ake away the must-have multiple offerings of the genus Viburnum, and the mandatory spring bloomers Forsythia and Flowering Quince, and there aren’t many deciduous shrubs worth having in the landscape. There are two specimines, however, that hold off blooming until later in the spring that have merit in a sunny location in a medium to large home landscape.
Sweet Mock-orange
Mock-orange, Philadelphus coronarius
What makes Sweet Mock-orange, Philadelphus coronarius, such a delight is its clean, dark-green foliage all summer long. The clean, pure-white flowers are equally appealing, but as I have said before there has to be something else to carry the plant through the rest of the season. A pretty face isn’t enough. There must be either very attractive foliage, bark, berries, or fall color. In some ways this plant just barely makes the cut, because the foliage is not stunning, just attractive by way of its afore-mentioned foliage and tidy appearance. It responds reasonably well to trimming in the late spring, after the bloom period is past. Otherwise you can leave it, if you have the room, to let it take on a more free form. Our specimen on the west side of the house has reached ten feet high and maybe five feet across. The blooms do have a modestly fragrant scent; certainly not overpowering.
Beauty Bush
Beauty Bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis
Kolkwitzia amabilis is a close relative to Glossy Abelia. Unlike its nearly-evergreen cousin, Beauty Bush blooms only once, but what a show. The blossoms are super sized, and they cover the entire bush. Because the branches arch gracefully out and down, the best way to display this gem is to trim it up rather high so that the multi-trunk base is exposed so you can see the peeling bark on the larger wood. There is no fragrance here, but the display for a couple of weeks is a show stopper. The rest of the year you have an attractive vase-shaped shrub with tiny leaves, whose peeling bark and arching branches make it attractive all year round. At ten to twelve feet high and eight feet across at the top, Beauty Bush needs a good bit of sunny space for best presentation. It’s not for a small yard.
Have a good weekend. Don’t forget to put the sun screen on. And don’t forget to meet with God’s people this coming Lord’s Day.
