What's your favorite shrub? (right now anyway)

Itea--for the first time ever, they didnt die back, they are covered in blooms, and they aren't chlorotic! That's never happened for me before, and now I see how nice a shrub it can be. The Cliff Jamesia is blooming, and it is very nice as well. Viburnum dentatum 'Moonglo' looks like a keeper.

oh my gosh, the pictures are great!! I'll have to shot some more to share.

:)

Susan

This is a foverever pink hydrangea just starting to bloom. I took so many cuttings off of it last year to root that I didn't give the thing a chance to bloom.. I was willing to do that for more plants which are now happily planted throughout and i will replicate those too!! :)

Tammy - I have loads of deer but so far they have not bothered the Heptacodium. Of course, I have so many other things for them to feast on!

Victor

Without Hydrangea flower implants, Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) will probably never make centerfold status in Shrubboy Magazine. The flowers don't scream out 'Hey, look at me,' but it deserves some recognition. ;)

Wow! You guys have been busy posting!

Prairiegirl- The Ninebark will bloom in early summer if you don't whack it to the ground. I decided to try it this year, so I may start whacking after it blooms. I just love it, even without blooms. When you look at the leaves closely, they contain so many colors. Mine are planted with blue-silver shrubs, but you could really plant it with anything. I'm dying to see the new one- Coppertina- in real life.

Mary1NYS- I just got a Wine and Roses Weigela. It is planted in the same bed as the Ninebark. I can't wait till it grows a little more (it's only about 8 inches tall).

I have Variegated Weigelas all over my garden, and they are great, tough shrubs that will grow pretty much anywhere. It's easy to overlook them because they blend in so well.

Viburnum rhytidophyllum is a great shrub that won't fit in my yard. Some neighbors a few blocks away have it and it always pleases me to walk by and touch the crinkled leaves.

Re: Wine and Roses Weigelia. Very drought sensitive. Have two flanking the entrance to a flagstone path. They didn't get enough water last year and I had significant die back this spring.

Oakleaf Hydrangeas are great plants. This picture is from a few week ago but it is blooming now (sorry, I guess I don't have a current picture).

- Brent

Esperanzas here. also called "Yellow Bells"

Ivy, I posted a photo of Coppertina on PlantFiles the other day. It is real nice. I like it better than Summer Wine - the foliage shade is so cool.

Victor

I don't think Wine and Roses will have to worry about drought just yet....

Victor- Wow! What a shot! That is so beautiful. My camera could never do that.

Knolan- I have never heard of Esperanza, but it is super looking.

Brent-do you know which Oakleaf cultivar you have?

The Oakleaf is an 'Alice'. She will be a big girl when she grows up...something like 12' x 12'. She is a pretty chunky toddler right now. ;-)

- Brent

Here's a close up of the plant.....

This thing is a keeper! Blooms from spring until temps get in the 40's (not too often here). Drought tolerant, full sun, dies back in the winter but comes back FAST! Seed pods develop after blooming and new plants sprout up all of the time. The babies transplant well and I've given many away as gifts in pretty pots. The can get up to about 12' and shaped into a tree or they can be a 8' shrub (mine will before summers' end....). I've always cut back in the winter but this coming year I'm going to leave them be to see what happens. I now have 8 lush plants and lots of babies (and lots of seed pods). It is a sub-tropical so I don't know how well it would do up north (unless you brought it in during the winter) but I'm happy to share the seeds.

Kristi

Forgot...one flaw....no fragrance.

But, another plus......bug and disease resistant.

And here's a better closeup image of it.

Also, butterflies and hummers are attracted to it. I'm not sure it provides nectar for them but they certainly try!

Tammy,

I LOVE that "wine and Roses" weigelia sp?! That has to be one of the most beautiful shrubs I've ever seen! Does it have fragrance at all? Ooooh, I'm going to have to look it up and see if will grow here and order one. How many plants are there in your picture? How tall does it ultimately get? That is gorgeous and would look so pretty at the entrance to my shed.

Kristi

Reading thru plant files, it's hardy to my zone but I've never seen it any where 'round these parts. Doesn't say anything about high humidity and 100+ temps. And no one has posted comments from my area. Guess I'll just take a chance and order. That's just too pretty not to try out.

