| I need a medium size shrub to grow in part shade near a live oak tree. What do you recommend? The oak trees pull the water. I have a sprinkler system but can water more often. Would like something that maybe blooms or has color. I have very good luck with Monrovia plants but don't know what to place in this area. Thanks |
| As long as you plant your new shrub outside of the dripline of your oak tree, it shouldn't suffer too much competition from the roots of the oak. Here are a few suggestions: Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) Size: 6 to 8 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 4 Leaf Characteristics: Leaves are dark green in summer. Fall color is red to purplish red. Flowers: Clusters of small white flowers are produced in spring. Fruit: Berry-like fruit turn red in fall and persist into winter. Remarks: Plants grow in most soils. Best fruiting occurs in full sun. Suggested Cultivars: 'Brilliantissima' produces a heavy fruit crop and has scarlet red fall foliage. Korean Barberry (Berberis koreana) Size: 4 to 6 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 3 Leaf Characteristics: Medium green leaves turn reddish purple in fall. Flowers: Plants produce 3 to 4 inch-long clusters of yellow flowers in spring. Fruit: Egg-shaped berries turn bright red in fall and persist into winter. Remarks: The Korean barberry is a spiny, suckering shrub that performs best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Plants will tolerate light shade. Wet, poorly drained sites should be avoided. Suggested Cultivars: Emerald Carousel? ('Tara') is a hybrid derived from a cross between Berberis koreana and B. thunbergii. This cultivar grows 4 to 5 feet tall and produces yellow flowers in spring. Foliage is green in summer, turns red in fall. Common Sweetshrub or Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus) Size: 6 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 5 Leaf Characteristics: Leaves are dark green in summer. Fall color is variable, occasionally an attractive yellow. Flowers: Fragrant, reddish brown to maroon flowers are produced in late spring. Remarks: Common sweetshrub prefers a moist, well-drained soil in partial shade to full sun. Flower fragrance is variable. Most have a pleasant, fruity fragrance. Summersweet Clethra (Clethra alnifolia) Size: 4 to 8 feet tall with an equal or slightly greater width. Hardiness Zone: 4 Leaf Characteristics: Leaves are lustrous green in summer, changing to pale yellow or golden brown in fall. Flowers: Fragrant, white flowers are borne on 2 to 6 inch-long, bottlebrush-like racemes in mid to late summer. Remarks: Plants tolerate partial shade and wet soils. Suggested Cultivars: 'Hummingbird' (compact), 'Ruby Spice' (pink flowers). Large Fothergilla (Fothergilla major) Size: 6 to 8 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 5 Leaf Characteristics: Foliage varies from dark green to blue-green in summer. Fall color ranges from yellow to orange to red. Flowers: Small, white, honey-scented flowers are borne on 1 to 2 inch-long, upright spikes in spring. Remarks: Fothergillas perform best in well-drained, acid soils in partial shade to full sun. Suggested Varieties: 'Mount Airy' blooms heavily in spring and also has excellent fall color. Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) Size: 4 to 5 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 5 Leaf Characteristics: Foliage is medium to dark green in summer. Fall color varies from yellow to orange to reddish purple. Flowers: Plants produce fragrant, white flowers in 2 to 6 inch-long, upright spikes in early summer. Remarks: Virginia sweetspire performs best in moist to wet soils. Can be grown in partial shade to full sun. Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Size: 6 to 8 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 4 Leaf Characteristics: Leaves are leathery, dark green, semi-evergreen, and aromatic. Flowers: Small, inconspicuous flowers are produced in spring. Fruit: Small, round, gray fruit are present on female plants from fall through winter. Remarks: The wax from the fruit is used to make bayberry candles. Grows well in poor (sandy and clay) soils. Eastern Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) Size: 6 to 8 feet tall with similar spread. Hardiness Zone: 2 Leaf Characteristics: Leaves are medium green in summer. There is little or no fall color. Flowers: Small, white (sometimes pinkish white) flowers are borne in 1 to 2 inch-wide flower clusters in late spring. Fruit: Small, reddish capsules are present in fall. Remarks: While not highly ornamental, the bark on older stems exfoliates into long, papery strips exposing brown inner bark. Eastern ninebark is a tough, adaptable shrub. Suggested Cultivars: 'Dart's Gold' (compact, yellow to yellow-green foliage), Diabolo? (reddish purple foliage that turns to bronze by summer). Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa) Size: 4 to 5 feet tall. Hardiness Zone: 4 Leaf Characteristics: Foliage is light green in summer. There is little or no fall color. Flowers: White or pink, single or double, 1 inch-diameter flowers are produced in April or May. Remarks: While attractive when in bloom, flowering almond provides little interest the remainder of the year. Rather straggly in appearance and tends to be short-lived. Suggested Cultivars: 'Rosea Plena' has double, pink flowers. Hope these suggestions help you choose just the right shrub! |
