Does your landscape need a face-lift? Flowers are great, but if you want to keep your yard looking beautiful even in the off season you’ll need some eye-catching foliage to make it stand out. Without further ado, here are 5 fantastic shrubs you should be growing right now.
Like the simple joy of a sunny day, this petite shrub offers all the happiness its name suggests. Its new foliage is a luminous yellow-gold which matures to a pleasing green that holds fast the rest of the year. The beauty of this radiant evergreen is matched only by its resilience as it tolerates a wide range of soil conditions and is generally disease-free. Perfect for containers! (Zones 6-9)
This non-invasive native shrub is a feast of lovely features that are both aesthetic and practical. Its deep maroon foliage really stands out from traditional greenery and gets especially vivid in spring and fall. The dark hued leaves contrast wonderfully with its delicate yellow summer flowers which are loved by butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. This Diervilla’s greatest strength is its versatility and durability. It is capable of withstanding drought, tolerating shade, and spurning deer all while enjoying many roles in the landscape from mass plantings, borders and various landscaping projects big and small. (Zones 5-7)
You’d be hard pressed to find a plant more multi-talented than this impressive barberry. Todo™ presents semi-evergreen foliage which ranges from deep green to maroon and even purple! In late spring yellow flowers emerge adding more beauty to the display. Those delicate blooms turn into red, seedless berries in fall. A shrub for all seasons, this sterile, sun-loving barberry is also low-maintenance and deer ignore it completely. (Zones 4-8)
There’s good reason that Nandina is known as ‘Heavenly’ or ‘Sacred’ bamboo – its beauty is simply divine! Its new leaves are a bright and showy hue of lime green which deepens down the leaf creating a spectacular Ombre affect. This bright delight pairs perfectly with other shrubbery and makes a perfect choice as foundation or hedge plant. This plant is quite versatile and can play a variety of roles in the landscape so try it out wherever your heart desires and it won’t let you down! (Zones 6-9)
From its thundercloud gray-purple foliage to its flushes of raspberry pink blooms, few plants can match the sheer intrigue of this unique shrub. This Smokebush grows in a shapely semi-dwarf habit and its eye-catching foliage is ignored by deer. A visual treat from spring through summer, for its final trick the coal dark leaves turn into brilliant amber for fall. It’s versatile, unusual and gorgeous, and it deserves a place in your landscape! (Zones 4-8)