With the shrubs that are ideal, you may create an attractive backdrop for plants in beds and borders. Choose shrubs that grow up to at least 10 feet tall in order that they’ll be visible and supply support or colour for foreground plants. Even when a tree has finished flowering, leaves, fruit and its branches add depth and texture into the winter and autumn landscape.
Flowering Shrubs
When plants are not blooming to add interest, think about planting early- or late-blooming background shrubs. Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8, rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) increases up to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide, and generates 3-inch-wide pink flowers in summer and autumn. Chinese snowball viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum) grows up to 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide and develops in USDA zones 6 through 9. The white, 8-inch flower clusters generate a background that is soft and bloom. Both shrubs favor moist, well-draining soil and full sun but tolerate most types of soil.
Evergreen Shrubs
Evergreen shrubs offer background texture and color annually. Sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) has bright green, oval leaves and grows around 10 to 20 feet tall and wide. It develops 8 through 10 in full sunlight to light shade soil and moist. Hetz Juniper (Juniperus chinensis”Hetzii”) has blue-gray irregular and needles, upright branches that mingle with foreground plantings. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, feet wide and tall grows up and demands full sunlight and soil.
Deciduous Shrubs
Deciduous shrubs make a fall backdrop. With gray-green leaves that turn wine-red from the autumn till they drop, serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) grows around 15 to 25 feet tall and wide. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, it has white flower clusters in early spring and grows best in full sun, partial shade or colour and moist soil. Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) grows around 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. It generates blossoms in late spring and dark green leaves that turn reddish, orange or yellow in the autumn. It develops in USDA zones 2 through 8 and grows in full sun to partial shade in many types of well-draining soil.
Other Considerations
Shrubs need spacing to give space to grow and air flow to reduce disease. For instance, spacing Hetz juniper shrubs 10 to 15 feet apart helps prevent Phomopsis blight, which causes twigs and needles to turn brown. Prune and destroy branches to control the disease. When they infest serviceberry aphids and miniature pests can cause leaves and stunted growth, rose of Sharon and shrubs. Remove aphids or dislodge them with water from a garden hose. Many shrubs, including rose of Sharon, gain from pruning in late winter before spring growth begins to keep shape and improve density.