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Growing Shrubs

Growing shrubs is one of the mainstays of great garden practice, they give us structure as well as interesting foliage and flowers. If chosen well, these plants live for years in the garden with minimum maintenance and care. And as with all parts of my developing sites, the following articles are intended as general guidelines for growing these plants. I welcome specific questions about them from newsletter subscribers. If you are a newsletter subscriber and have suggestions for shrubs to write about – follow the weekly instructions for asking questions. :-)


Pruning Shrubs


Here's a video on pruning shrubs you might find useful.



Deciduous Shrubs



Bridalwreath Spirea is an old-fashioned shrub with a fast growing habit in sun or part shade.

Forsythia is a wonderful spring bloomer with its bright yellow blooms but it isn't a good candidate for foundation plantings.

Lilacs are one of my favorite spring-blooming shrubs and once you’ve smelled them, you’ll understand why.

Hydrangea macrophylla these are the showy pink and blue flowers you lust over.  

Hydrangea paniculata (PeeGee Hydrangea) and how to grow this fast growing and blooming shrub.

Growing Holly is really for those in warmer gardens despite our hopes and dreams. Here are a few tips and hints for success with this plant.

 

Broadleaf Shrubs


Rhododendrons can be successfully grown if you pay attention to a few details. Oh yes, Azaleas are really Rhododendron according to Botanic rules so these suggestions apply to them as well.


Questions & Answers


My deciduous azalea isn't blooming?

My Northern Gold Forsythia isn't blooming. What can I do?

How do I turn and keep blue hydrangea blue?

Feeding shrubs and mulching - how do I feed through the mulch? Do I use lawn fertilizer?


Got a Problem with Growing Shrubs?

If you have a question about growing shrubs, then feel free to ask it using this form.

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See what other gardeners have asked

Click below to see what other gardeners have asked about growing shrubs

My Azalea looks healthy. Why isn't it blooming.  I have a row of what I think are Azaleas growing next to my house. I can't see any thing wrong with them They look very healthy to me. But out of the ...

Moose have eaten my rhododendron plant  over the winter two moose have eaten the leaves off my rhododendron and the needles off my yew plant. I just wondering if we should get rid of the yew ...

arborvitaes and deer damage  This winter the deer ate a lot of the green growth of my aborvitae shrubs right down to the branches. Will it grow back ?
Thank you,
Rhonda

Doug ...

Do Red Twig Dogwoods have thorns?  My last landscaper planted two Red Twig Dogwoods. My new landscaper does not believe they are dogwoods because they have thorns. Have not seen leaves ...

I have purchased seeds for Mock orange  I am trying to find out what type of mock orange this is, the seeds are tiny red. Do you have any info how to start these seeds?

Doug says that you ...

Poor rocky soil  My back yard is on the pre-cambrian shield - soil depth is 3 to 5 inches where soil exists at all. Lilacs manage to grow, but I would like to plant something ...

emu plant  my neighbor gifted me with what she called an emu plant. Its kind of bushy-looking, resembling a rosemary plant, sort of. We're in Riverside, CA and I ...

Weeping cherry trees  I didn't know where else to ask this question. I am just curious, why are cherry trees grafted onto other trees?

Doug says - the top weeps and hangs ...

Care for a Potted Arborvite Dwarf Spiral   I purchased a potted arborvite spiral to keep on my outside porch next to the front door which gets afternoon sun in the summer. I live in central New ...

Help! Which shrub should I use?  Dear Doug,

My son wants to plant shrubs along his property line but can't plant anything that grows over 6 feet tall. He and his wife prefer something ...

Azalea's are dying?   I'm a beginner. I decided to redo my flowerbed and pulled all the shrubs out. I planted 3 azalea plants. The first week, we saw flowers. The 2nd week ...

transplanting lacecap hydrangea  I would like to move my lacecap, when would be the best time to transplant, and also when is the best time to cut the growth back. the shrub has become ...






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