Beautiful gardens—those
that really catch your eye—combine a variety of levels,
shapes, textures, and colors to create an appealing landscape
with year-long interest. While the flowers and foliage of
perennials and annuals are valuable in this regard, trees and
small shrubs also play an important role in adding dimension
to a flowering landscape, says John Whitman, co-author of the
new book Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates.
In the book, co-authors Whitman, Don Selinger, and Nancy
Rose, identify woody plants that are both beautiful and hardy
in Zones 1 to 5, a growing area that includes all of Wisconsin
(Zones 3 to 5). The book has been designed to be a reference
for both beginners and experts, providing detailed information
in easy to understand terms. It also includes detailed facts
and the authors’ five-star rating for recommended cultivars
in each plant category.
According to Whitman, shrubs and small trees are exciting
elements that can be used to enhance landscapes with their
diverse form, texture, color, and seasonal features, such as
flowers, fruit, and bark. Berberis ‘Emerald Carousel®’
(Hybrid Barberry), for example, displays showy golden yellow
flowers in the spring. In summer this 5 foot high by 5 foot
wide shrub’s glossy green foliage provides a beautiful
backdrop for perennial and annual blooms. Come fall, the
crimson red foliage and berries of ‘Emerald Carousel®’
put on their own show.
Other selections noted by Whitman include Magnolia
stellata ‘Centennial’ (Star Magnolia), rated five
stars in the book. ‘Centennial’ displays fuzzy buds
throughout the winter that swell to shades of pink in early
spring, before they burst into fragrant white blossoms. The
lustrous, medium green foliage and seedpods add interest to
the summer landscape. In fall landscape the seedpods are
displayed in bright red. ‘Centennial’ will grow to a
mature height and width of 12 feet.
Whitman also suggests everyone become familiar with the
group of shrubs known as Viburnum. Viburnum trilobum
‘Wentworth’ (American highbush cranberry) and Viburnum
sargentii ‘Onondaga’ (Sargent Viburnum) are two of the
more than twenty-five cultivars reviewed in the book. ‘Wentworth’
grows to approximately 10 feet high and wide, and is noted for
its spring lacecap of flowers and deeply lobed, dark green
foliage that turns red to purple in fall. ‘Onondaga’ is
similar in size and interest. The showy lacecap-type flower
buds are an attractive reddish-purple color before they open
to white flowers with a slightly pink cast. Viburnums
are valued for their multi-seasonal interest, including
persistent fruits that are not only attractive to the eye but
also to the many birds that may feed on them.
Whitman notes while the bloom of many of the shrubs and
small trees discussed in the book can be a highlight of the
landscape at a given time, they will likely only last for a
short period of time. Therefore, the foliage color, fruit,
bark, shape, and texture of the plant should also be
considered as elements of the landscape.
