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The best garden shrubs and trees. How to choose garden plants?

The most popular garden shrubs and shrubs.

By Praveen KumarPublished 10 months ago 8 min read
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Are you planning to plant some new trees and shrubs? Remember that choosing the right plants is not everything, it also requires a lot of work and commitment. Healthy garden plants can only grow in good conditions. But if they are well cared for, both shrubs and small trees can become unique natural decorations. Learn which garden plants to add to your green collection and which small trees and shrubs are all the rage right now.

The most popular garden shrubs and shrubs.

Garden shrubs can completely transform any terrain. Many homeowners wonder which garden plants to choose. The most popular ornamental garden shrubs amaze with their colors. They are, for example:

Forsythia (Forsythia Vahl),

  • Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens L.),
  • rhododendron (rhododendron L.),
  • Lilac (Syringa vulgaris),
  • Weigela ( Weigela florida).

You may also decide to plant leafy ornamental shrubs in your garden. The most common types are:

  1. common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens L.),
  2. glossy cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lucidus),
  3. common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius),
  4. Golden privet (Ligustrum 'Aureum),
  5. Purple willow (Salix purpurea).

Remember that different garden shrubs require different care and conditions. Pay attention to the type of soil, fertilization and the amount of light in the place where the garden shrub grows. Therefore, not all shrubs are suitable for all gardens. Make sure you check it out before you decide to buy anything.

How to care for trees and shrubs in the garden?

Good conditions and proper care are crucial for garden plants to grow well and healthy. Each species is a different case. Each plant requires an individual treatment, appropriate to its needs. To ensure you take good care of the shrubs and trees in your yard, first learn about their characteristics and needs, for example, by reading websites maintained by plant nurseries.

Is there any general advice on how to care for shrubs and trees in the garden? What factors influence its correct growth?

Most shrub and tree species require unrestricted access to light. No plant can survive without an adequate dose of sunlight. For this reason, make sure you have selected the right location for your garden trees and shrubs, so they get all the sunlight they need.

Don't overexpose yourself to light: too much sun is just as damaging to garden plants as not enough.

What soil is best for garden plants?

The soil is a very important factor that influences the growth of any garden plant. Most shrubs and leafy trees have similar substrate needs. Regardless, certain species require a specific type of soil. For this reason, before choosing particular garden plants, make sure that the soil in your garden supports their growth and flowering.

For example:

  1. purple willow, forsythia and golden privet as sandy soils,
  2. Bright cotoneaster and hydrangeas like rich soil.
  3. How to care for garden shrubs?

If you have already chosen and planted garden plants in the right place, then you need to properly care for them. It's crucial: without the right amount of care, the shrubs and trees in your yard cannot survive.

  • Crucial elements of garden plant care:
  • regular watering,
  • fertilizing,
  • pruning shrubs and trees,
  • protection against pests and diseases,
  • frost protection.
  • seasonal garden plants

There are many ways to classify garden plants, trees, and shrubs. One of them is seasonality - division with respect to the flowering season. It is a very important fact, since it allows us to arrange the garden to our liking. This way, you can choose plants that bloom year-round or plan the garden by season.

Spring and summer garden shrubs

Most or almost all ornamental trees and shrubs flower in spring and early summer. Therefore, it is the best time to plant new garden plants. Spring is a unique season for gardens: it is when the flowers and shrubs in the garden wake up, take on beautiful colors and the first buds grow. No matter which plants you choose, you can be sure that with ornamental shrubs and trees, your garden will look great in spring.

There are also some garden plants that bloom in the height of summer. They are, for example:

  1. Hydrangea ( Hortensia L. ),
  2. Syrian cetmia, also known as hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus L.)
  3. Summer lilac, commonly known as butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii).

Plants that bloom in summer are lovely for a garden. They are an accent of freshness, unlike spring plants that don't look so good anymore. As for seasonal garden plants, spring shrubs can make a good background for summer-blooming flowers.

Garden Plants for Indian Summer

When selecting landscape shrubs and trees for your yard, don't rely solely on species that look great in spring and summer. It is good to collect various garden plants, shrubs and trees that bloom in autumn. In this way, your garden will look beautiful all year long.

There are many species that bloom in autumn. You can choose, for example:

  • Azalea, also known as rhododendron (Rhododendron L.)
  • Maple (Acer L.),
  • Viburnum ( Viburnum L. ),
  • Birch (Betula L.),
  • Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.).

