Shrubs 101
Posted by Aaron Barton on May 17th 2022
May 18, 2022
Shrub-A-Shrub-A-Woo-Woo
Shrubs are the backbone of any well planned garden adding structure and interest all season long. If you choose wisely, shrubs can offer 4 seasons of interest including spring blooms, summer fruit, fall color, and beatutiful bark and structure during the winter months.
We want to make sure you are successful as you jump on the shrub train so lets choo-choo ch'booie through prep and planting.
Prepare your site
- Dig a hole only as deep as the root ball and two times the diameter of the pot.
- When planting, the soil level of the plant should be even with the ground when placed in the hole.
- Before planting, fill the hole with water and let it drain completely.
Prepare your plant
- Ensure your plant is well-watered
- Remove the plant from the container and gently release the roots from the root ball, ensuring any circling or knotted roots are freed to avoid troublesome girdling roots and moisture issues long term.
- The best way to prevent girdling roots is a shallow trim with a garden knife or root saw around the entire circumference of the root ball. This will free up all roots and ensure they are facing outward, not inward or circling the plant.
Plant your shrub
- Place the root ball in the hole and ensure that the roots are evenly spread.
- Backfill with a mixture of one part compost or planting mix, and two parts native soil (the soil you previously dug out) and mix in a starter fertilizer like Espoma Biotone to promote root growth, establishment, and survival.
- Once the hole is filled in, lightly tamp down the soil to remove any air pockets and water in thoroughly.
- The newly planted shrub will need ample moisture in its first few years of establishment, up until the first frost each year.
Care for your Shrub
- Water, water, water! New trees and shrubs will need thorough, frequent waterings to establish strong, deep root systems.
- Mulch using pine, cypress, or western red cedar mulch using the 3:3:3 rule—3 feet in diameter, 3 inches deep, and 3 inches away from the trunk.
- Fertilize once or twice annually in early spring and mid-summer with Espoma Plant Tone (or Espoma Evergreen Tone for evergreen plantings) once or twice annually in subsequent years in early spring and early to mid-summer.
- Wrap trunks of tender trees and shrubs in the fall with hard plastic or a tree bag to prevent feeding damage, and wrap any new evergreen plantings in burlap, especially Boxwood and Arborvitae, to protect against winter kill, sunscald, and feeding damage.
Basic Pruning
Why do we prune?
- To improve the shrub’s appearance and help maintain its natural or manicured form.
- To promote new growth, branching, and flowering.
- To promote plant health (improve airflow, remove diseased branches, etc.)
Old Wood Vs. New Wood
The first step to knowing the best time to prune your shrubs is determining if they will bloom on old wood or new wood. If you get the timing wrong, don’t worry. These are forgiving plants. You may go a season without blooms, but with proper timing you can expect flowers the following year.
Old wood
Buds are formed for next year’s bloom at the end of the current growing season. Prune after flowering, sometime before fall, to encourage new flower buds on old stems for next season. These are generally spring or early summer blooming shrubs. Examples include Lilac (Syringa), Forsythia, Mockorange (Philadelphus), Rhododendron, Azalea, Weigela, and Ninebark (Physocarpus).
New wood
Buds and blooms will form on only on stems and branches grown in the current season. Prune in late winter or in early spring before the shrub has broken dormancy to encourage new stems and blooms. These are summer blooming shrubs. Examples include panicle hydrangea, smooth hydrangea, Summersweet (Clethra), Smokebush (Cotinus), and roses.
Note that some newer shrub varieties provide blooms on new and old wood, including varieties of Weigela such as the Sonic Bloom series, the Bloomerang series of Lilac, and newer continuous blooming varieties of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla).
Basics of Pruning
Prune at a 45-degree angle right above a node or side branch with a clean, sharp pair of bypass pruners or loppers to ensure a clean and healthy cut. Pruning at an angle will allow water to run off the cut and prevent pooling that may encourage disease.
