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The Garden Helper, Helping gardeners grow their dreams since 1997

How to Grow and Care for your Favorite

Flowering Trees and Shrubs

Wild Willy Trees and shrubs are the backbone of your landscape.
They are used as screens, backgrounds and accents. Trees are used for shade and for fruit. Flowering shrubs provide long lasting, beautiful blooms which brighten even the gloomiest of days.
Because the cultural needs, size, and structure can vary so greatly, even within different varieties of the same species of trees and shrubbery, I recommend visiting a local botanical garden or arboretum before deciding on your choices. Even a leisurely stroll through your own neighborhood will provide you with a great deal of insight into what you like, and what grows well in your area. Trees and shrubs live and grow for many years, so the effort it takes to make an informed choice is well worth the time that it takes.
(Besides, it's a great way to spend the day!)

Flowering Tree and Shrub Profiles

Beauty Berry Callicarpa bodinieri Beautyberry grows to a height of 6-8 feet. Small lavender flowers in mid-summer produce clusters of intensely purple berries in the Fall
Butterfly bush Buddleia davidii The Butterfly Bush will grow up to 15' tall in almost any type of soil. Plant in full sun or light shade.
Chinese Witch Hazel Hamamelis mollis Witch Hazel is a low maintenance deciduous shrub which is one of the earliest blooming shrubs, providing you with lots of showy, fragrant flowers
Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa Potentillas prefer well-drained, reasonably rich soil, but will tolerate clay, rocky, or even slightly alkaline soils as well.
Flowering Plum Prunus blireiana Flowering Plums seldom produce fruit due to a lack of pollinators when they bloom, but the dark purple plums are edible.
Flowering Red Currant Ribes sanguineum Flowering Currants produces clusters of red flowers which attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, and berries to be eaten by birds.
Golden Bells Forsythia Forsythias thrive in full sun or light shade, will grow in almost any soil, and are quite tolerant of the poor growing conditions
Gardenia Gardenia jasminoides Gardenias should be planted in soil containing peat moss and compost. Keep the soil moist, cool and weed free.
Heavenly bamboo Nandina domestica Nandina may be grown in partial shade, but the foliage colors will be much more intense if it is grown in full sun
Holly Ilex aquifolium Holly trees require well-drained, slightly acidic, fertile soil. They can tolerate either sun and shade.
Hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla Hydrangeas need an abundance of water (hydrangea means 'water tub' in Greek), partial to full sun,and very rich soil.
Japanese maple Acer palmatum Japanese maple grows best in a moist, well draining, fertile soil. There are over 300 beautiful and diverse hybrids.
Lilacs Syringa vulgaris Lilacs require full sun for maximum bloom. They prefer a slightly alkaline soil (pH 7.5).
Mock Orange Philadelphus coronarius Mock Orange thrives in full sun or light shade, in almost any soil, but they do best in moist, well-drained soil
Nootka Rose Rosa nutkana Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest used this wild Rose to create a tea which was used to enhance eyesight
Poplar trees Populus canadensis Poplars must be planted with caution because of the invasive tendencies of the roots. They should never be planted near paving or drains
Pussy willow Salix discolor Pussy willows grow well in almost any soil but it is a good idea to supplement it with peat moss, leaf mold or compost.
Rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus nauseosus Rabbitbrush is best known for it's intensely yellow colored flowers which bloom from August through October.
Red Twig Dogwood Cornus stolonifera Red Twig Dogwoods prefer full sun but will tolerate partial shade as well. They grow best in moist, humus soil.
Rose Daphne Daphne cneorum Rose Daphne is a fragrant, low growing evergreen shrub which blooms in the Spring. It is excellent as a groundcover or foreground planting
Salal Gaultheria shallon Salal is a deer resistant, low growing shrub that prefers partial shade and well draining, acidic soil.
Trapper's Tea Ledum glandulosum Trapper's Tea is an extremely hardy relative of the Rhododendron, usually found in boggy areas or at the edge of small streams.
Viburnum 'Dawn' Viburnum bodnantense Viburnum produce clusters of very fragrant pink flowers in late winter or early spring. Propagate by softwood cuttings
Vine Maples Acer circinatum Vine Maple grow well in a wide variety of soil types, varying levels of sunlight and tolerate almost any level of watering once established

Helpful Growing Advice

Azaleas, Planting and Growing
Azaleas, Transplanting
Azaleas, Soil Condition
Hydrangeas, Pruning
Maple saplings, Transplanting
Rhododendron Care
Rhododendrons, cutting back
Rhododendrons, transplant
Roses, pruning
Roses, transplanting
Roses, Cutting and Preserving

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