Interesting shrubs, perennials for 2020
Spring rains and warmer temperatures find us craving for a chance to explore new shrubs and perennials for our gardens and landscapes.
Deer-resistant shrubs that are easy to maintain, provide seasonal interest and are hardy in our USDA Zones 5-6 are the best candidates for Western Pennsylvania gardeners. These shrubs and perennials can be purchased in local/regional nurseries or online.
One of the season's interesting shrubs is Winecraft Gold smokebush (Continus coggygria Winecraft Gold). This shrub thrives in part to full sun and average soil.
Its leaves are round and waxy, sprouting as an orange color, then transitioning to a golden hue. When fully mature, the leaves turn a chartreuse color.
Smokebush starts to bloom in early summer, when its green flower clusters grow into pink “smoke” plumes. Because of its changing leaf and flower colors, this ornamental shrub deserves to be a focal plant in a shade or part sun garden. Attaining a height and width of 4 to 6 feet, this variety grows smaller and denser than conventional Cotinus shrubs.
Smokebush blooms on old wood, so regular pruning is not necessary.
Flying Machine forsythia (Forsythia koreana Flying Machine) is one of the earliest spring-blooming shrubs. Growing to a height of 5 to 8 feet and a width of 4 to 6 feet, this specimen grows well in part to full sun.
Forsythia bloom on old wood, so prune to their desired size and shape immediately after flowering. This variety produces extra large flowers of a deep golden yellow color. The blooms remain intact when they fall from the branches, resulting in a dense ground cover of blossoms.Treat this exceptional forsythia as a specimen plant for special interest or as a hedge for a dramatic display.An interesting shrub grown in full to part shade is Interstella lily of the valley shrub (Pieris japonica Interstella). Its mature height and width are 3 to 4 feet, and it grows best in acidic soil.This cultivar has a dazzling display of lovely, bell-shaped ruby-colored blooms that emerge in early spring. The shrub's evergreen leaves offer a contrasting backdrop to these long-lasting blooms. After blooming, the shrub produces bright red, new growth.Prune lightly just to maintain its shape, as Interstella does not like to be pruned. Use as a border or specimen plant in shade areas for a pop of color and year-round interest.Perennials are a smart investment for gardens of any size. Perennials typically live two or more years, depending on their variety, soil conditions, diseases and predators. Penn State Extension offers suggestions on how to select and care for long-blooming perennials https://extension.psu.edu/long-blooming-perennials.The hybrid Orange You Awesome coneflower (Echinacea) provide visual beauty and a food source for pollinators. Orange You Awesome thrives in full sun, growing to a height of 18 to 22 inches and a width of 16 to 20 inches.
Its fragrant, large, tangerine-colored petals surround dark cones. Orange You Awesome is drought-tolerant. Mix this hybrid with native and hybrid coneflowers for a sea of summer color along a border or in a mixed perennial garden.Daylilies come in a plethora of colors, shapes and sizes. Sound of My Heart daylily (Hemerocallis Sound of My Heart) is a reblooming specimen that produces a five inch, bi-colored bloom with a deep wine eye and wine picotee ruffled edge. The peach petal color surrounds a bright yellow center.This variety reaches 28 inches in height and 24 inches in width and grows best in full sun to part shade in average to dry soil conditions. Use Sound of My Heart in challenging landscapes such as slopes, hillsides, roadsides (it is not affected by winter road salt). Of interest is that this daylily can be planted under walnut trees. This versatile daylily is rabbit resistant and hummingbird friendly.
The Queen of Hearts brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla Queen of Hearts) is a part shade to shade-loving perennial. Its delicate, baby blue forget-me-not type of flowers bloom in the spring.This variety's leaves are very large, with a silver coloring against dark green veins and a green leaf color. Queen of Hearts grows to a height of 14 to 16 inches and a width of 20 to 32 inches. Display brunnera in shade gardens as borders, in a mix with spring and summer shade perennials, or as a focal interest.These shrubs and perennials are just a few of the new varieties offered in 2020 to supplement or enhance existing gardens and landscapes. Begin garden planning now and consider how new colors, textures and plants can be welcomed into your landscape.If you have questions about the shrubs and perennials, call the Master Gardener Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, Ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.Polly Burkhard is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County.
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