New Trees and Shrubs for 2011
Add beauty and value to your landscape with these brand-new varieties of trees, shrubs, and vines.
Justin W. Hancock
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Love 'Limelight' hydrangea but don't have room for it? Little Lime may be your answer! This compact variety offers the same stunning blooms all summer long, just in a smaller package.
Name: Little Lime Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane'
Growing conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide
Zones: 4-9
Source: bhg.com/garden-store/flowers-plants/shrubs/hydrangea/little-lime-hydrangea.html
Photo courtesy provenwinners.com
Here's a fun twist on an easy-growing North American native plant. Endless Summer Bella Anna hydrangea offers soft-pink flowers from early summer through fall. Unlike bigleaf hydrangeas, Bella Anna (which is more closely related to 'Annabelle' hydrangea) blooms reliably every year -- even if you cut it back to the ground -- and is extra hardy.
Name: Bella Anna Hydrangea arborescens 'PIIHA-1'
Growing conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and wide
Zones: 3-9
Source: bhg.com/garden-store/flowers-plants/shrubs/hydrangea/bella-anna-hydrangea.html
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
Related to wildly popular Vanilla Strawberry and 'Limelight' hydrangeas, Great Star is a unique selection from France that features huge star-shape white flowers in big clusters starting in midsummer and continuing all the way through fall. It looks particularly stunning in autumn if you pair the white flowers with plants that have bold red fall color.
Name: Great Star Hydrangea paniculata 'LeVasterival'
Growing conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 7 feet tall and 8 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Source: Find a retailer near you at www.baileynurseries.com
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
A sure bet for gardeners saddled with small spaces, 'Bombshell' hydrangea puts on a big show with its many clusters of pure white flowers that appear from midsummer through fall.
Name: Hydrangea paniculata 'Bombshell'
Growing conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Source: bhg.com/garden-store/flowers-plants/shrubs/hydrangea/bombshell-hydrangea.html
Photo courtesy ballhort.com
Lend your garden a tropical feel with Tahiti rose of Sharon, a real stunner with large, hibiscus-shape blooms in a rich shade of purple-pink. It's a strong grower that blooms from midsummer to fall.
Name: Tahiti Hibiscus syriacus 'Mineru'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide
Zones: 5-8
Source: bhg.com/garden-store/shrubs/tahiti-hibiscus.html
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
Producing a plethora of beautiful white flowers, Bali rose of Sharon is a garden showpiece. This easy-to-grow shrub features a steady supply of big white blooms from midsummer to fall. It's an excellent plant to use as a large hedge or screen around a deck or patio.
Name: Bali Hibiscus syriacus 'Minfren'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide
Zones: 5-8
Source: bhg.com/garden-store/shrubs/bali-hibiscus.html
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
Fiji rose of Sharon is an exceptionally lovely shrub that produces tropical-looking, soft-pink flowers all summer and into fall. In addition to being a great bloomer, it's also low-care, requiring little pruning or fertilizer to stay beautiful.
Name: Bali Hibiscus syriacus 'Minspot'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide
Zones: 5-8
Source: bhg.com/garden-store/shrubs/fiji-hibiscus.html
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
It's easy to love ninebarks: These North American native plants offer great drought resistance, are usually ignored by deer and rabbits, and feature colorful foliage. Little Devil is a fun selection that's extra small, so you can tuck it in tight spaces in your yard.
Name: Little Devil Physocarpus opulifolius 'Donna May'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall and wide
Zones: 3-7
Source: Find a retailer near you at baileynurseries.com
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
This new variety solves a lot of problems for gardeners with small spaces! Flutterby Petite Blue heaven butterfly bush is an extra-small variety, making it an excellent choice for beds and borders, containers, and even hanging baskets. It tolerates heat and drought and is nearly sterile so, according to the plant's breeder, it can be grown in areas where other butterfly bush varieties are not allowed.
Name: Flutterby Petite Blue Heaven Buddleja 'Podaras #8'
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 inches tall and wide
Zones: 5-9
Source: Look for this plant at a garden center near you.
Photo courtesy ballhort.com
Give your garden a lovely backdrop with beautiful Sky High juniper, an easy-growing, drought-resistant variety. It features a soft, silvery-blue color all year long and a tall, upright habit that makes it easy to fit in just about any space.
Name: Sky High Juniperus scopulorum 'Bailigh'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 15 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Zones: 3-7
Source: Find a retailer near you at baileynurseries.com
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
Flutterby Petite Lavender butterfly bush gives you lots and lots of fragrant flowers (from summer to fall) on a compact plant that's perfect for the front of the border, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Like its common name suggests, it attracts lots of butterflies! According to the breeder, because it's virtually sterile, you can grow it in areas where other varieties are considered invasive.
