Shrubs in Landscape Design

Plants are used to:

• provide major landscape features
• divide a space or screen a view
• accentuate or soften the shape of a building
• create a contrast or establish unity; with color, shape or texture
• create interest by using exotic materials

Consider the following characteristics when selecting plants:

• suitability (hardiness)
• mature size
• flowering habits
• seasonal change
• susceptibility to insect and disease damage
• environmental requirements of the plants
• maintenance requirements such as pruning

Shrubs with Attractive Fruits

In most cases shrubs are grown for the beauty of their flowers, but many have fruits that are ornamental. Fruits also provide food for birds. It should be noted that some shrubs have sexes on separate plants so both male and female are required for fruiting to occur.

Siberian Crabapple:

• small tree or tall shrub to 20 ft
• susceptible to fireblight
• fruit remains on tree throughout winter

Highbush Cranberry:

• deep red edible berries
• shade tolerant shrub growing to 6 ft

Sea-buckthorn:

• bright yellow edible berries
• fruit remains on shrub throughout winter
• silvery foliage is desirable
• suckers profusely
• very drought resistant and recommended for use on alkaline soils

Red-osier Dogwood:

• medium sized shrub to 6 ft
• white inedible berries
• dogwood is shade tolerant and grows on a wide range of soils

Other shrubs with colorful fruit:

Red:

• Ginnala maple
• Cotoneaster
• Nanking cherry
• Rose

Blue:

• Juniper

Black:

• Nannyberry

Purple:

• Cistena cherry

Shrubs with colorful foliage:

Colorful foliage provides a main or added attraction in shrubs and usually lasts longer than flowers.

Buffaloberry:

• native shrub growing to 15
• inconspicuous flowers
• main merit for landscaping is the silver white foliage and irregular erratic branching habit
• useful in creating a contrast with green foliage plants

Coyote Willow:

• Native prairie shrub growing to 15 ft
• hairy silvery foliage contrasts beautifully with conifers and other green foliage
• tendency to sucker

Silver-Leaved Dogwood:

• small shade tolerant shrub
• creamy edges around leaves
• may suffer some dieback

Shubert Choke Cherry:

• small tree or tall shrub to 15 ft
• new growth is green, but turns deep purple in June and remains until fall

Red Leaf Rose:

• upright shrub to 6 ft
• flowers are inconspicuous
• best feature is red tinted bluish-green foliage
• susceptible to crown gall

Golden Elder:

• produces golden yellow foliage
• grows to 10 ft
• susceptible to winterkill, but regrowth is rapid
• loses its bright yellow color if grown in shade

Other shrubs with colorful foliage:

• sea-buckthorn (silver grey)
• Russian olive (silver grey)
• Royalty crabapple (purple)
• Cistena cherry (purple)
• golden ninebark (yellow)
• golden leaf mock orange (yellow)
• golden leaf dogwood (varegated yellow/green)

Shrubs With Showy Flowers:

The feature most people consider when selecting shrubs is a spectacular show of flowers. It is important that one considers not only the flower display but when and for how long the flowers are of interest.

a.) Northern Gold Forsythia

• flowers very eary producing a mass of bright yellow blooms before leaves appear
• grows 4ft to 6ft
• main problem is hardiness of flower buds

b.) Prunus
Russian Almond

• very early flowering dwarf shrub
• flowers are deep pink and appear well before leaves
• somewhat inconspicuous shrub after flowering

Double Flowering Plum

• shrub growing to 10ft
• produces pink double flowers located very close to branches
• flowers appear in mid-May prior to leaf flush
• flower period may last up to 10 days
• flower buds will occassionally dieback

Muckle Plum

• shrub growing to 10ft
• characterized by red flower buds and bright single pink flowers in late May before leaf flush
• sterile, non-fruiting

Jumping Pound Pincherry

• native selection growing 15ft to 20ft
• blooms late May/early June
• white double flowers
• fruit is edible

c.) Spiraea

Snowwhite Spiraea

• most commonly grown
• grows to four feet with large arching branches laden with white flowers in late May
• flowers produced on last years wood, prune after flowering

Garland Spiraea

• very early flowering
• may get leggy and open
• best used as background shrub

Multiflora Spiraea

• similar to Garland but more compact

Density Spiraea

• upright form growing to 5ft
• later flower, ie. mid-June
• effective in group planting with other shrubs

Dwarf Pink Spiraea

• compact low growing
• produces flowers on current years wood, therefore later flowering than other spiraeas (July)

d.) Malus

An important group of flowering ornamentals. There are many varieties that have been developed over the years, some with very beautiful white, red or deep pink flowers. Species vary greatly in hardiness. Two persistant problems are fireblight and a short flowering period (3 to 5 days).

Almus

• roseybloom type growing to 20ft
• susceptible to fireblight
• retains orange, red fruit well into winter

Royalty

• rosybloom
• lustrous purple foliage with deep pink flowers
• fireblight

Kelsey

• large shrub growing to 15ft
• semi-double lowers
• leaves are red when young turning green with a trace of red along veins as they mature
• fireblight

Arctic Dawn

• very hardy small tree growing to 20ft
• pale pink flowers
• dark purple fruit

Snowcap

• large shrub growing to 15
• white single flowers produced in late May
• flowers are sterile so there is no fruit set

Thunderchild

• compact growing small tree
• flowers are pinkish-red
• develops deep purple leaves by early July
• fireblight resistant

e.) Mock Orange

• generally flowers late June/early July
• medium size, stiff, upright somewhat leggy shrub
• flower buds may suffer some dieback above snow line

Lewis Mock Orange

• native selection in Waterlou region
• blooms freely in late June
• scentless flowers
• neat bushy habit
• leaves are rough to touch

Galahad Mock Orange

• developed at Dropmore, Manitoba
• similar to Lewis except that it is a little more irregular
• flowers are very fragant

f.) Honeysuckle

• vigorous small shrub, flowers are produced freely and are often fragrant
• honeysuckle aphid is a real problem
• shrubs may get leggy

Beavermore Honeysuckle

• tatarica selection growing to 10ft
• red flowers
• tolerates shade
• problem with honeysuckle aphid

Claveys Dwarf Honeysuckle

• densely branching, low growing shrub
• flowers are not common or abundant
• tolerates shade
• some resistance to honeysuckle aphid

g.) Potentilla

• small deciduous shrubs
• flower profusely throughout growing season - June onwards
• good for shrub border
• prefers sunny location

Coronation Triumph

• very floriferous with large yellow flowers

h.) Roses
Morden Centennial - 1980

• grows to 4ft
• flowers large, double rose in color with a light sweet scent
• old flowers should be removed as are fertile

Adelaide Hoodless - 1973

• grosw to 1 1/2ft to 3ft
• some tip dieback
• red flowers form a large cluster from July until frost
• remove old flowers

Cuthbert Grant - 1967

• somewhat tender with semi-double reddish-purple flowers produced throughout summer
• grows to 3ft

Morden Amorette - 1977

• minature rose grows to 1/2ft
• tender, kills back to ground without winter protection, but regrowth is rapid
• deep pink flowers throughout summer

Morden Cardinette - 1980

• hardy miniature floribundar
• grows to 1
• cardinal red lightly scented flowers
• some freeze back may be expected
• sometimes grown as a potted plant

John Cabot - 1978

• new introduction from Ottawa
• fragrant double red flowers
• grows 3ft - 5ft

Persian Yellow

• most common yellow rose in Saskatchewan
• some dieback
• very susceptible to black spot

Hazel Dean

• originated in Saskatchewan
• may be superior to Persian yellow
• worthy of trial

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