Since shrubs constitute a long-time investment, it is important that their selection be made with reference to the spot.
Where they are to stand and the shape they will assume, whether tall or broad, as well as the amount of care they will require, including the necessary pruning and spraying for insect pests and diseases.
It is not wise to buy a shrub for its floral display alone. The flowers last only a short time, but the general habit of the shrub, be it trim and symmetrical or sprawling and untidy, will be there to greet the eye for years to come.
There are situations that call for an upright shrub and others where a spreading shrub will serve the purpose better.
One or the other may have a distinct effect on the appearance of the house itself.
Most shrubs need a certain amount of pruning to keep them in bounds, prevent chafing, or correct damage done in the winter months, but Sonic requires much more than others. It is wise to know in advance what to expect.
Problems with Euonymus
Some forms of the bush euonymus are highly desirable for their autumn foliage or for their highly-colored fruit, as well as for their neat habit; but they are almost certain to require spraying with nicotine in the spring for aphids on the leaves.
After a few years, they are likely to develop scale, which, however, will yield an oil spray.
These shrubs are so attractive that the little trouble they cause should not militate against their use.
Incidentally, the popular climbing euonymus is also preyed upon by scale. I have such a plant that is very large, but single spraying in the Spring keeps it reasonably clean.
Lilac Scale Removal
Lilacs, always among the most popular of shrubs, may suffer from scale, and, often, it is desirable to remove a badly-infested branch. Lilacs can stand very hard pruning, sometimes necessary to keep long-established plants from becoming too tall.
Each year, too, there should be a removal of the suckers coming up around the base. Some gardeners remove the old flower heads that remain after the blooming season is over, a desirable but tedious undertaking.
Garden makers planning to grow lilacs should include some of the late-flowering hybrids. Remember, too, that Autumn is the best time for setting out lilacs of any kind.
Old Flower Heads Of Rhododendrons
The gardener must also expect to remove the old flower heads from rhododendrons grown close to the house.
They must be removed carefully with the fingers and not cut off, as the buds for the following year start just below the bloom of the present year and are easily damaged. The old flower heads will disfigure the plants for months if not taken off.
It is desirable, also, to have rhododendrons in a location that permits the application of water ready, as they should never be permitted to go into the winter with dry roots.
Rhododendrons look better and do better with a little shade than in full sunlight.
With shade, too, they are less likely to be infested with the lace bug, which is a corn mon pest on plants in a sunny situation. It is generally understood, of course, that rhododendrons must have lime-free soil.
Sweet Pepper Bush
The sweet pepper bush, Clethra’s favorite of the bees, is another shrub that holds its old flower heads for a long time.
Indeed, some of them often remain on the plants after the new blooms start to appear the following year.
It is hardly expected that the amateur gardener will take the time to remove them, but if he is wise, he will plant the sweet pepper bush somewhat in the background.
After all, it is the fragrance of the flowers which is the chief merit of this shrub, and it will pervade the garden, especially on warm summer nights.
A somewhat moist location is to be preferred, as a red spider often appears if this shrub is planted on dry ground.
Spreading by underground stems is a habit, but this has not happened in my garden. Then, too, clethra is resistant to salt spray, which should be recommended to seaside gardeners.
Winter Interest
Those who plant the common winterberry, or black alder, for its handsome, large, red berries, always in demand for winter decoration indoors, may overlook that both sexes must be present if fruiting is to be expected.
Planting Hydrangea
When about to plant Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora (the pee gee hydrangea for short), it will be wise to consider using Hydrangea paniculata praecox instead. It is much more refined, and it blooms a little earlier.
The more common kind must be pruned very hard, or it will become almost tree-like. However, It is true that the flowers come late when few shrubs are in bloom and will stand great abuse.
Mass Planting Sorbarias
The sorbarias, or false spireas, also have the desirable summer-flowering habit, but they require too much space to be of much value in the small garden and need a great amount of pruning.
They can be very effective in mass plantings on estates. If yellow summer flowers are desired, they can be obtained with the new hypericum variety Hidcote, an English origin, which will bloom for several weeks.
This is a low-growing plant, like the other hypericums, and must have a place at the front of the border or in a spot by itself.
There are even smaller hypericums that one may be tempted to grow in the rock garden, but they are travelers and will take over too much space unless carefully restrained.
Kolkwitzia Amabilis
Garden makers who have read about “Chinese” Wilson, the Arnold Arboretum’s intrepid plant hunter, doubtless will want to grow some of the material he introduced, especially the beauty bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis.
When ordering this shrub, one must remember that it will grow 10′ feet tall and that the flowers, which resemble those of the weigela, do not appear until the plant is well established.
When in full flower, this shrub is a thing of rare beauty. Flowers cling for some time after fading, and the seed pods are attractive for the remainder of the season.
Wilson’s Neillia Sinensis
Wilson’s Neillia sinensis, introduced from Asia, is a strong-growing shrub not too tall for the home garden, bearing attractive pink flowers in May.
However, the gardener must be prepared to do considerable thinning each year, for the new shoots appear in great abundance.
Mock Oranges
The mock oranges, mistakenly called syringa, make a superb picture for a short time but have little beauty in form or color for the rest of the season.
For that reason, it is wise to use them sparingly even though they need very little attention.
Some kinds grow upright and fit neatly into the shrub border, but others are distinctly out of place there, among them being the much-advertised variety Virginal, which makes a straggling appearance and has little to offer except its large, very fragrant flowers.
One may think of all the mock oranges as fragrant, but this is far from being a fact.
The popular and useful Philadelphus splendens, for example, have very little scent. If it is a wanted fragrance, one may stick to P. coronaries.
Chaste Tree
When one sees the chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus, recommended for its blue or lavender flowers, which come late in the Summer, at a time when flowers are none too abundant.
Remember that it has no place in the shrub garden because it is killed far back in hard winters and is slow to make leaves in the Spring.
There are likely to be corners, however, where it will be useful, for the blossoms are borne profusely and are very attractive.
They come on new growth and may be expected every year despite winter die-back. When planted on the sunny side of a New England house, this shrub may grow to a considerable size.
In Southern states, it may be too large for home gardens. Buddleias usually are cut back each season almost to the ground, but I allowed two plants in my garden to go untouched last winter, and they came through nicely.
Viburnums in Late Season
Color late in the season is highly desirable and is supplied largely by shrubs and small trees having attractive fruit or by those with highly-colored foliage.
In this category are the viburnums, but no one should place an order for these useful and ornamental subjects without first making a study of the viburnums in general.
There are many different kinds, and they vary greatly in their characteristics and range of adaptability.
One thing they have in common, they dislike very dry soil. Some grow too large for many gardens, while others are fairly dwarfed. A few become badly infested with plant lice, but the viburnums offer much as a group.
There are shrubs that carry their color into and even through the winter.
Kerria japonica may seldom be considered in this connection, but its many twigs remain green throughout the cold months. The yellow flowers in May are handsome, but the double form is to be preferred.
Remember that this shrub will need vigorous pruning each season, mostly by cutting out the older canes. Severe trimming is important in handling red-twigged dogwoods, as the new wood has a bright color.
44659 by E. I. Farrington