Prune out any dead, broken, or diseased stems, spent blooms (if desired), rubbing branches, duplicate/parallel branches, and dense growth in the center of the shrub. Keep in mind the overall shape you desire in the process and keep the branches that will help develop or maintain that structure. Do not remove more than 1/3 of the plant at one time. Prune so that nubs or stumps without nodes are not left behind. Prune close to the base of the branch or stem but leave a small space to avoid cutting into the branch collar. The collar is important in properly healing the pruning wound and should be left untouched. Rejuvenation pruning can be done on well-established (3+ year old) shrubs to encourage a flush of healthy new growth, removing oldest wood down to the ground, by about 1/3 in length each year until fully removed. An overgrown shrub can be refreshed by cutting back all stems to a foot or two above the ground, allowing the shrub to produce a flush of new growth to restore its typical growth habit and desirable shape.
Take me right back to the track, Jack! Let's take a look at the 2022 All Star lineup of shrubs
Arctostaphylos (Bearberry/Kinnikinnick
A very cold-hardy Northeastern native groundcover with clusters of pale pink two-inch bell-shaped flowers followed by ornamental red berries that persist into winter. Autumn foliage is tinged red-gold. The low, spreading form is very useful for low water rock gardens and hillsides in cooler regions. Evergreen. Hardy to Zone 2. Plant in full to part sun. Grows 1 foot tall and spreads 10-15 feet wide.
Little Hottie Panicle Hydrangea
This little hydrangea is extremely compact with exceptional branching. Deep green leaves are a beautiful backdrop for the late summer flowers that are held up on strong and sturdy stems. Born in a tight cluster, the blossoms are initially green and open to a creamy white. As evening temperatures drop in the fall, petals turn antique shades of white and pink. Its small size, reduces the need for pruning, and large flowers make this an ideal choice for smaller landscapes where larger traditional panicle hydrangeas won’t fit. Hardy to Zone 3. Plant in full sun to part shade. 3-5 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide.Text
Little Lady Lilac
Little Lade is a late spring bloomer with dark pink buds that open to lilac pink Its heady fragrance will tickle your nose and leave you weak in the knees! The mature size makes this plant perfect for foundation plantings, but it can also be used en masse, or as an informal hedge where you don’t need a lot of height. Hardy to Zone 2. Plant in full sun. Grows 4-5 feet tall and wide.Text
Little Gem Norway Spruce
Rich green needles form a dense, naturally flat-topped globe. This small, slow-growing evergreen requires practically no maintenance. A stunning accent for landscape and rock gardens, or planted as low filler between larger conifers in borders. Hardy to Zone 2. Plant in full to part sun. Reaches 18 inches tall and wide.Text
Flamingo Dappled Willow
Fantastic variegated foliage of pink, white, and bright green on a graceful, easy to grow shrub. Occasional pruning to keep it shapley promotes a flush of colorful new leaves. Foliage resists heat scorch and stands up to rain and wind. Shiny red stems add appeal even when bare in the winter landscape. Hardy to Zone 4. Plant in full to part sun. Can grow 8-10 feet tall and wide. Water regularly, especially in extreme heat.
Striking burgundy-plum foliage on a compact, mounded shrub. Showy flowers bloom in dense clusters in spring, followed by attractive seed pods. A very useful accent for a border, hedge or mass planting in a low maintenance landscape. Hardy to Zone 4. Plant in full to part sun. Grpws 5-6 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide.
Velvet Viking Japanese Maple
Velvet Viking is one of the only hardy Japanese Maples in our area making it a highly desirable speciman. Highlights include low, spreading branches on a beautifully mounded, weeping dwarf form. Rich, red, deeply dissected foliage holds its color throughout the growing season, developing more vibrant red tones in the fall. A lacy, delicate appearance yet exceptionally tough and cold tolerant. Thrives in full sun of cooler regions. An excellent container specimen. Hardy to Zone 4. Plant in full sun to part shade. A slow grower that will reach 3 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide aver th course of 15 years.Text
Weigela Coco Chill
Coco Chill Weigela offers truly dark foliage and exceptional hardiness due to its Canadian parentage. Bright pink flowers are displayed in a neat, mounded form, spring to summer. Adds bold color to the landscape. Hardy to Zone 4. Plant in Full sun. 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Blooms Spring to summer with pink flowers atop purple foliage. More arriving next week!Text
You've read the situation from front to back! Clickety-clack its time to get planting!