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Small Shrubs for the
Perennial Border

Adding structure and an aspect of year-round permanence, small shrubs are excellent for enhancing the perennial border. Thought of as the spine and bones, small shrubs hold the soft body of flowers together. Well-chosen selections integrate with perennials to add interest for more than just one season. Not only do they add support for perennials in late summer but they provide definition to the bed throughout the year. Though shrubs take longer to reach maturity, their outstanding foliage, beautiful flowers, and attractive shapes and forms add to the beauty of the garden.

Choose Shrubs That Promise
Year-Long Interest

NAME
HEIGHT
INTEREST
Background and Mid-Border Shrubs
Cornus alba cultivars (red twig dogwood)*
8-10 ft.
 Variegated or golden foliage; red winter branches
Cornus stolonifera cultivars
7-9 ft.
Variegated foliage; red or yellow winter (red osier dogwood)* branches
Cotinus coggygria 'Velvet Cloak' or 'Royal Purple' (Smokebush)*
10-15 ft.
Dark purple foliage
Deutzia 'Mont Rose' and 'Magician'
4-5 ft.
and
6-8 ft.
 Pink spring flowers; graceful, arching habit
Hydrangea cultivars
4-12 ft.
Late-summer blue, white or pink flowers, variegated or unusual leaves
Viburnum macrocephalum
6-15 ft.
White flowers in spring, fading to buff, seedheads
Viburnum plicatum var. momentous
5-10 ft.
Bright white lace-cap flowers summer, 'Summer Snowflake' (doublefile viburnum) through fall
Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga'
5-12 ft.
Dark greenor maroon-tinged foliage; 'Susquehanna' (Sargent viburnum) late-spring flowers; bright red winter fruit
Weigela W. florida
4-6 ft.
Golden or purple foliage; late-spring, 'White Knight' and 'Wine and Roses' pink or white flowers.
Focal Point Shrubs
Berberis thunbergii ‘Helmond Pillar’
4–5 ft.
 Upright form; reddish, purple leaves (Japanese barberry)
Buxus sempervirens ‘Graham Blandy’ (boxwood)
4–6 ft.
 Narrow, upright habit
Buxus microphylla cvs. (littleleaf boxwood)
3–4 ft.
 Dense, rounded shape
Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ (Japanese holly)
4 ft.
 Extremely narrow, columnar form
Front-of-the-Border Shrubs
Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea Nana’, ‘Aurea’
1–4 ft.
 Golden or purple foliage; dense, rounded form and ‘Bagatelle’ (Japanese barberry)
Caryopteris clandonensis ‘Worcester Gold’
2–4 ft.
 Golden or purple foliage; dense, rounded form and ‘Bagatelle’ (Japanese barberry)
Fothergilla gardenni
2-3 ft.
 Creamy flowers stick up like bottlebrushes on bare tips in early spring
Hypericum androsaemum ‘Albury Purple’ (tutsan)
2-3 ft.
 Purple-tinged leaves; yellow summer flowers; red berries
Spiraea japonica (Japanese spiraea)
1-4 ft.
 Golden foliage; pink spring flowers
Spiraea ‘Goldflame’
2-3 ft.
 Pink flowers, spring leaves red tinged with bronze, changing to gold
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus ‘Foliis Variegatis’
2–5 ft.
 Yellow-edged variegated leaves (coralberry)

*Prune hard in late winter to control height in mid-border positions.

The ideal shrub for the mixed border has outstanding foliage—deep green, purple, gold,
silver, or even variegated. Its leaves may be glossy, soft or even fuzzy to touch. Colorful veins or other variations may mark its foliage to seize your interest throughout the seasons. And, certainly, the ideal shrub has flowers. Late-blooming flowers liven up the border during the tired end-of-summer days, while early-bloomers add excitement to a garden just bursting into spring. You’ll also want to take into account flower color when working shrubs into a planting scheme. White is a delightful and safe choice, because it harmonizes with all other colors. Consider also mellow blues, pinks and other pastel shades to add a peaceful mood to the garden. Bold colors of yellow, orange or red will add a warm, daring feeling. In fall, colorful leaves cover the ideal shrub, before falling to the ground. And in winter, twisted, colorful branches and bright berries provide winter interest.