Name: Flutterby Petite Blue Heaven Buddleja 'Podaras #12'
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 inches tall and wide
Zones: 5-9
Source: Look for this plant at a garden center near you.
Photo courtesy ballhort.com
Firedance dogwood packs a lot of attributes into a small package: It's ultra-hardy, has a compact habit, bears beautiful fall color, shows off bright red stems in winter, and has great disease resistance. Plus, it doesn't mind wet ground, so it's perfect for rain gardens or at the end of a downspout.
Name: Firedance Cornus sericea 'Bailadeline'
Growing conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist soil
Size: To 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Zones: 2-7
Source: Find a retailer near you at baileynurseries.com
Photo courtesy baileynurseries.com
Bluebeard shrubs boast wonderful violet-blue flowers in late summer and fall, good resistance to drought, and attractiveness to butterflies. Blue Balloon adds even more interest with its decidedly round habit, looking like a bowling ball or balloon in the landscape.
Name: Blue Balloon Caryopteris x clandonensis
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Zones: 6-9
Source: monrovia.com
Photo courtesy monrovia.com
What do you like better: this plant's golden spring foliage or lovely pink flowers? Either way, it's a winner! Jitsuko's Gold weigela is a showy shrub that offers a lovely start-of-the-season display.
Name: Weigela florida 'Jitsuko's Gold'
Growing conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 feet tall and wide
Zones: 5-9
Source: heronswood.com
Photo courtesy heronswood.com
Why grow a redbud that's only showy for a few weeks in spring when you can choose a selection such as 'Merlot' that looks great from spring to fall? This stunner shows off traditional pink flowers before it leafs out, then dark purple-green foliage. This variety also offers heat and drought tolerance, making a great choice for Southern gardeners.
Name: Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Merlot'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide
Zones: 6-9
Sources: rarefindnursery.com, waysidegardens.com
Photo courtesy planthaven.com
A wonderful solution for gardeners with small spaces, 'Ruby Falls' redbud is a very petite variety that's great for beds and borders or containers. It features springtime pink blooms and lustrous, heart-shape, dark purple foliage. This is definitely a "wow!" plant.
Name: Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist soil
Size: To 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide
Zones: 5-9
Sources: rarefindnursery.com, waysidegardens.com
Photo courtesy planthaven.com
Mild-climate gardeners are sure to adore this brilliant evergreen shrub. Pink Yuletide camellia is a winter-blooming variety that shows off single soft-pink flowers with sunny yellow centers. They're also fragrant -- so be sure to give this beauty a spot where you can easily sniff it.
Name: Pink Yuletide Camellia sasanqua 'MonDel'
Growing conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained acidic soil
Size: To 10 feet tall and wide
Zones: 7-10
Source: monrovia.com
Photo courtesy monrovia.com
A lovely shrub for gardeners in mild-winter climates, Steel 'N Stars fuchsia shows off dark green leaves that have a metallic-silver overlay. The foliage is accented by its bright rosy-red flowers. Enjoy it in beds or borders -- or let it shine in container plantings.
Name: Steel 'N Stars Fuchsia microphylla
Growing conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide
Zones: 8-11
Source: heronswood.com
Photo courtesy heronswood.com
While the name sausage vine may not inspire you to go out and immediately buy this plant, its attributes likely will. It's a shade-loving evergreen vine that blooms in late winter and early spring, producing clusters of strongly fragrant pink blooms. Then in summer, it has interesting pink, sausage-shape fruits that give it another season of interest.
Name: Holboellia coriacea 'Cathedral Gem'
Growing conditions: Part shade and moist soil
Size: Climbs to 25 feet
Zones: 6-10
Source: monrovia.com
Photo courtesy monrovia.com
Discovered by plant explorer Dan Hinkley near a remote village in Nepal, this stunner of a vine features attractive divided foliage, lavender-purple flowers with a cinnamon scent, and unique purple fruits.
Name: Holboellia latifolia 'Ritak'
Growing conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Climbs to 15 feet
Zones: 10
Source: monrovia.com
Photo courtesy monrovia.com
I might think about these plants in about ten years when the Lowes,HD, or wall-mart start carriering some of them. thay have run off all the locals who might get this cind of stuff
4/15/2011 08:17:46 AM Report AbuseBombshell Hydrangea has been a great plant. It is the MOST compact (less than 2 feet tall) and it blooms at my home from June until frost. This is so much better than the same old boring plants.
3/18/2011 01:59:53 PM Report Abuseinvincibelle Spirit hydrangea is the MOST fabulous, Glorious flower/bush I've EVER seen!!
12/4/2010 09:08:28 AM Report Abuse