrant lilac (Syringa hyacinthiflora) perfumes the May garden.

Above right, native black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) features clusters of delicate white flowers with pink anthers at this time of the year.

THERESA FORTE PHOTOS FOR TORSTAR Right, black chokeberry turns glorious shades of red and orange in the autumn, it holds the black fruit well into the cold weather.