Those and other fall garden plants can make unique arrangements, especially when paired with fall flowers like:

  • Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum),
  • Asters ( Aster L. ),
  • Autumn crocuses (Colchicum L.),
  • Japanese anemones (Anemone scabiosa).

There are also several species of shrubs that you can find among the seasonal garden plants. Its berries can become a colorful decoration when the plants lose all their leaves. You can choose, for example:

  • Japanese quince (Chaenomeles ×superba),
  • sea buckthorn (Hippophaë L.),
  • spindle tree (Euonymus L.),
  • Barberry (Berberis L.)

It is important to pay attention to leaves and plant habit when choosing a garden plant. Too many shrubs with colorful yellow, red or orange leaves can overwhelm your garden and make it look chaotic.

Interesting garden plants for the winter.

Some gardeners may wonder: how to make my garden look beautiful and lively during the season when most plants are just dormant? Winter is a difficult season to maintain an elegant garden. Don't worry, it's not impossible. Garden shrubs of unique shapes and habits can be an easy substitute for colorful flowers.

An example of such a plant is the hazel tree with its characteristic twisted branches.

Other interesting plants for a winter garden are: Japanese marigold, white dogwood, birch, but also gerberas, eustoma and hyacinths.

Some species of apple trees are also noteworthy fall plants. They look really impressive, and you might get fruits from them.

Perennial Garden Shrubs - Keep Your Garden Beautiful For Years

Garden stores offer a wide variety of perennial garden plants. Unlike annuals and seasonal plants, evergreen shrubs and small trees can grow in a garden for a long time. Before choosing these types of garden plants, you should think about what type of garden design you want. Maybe you dream of small flowering trees or maybe you want to plant some decorative garden shrubs.

Blooming Perennial Garden Shrubs

The most popular garden plants that bloom every year and produce beautiful flowers are: roses, lilacs, and forsythias. Choosing those three species is a guarantee of a magnificent, fragrant and colorful garden for a long time.

There are also some less popular, but equally impressive perennial garden shrubs with colorful flowers. One of them is the summer lilac, which can grow up to 3 meters. It has very interesting flowers of various colors, depending on the type. You can choose between red, purple, pink, white and blue. Summer lilacs release a pleasant scent.

Mock orange is another strong-smelling shrub that can attract flying insects to your garden. It reaches up to 3 meters and has beautiful white flowers. It is frost resistant and blooms every year between spring and summer, pleasing the eyes of the owners.

Due to their resistance to frost, perennial garden shrubs are perfect for creating a hedge. The Guelder rose is a good species for this purpose. It blooms in late spring, producing large round white flowers. Another great plant is the golden chain with its long leaves and yellow flowers.

Perennial Short Garden Shrubs

Choosing the right perennial garden shrubs, you need to pay attention to their height. Garden plants of various sizes introduce variety, for arrangements made of both leafy and flowering plants.

If you are interested in short perennial garden plants, you can choose hydrangeas in the form of small trees or shrubs, which are very easy to grow. Regularly trimmed, they can reach up to one meter. Because of this, they can be part of small garden arrangements. They are also excellent for decorating stairs or patios.

Its large round flowers have various colors. Depending on the acidification of the soil, they can be white, pink, purple or blue.

Deutzia is another rather interesting garden shrub. It is a leafy and thick plant, it can grow up to a meter in height. It has beautiful white flowers that bloom between spring and summer. The ornamental quince (japonica) is an equally beautiful garden shrub. Its flowers are white, red or pink-red and it bears sweet yellow edible fruits. You may also consider choosing other ornamental garden plants, such as rockery cotoneaster and Japanese meadowsweet.

Perennial ornamental fruit trees for a garden.

Fruit trees constitute a large group of ornamental plants. The most common species grown in European gardens are elders and dog roses. Other options are bird cherry and cornelian cherry. The latter is a large tree over 5 meters tall with glossy leaves and small yellow flowers. Once a year it bears edible red fruits.

If you're looking for ornamental garden trees, consider the following species: dogwood, spindle, scarlet firethorn, yew, or common holly. All of them bear fruit, although it is only a decorative element. You can also opt for yucca or pampas grass.

You should refrain from planting ornamental fruit trees in your garden if children and animals spend their time in it every day. If they eat the fruits, it could harm their health and cause poisoning.

What garden plants should I choose?

You need to decide what kind of result you want to achieve. There are many species of garden plants to choose from, both seasonal and perennial. The most common flowering garden plants are roses and forsythias. Popular garden shrubs with fruits are holly, cherry, and elder.

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