Knolan - that shot had another variety of weigelia, nepeta & iris in it.
The other weigelia has yellow leaves with a red edging as well as the
red flowers. I got it from heronswood.
Tam

Brent- My toddler Alice is slimming down now at age 5. If she ever gets to be 12x12 I'll be in serious trouble! :)




That is why I asked. I've got quite a few plants for her with the name Alice, but because of the size, I haven't gotten the Oakleaf Hydrangea.

Favorites - oakleaf hydrangea. Close second - Bottlebrush buckeye (no photo unfortunately).

I love oak leaf hydrangea! Just wish I had more shade for it. Great specimen plant Outside.
Debbie

Ivy, what a cuttie!! :)

Susan

Here at conifer-central I'd have to say things are happenin'!

A pair of Picea pungens 'Glauca Procumbens' followed by the just beginnning to bloom: Lavandula angustifolia 'Czech' - and the golden flat conifer: Juniperus x media 'Daub's Frosted'. And,,,the clematis are kicking in as well.

The same corner from a different perspective:

That 'Czech' Lavender:

In the middle of this corner, a Picea mariana 'Aureovariegata' tree which grows only 6" per year:

Here's that Picea mariana 'Aureovariegata' - an extra I have in a pot. Photo still blurry, sorry!

Picea glauca 'Arneson's Blue Variegated'

Picea glauca 'Sander's Blue' (grows at twice the rate of 'Arneson's Blue Variegated') - 'Sander's Blue'/ 6" per year.

My finished blooming - 'Diablo' "Ninebark":

A real nice shrub, Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Juniperoides Aurea' : meaning juniper-look-alike and "Aurea" meaning 'golden':

Foliage of 'Juniperoides Aurea':

Thuja occidentalis 'Malonyana Aurea' (grows 1 foot per year and will be 2 feet wide at the very bottom when 20 feet tall)...This is a good plant. 'Called the hardy Italian Cypress for cold(er) climates'; There's also a 'Malonyana' which is green and has the same growth rate/shape FYI.

Hope I didn't bore you all to death! j/k

I love them conifers, that's for sure!

I'll leave you with two very special, slow-growing conifers that in 15 years might be 10 feet. On the left, Abies koreana 'Silberlocke', to the right, Abies koreana 'Silver Show'. As you can see, obviously, the 'Silver Show' has much more "recurved needles" - showing a more frosted coloration. (The appearance of this plant and it's seedlings is a result of the white undersides of the needles curling up and over.

See ya!

Dax

Nice conifers!! Love the last two the best.. Love that shape.

Susan

Susan,

Here's a specimen of 'Silberlocke' that was 14 years of age when this photo was taken in March of 2004 at Bickelhaupt Arboretum in Clinton, Iowa. Just guessing, it appears to be 7-8 feet tall therefore growing slower than I suggested/guessed. It's a remarkable tree, no doubt about that. Found in Germany in the wild and originally named 'Silberlocke'. Also, it comes true from seed in extremely high rates making it fun to grow from seed. 'Silver Show' is a seedling of 'Silberlocke.'

Kind of some fun info to share, I guess.

Just don't go out and start growing them from seed and calling them by name, please!

Take care,

Dax

Well, my link didn't come through.

Here's that photo:

Dax,

Oooo... I love the blues. Also especially those last two.

Tam

This is a pretty special conifer to me as well.

Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace' aka 'Lace'

Not a shrub - grows 1 foot a year and after established up to 2-3 feet a year at times (at least I've heard of it easily growing 3 feet per year in the Pacific Northwest)

Dax

And a photo of a somewhat larger specimen - Stanley and Sons Nursery (Wholesale) - Boring, OR
http://www.stanleyandsons.com/productdisplay.cfm?product=PIC%202413

My dh (and probably the neighbors) think I'm nuts, but I love this one (ok, it's not a shrub), Picea abies 'Acrocona' . The pic is from last year when it was planted. It had the most wonderful bright red cones right at the end of the branches earlier in the spring. this is what my landscaper brought me when I asked for Picea abies 'Little Gem', to which there is almost no similarity, but I think I may have gotten the better end of the deal.

Wrong pic. That's the one from this spring, after the cones turned green. Here's the whole tree from last year.