Growing Shrubs
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.
If you have a picture of the problem or situation, feel free to upload it here as well (keep the pic under 100K please for faster uploading)
On some browsers the entry boxes are a little hard to see - name and email boxes are either immediately to the left of the captcha box or right below it (close to the submit button) depending on your browser settings.
See what other gardeners have asked
Click below to see what other gardeners have asked about growing shrubs
Can you tell me the name? I have this bush that is now almost as tall as my house. It's feathery like a fern and the ends turn pink. I can't find anything to compare it to so ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Snowball Shrub Browning After my snowball was finished blooming I pruned it. New growth started to come and now there are alot of small black eggs on the new stem and leaves....
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 ...
How fast do lilacs grow? The Arbor Day Foundation sent me a small (approx. 10") bareroot lilac. It was already coming out of the dormant stage when it arrived. I have planted it ...
transplant forsythia
When is the best time to transplant a Northern Gold Forsythia: spring, summer, autumn or month april, may, september, october?
Doug says the best time ...
annabel hydrangeas running amok These white hydrangeas have taken over - were here when we moved 18 years ago and 5 years ago became belligerent. We tried digging them up - it just encouraged ...
Propagating a Red Tip Bush How do I get a clipping from a red tip bush to grow? Can I put the clipping in a glass of water and can I take a clipping now? I live in Arkansas I believe ...
dogwood tree and shade I have purchased a new home in Redford Michigan (i don't know what zone that is). In the front yard is a lovely mature (12 feet tall) Dogwood with "fire ...
Fall Color Splendor - Japanese Maple This is one of our Lace Leaf Japanese Maples just beginning to reach its color maximum. Although it lost a number of branches this year to hungry deer,...
First year arborvitae browning In late spring I planted many arborvitae along the property line. The shrubs were healthy all summer with limited browning on some exterior branches. . Now ...
Honeysuckle Shrub not flowering I have a four year old shrub that is in sunlight all day and is approx. 3 to 4 ft tall, and 2 to 3 ft wide. I must admit it has had very little fertilizer ...
Pruning a Spirea
When is the best time to trim a bridal wreath spirea?
Ours are @ 5 feet tall and quite wide.
They are right beside our veranda railing.
We are a preschool ...
Butterfly Bush Pruning
I have a butterfly bush - just planted this spring and doing great. What do I need to do to prune it and when?
Doug says that it can be pruned like ...
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 ...
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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