You can ignore them completely and leave them unsheared, but if you like a formal look, go ahead and break out the clippers. There are boxwoods that are naturally globe-shaped, conical or upright, adding to their flexibility. There are cultivars for every garden whether you need a large shrub for screening or something smaller to complement perennials or serve as a unifying edge. Quite frankly, a boxwood is rarely a bad choice. The evergreen boxwood is the ‘little black dress’ of the plant world-it goes with everything, fits in in sun or part shade conditions, isn’t fussy about soil and isn’t bothered by deer. The flower heads of all hydrangeas dry to shades of tan on the shrub and provide beauty throughout winter. The show continues into fall when the leaves turn to shades of russet and the exfoliating bark comes to the fore. Oakleaf hydrangeas add a lot of texture to the garden with their large leaves and cone-shaped flowers, which are adored by pollinators and turn from white to pink as summer progresses. quercifolia) also blooms on old wood, but the flower buds withstand colder temperatures so flower reliably unless Bambi has had a go-they do like the twigs in winter. In early summer, they bear large globes of white or pink flowers that really stand out in the garden. Whack them back in the spring and you’re set. If you want to skip the old wood/new wood confusion, plant the smooth hydrangeas (H. Bigleaf and lacecap hydrangeas benefit from a light spring trim to remove dead twigs, but only do this once the plant has leafed out fully in springtime so you don’t accidentally snip any flower buds from last year. Happily, plant breeders have developed mophead and lacecap hydrangeas that bloom on old and new wood, so if last year’s buds are lost to frost or Bambi, you’ll still have the buds formed in the current season to enjoy. Deer also love to munch those bud-bearing twigs in winter. Where temperatures dip much below zero degrees Fahrenheit, flower buds that were formed the previous season (on the old wood of the plant) may be destroyed by frost. They can also be the most confounding in their reluctance to bloom in some gardens, usually in colder climates (below USDA Hardiness Zones 5 or 6) or where deer are prevalent. These are also the thirstiest hydrangeas so site them in a spot with consistently moist, rich soil. Hydrangeas are the queen of garden shrubs because who doesn’t love those giant billowing blooms? The blue flowers of bigleaf and lacecap hydrangeas are the most coveted (H. Be sure to site them properly, give them enough room to reach mature size when planting, then keep them watered the first year to get them established from that point, all they require is an annual tidying.
SHRUBS FOR SHADE FULL
Low-Maintenance Plants for Full Sun, shrubs are the easy-care workhorses in the garden. Just remember that few plants grow in deep shade, but as long as these plants receive a couple hours of sun per day, you’re good! Low-Maintenance Shrubs Not only will they make your yard more beautiful, you’ll enjoy it more with less work. Add a few of these shady characters to your garden then sit back and enjoy.