Grasses With Gusto

Ornamental Grasses lend a unique dimension to the landscape with the addition of texture, sound, motion and architecture. By planting ornamental grasses, you can also add multi-seasonal excitement to your landscape. Either combined with other ornamental plants or featured by themselves in “Grass Gardens,” ornamental grasses are attractive from spring until late fall and often through winter as well.

Choose from varieties that are short or tall, upright or weeping. Foliage can be bold or fine textured and come in colors ranging from green, blue- green, lime-green, gold and red to variegated with horizontal or vertical bands of white or yellow. Flower heads can be showy plumes, fuzzy foxtails or airy particles and appear from mid-summer to fall, depending on variety. Dried flowers and leaves may persist into winter, looking particularly effective against a snowy backdrop.

Following are some suggestions of grasses with gusto for different situations in your landscape:

Screens Or Barriers
Taller growing varieties such as Plume Grass (Erianthus ravennae) or Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus floridulus) can be used as a screen or windbreak. The wind rushing through their foliage creates added sensations of sound and movement. Even some of the medium sized growers, such as varieties of Miscanthus sinensis, can enclose a patio or act as a barrier against wind, noise or an undesirable view.

Specimens
Many ornamental grasses also make excellent specimen plants and can turn a dull corner into a focal point of color and texture. Some of the most dramatic grasses for specimen planting include Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis gracillimus), with its graceful arching vase shaped foliage and pinkish blooms which age to cream, and Porcupine Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’) that has upright green and yellow banded stems.

Waterscaping
Water gardens and ornamental grasses go together “naturally”. A grouping of grasses looks particularly effective at the water’s edge, softening the boundary between land and water. Many grasses such as Miscanthus can tolerate moist conditions, some, like sweet flag (Acorus) and Giant Reed (Arundo donax), can grow in shallow water. Sedges (Carex), which are not true grasses, although similar in appearance, are also moisture tolerant. Look for varieties with plain, variegated or golden foliage.

Groundcovers
Grasses that are groundcover varieties spread by underground stolons rather than forming tight clumps. One such selection is Ribbon Grass (Phalaris arundinacea ‘Picta’) is a fast-spreading green and white variegated variety, particularly useful as a groundcover in difficult areas such as slopes or even under trees that cast light shade. Give this one plenty of space! You’ll also want to try green or variegated Liriope and Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon).

Beds and Borders
Massed in groups, ornamental grasses are wonderful as a background to, or in combination with, other plantings. Try planting them with perennials such as Black-eyed Susan, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Veronica ‘Goodness Grows’ or ‘Sunny Border Blue’ for a dynamic summer and fall interest addition to your landscape. Varieties for mass planting include Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum), whose delicate flowers are held above leaves that turn reddish in the fall and upright; Korean Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutifolia ‘Stricta’) which yields stunning buff colored plumes over a long period; and Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) that sports maroon foxtails which age to cream in late fall. A number of different forms of Fountain Grass are available:

‘Hameln’ is a dwarf variety with creamy foxtails, while ‘Moudry’ has unusual black flowers. For edging beds and borders, plant low-growing Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca). Its steely blue clumps hold their color though winter and contrast well with pink or purple flowers or foliage.


Growing Grasses
Ornamental grasses are relatively easy to grow. A site that receives at least six hours of sun per day is best, although varieties such as Hair Grass (Deschampsia) and variegated Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’) can grow well in as little as four hours of sun. Soil preparation, as with everything you plant, is a must, so work in plenty of organic matter such as peat moss, humus or compost. Fertilize in early spring with 5-10-5 or bonemeal, when new growth is starting to show. Clumps should be cut back to within 6" of the ground at this time, and can be divided if needed.