Friday, March 18, 2011

Early Blooming Shrubs



Even though roses are by far the dominant shrub I grow, I appreciate other flowering shrubs. I especially like seeing a progression of blooms throughout the year. I have therefore planted a few shrubs which bloom well before the roses and add a lot of early spring interest to the garden. They break up what would otherwise be rather monotonous borders, and provide contrasting foliage and (most of them) an evergreen screen in winter - an important consideration for my suburban garden.


My evergreen azaleas are the first to start blooming at the end of February.


Even though they put on a good show in spring, azaleas are not really well suited to our climate, tending to suffer from chlorosis in our alkaline soil and losing leaves to our dry summer heat.


My five plants require acidifying soil amendments and a lot of water. After roses, they are probably the highest maintenance plants in my garden.


Every summer I wonder whether I should rip them out, and every spring I think perhaps I will keep them for awhile.


My next early-blooming shrub is a double bridal wreath spirea (spiraea cantoniensis Flore Pleno), another shrub I seem to either love or hate. It is stunning just before peak bloom when fluffy white pom-poms are interspersed with tiny dots of buds.


In full bloom, the bush seems to be dripping with snow, and the thin canes bend under the weight of the flower clusters.


The rest of the year, however, it is not pretty. It is lanky and spreading, and while at home in a big informal woodland garden, is hard to fit into my small yard. Cutting back results in lots of naked growth on the lower stems and is not good-looking either. Add to that aphid infestations and burned leaf tips, and by the end of summer it is really not an asset to the garden anymore. But it is easily my favorite garden plant when in bloom and I will not get rid of the two I grow.



The last plant on my list is Chinese Fringe Flower, loropetalum chinense. Most garden varieties have either pink or purple blooms with greenish to purple foliage and one looks much like another.


I also grow the species, which is my favorite because of the subtle contrast between white flowers and lime-green foliage.


I like the tiny buds which look like fists that gradually open up their narrow twisted petals, four to a flower.


This plant is handsome year-round, unaggressive, shapely, very tolerant of pruning and wonderful in bloom.


These three shrub varieties help make early spring beautiful in my garden, creating a wonderful show just after winter-blooming camellias are done and before the glorious spring flush of the roses. When I see them in bloom, I know spring has finally arrived.

52 comments:

  1. Spring hath Sprung.

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  2. W Twoim ogrodzie już pachnie. U mnie jeszcze szaro, a właściwie to biało, bo spadł śnieg Pozdrawiam

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  3. They are very beautiful! You are so smart to have planted blooming shrubs that come prior to your roses.

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  4. Those blooms are very beautiful and not familiar to me. I imagine your garden must be attracting birds and butterflies at this time.

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  5. Thank you, Thibaud, it hath indeed:)

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  6. Thank you, Helen. I planted them so I won't have such a long wait for spring:)

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  7. Thank you, One. I am glad I showed you something you haven't seen before. I have learned a lot from your blog.

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  8. yeah I like the azaleas when they bloom. There are some that have pretty dark cool foilage, also. However I do not know if I will proceed with them this year. I think I might buy them at a box store when they are 3.00.

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  9. You and I have some of the same plants! However, your azaleas bloom much sooner than mine. I can't wait for the day when mine decide to make an appearance! Happy Spring to you. Carla

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  10. Yes, Greggo, I feel exactly the same. Mine never have dark foliage for long because it goes chlorotic so easily. It is a constant struggle to keep the leaves looking good.

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  11. I am glad we grow the same plants, Carla. It is nice to meet someone with the same taste.

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  12. I'm new to your blog and I'm looking forward to following your posts. Please visit my garden blog when you have a chance. Your roses and flowers are incredibly beautiful! I can imagine how peaceful your garden must be with the butterflies and birds. Great photography too. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  13. Thank you, Priscilla, for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment. I will definitely check out your blog.

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  14. Masha, you have the same problem with azaleas that I do, but I wouldn't be without them either. I have lost several because they don't like my soil, and a few others look bad most of the time. The ones growing in plain builder's sand do the best, much better than the ones in my native soil. I love the first photo. Do you remember the name? The other 3 look like ones in my yard. I used to have lorepetalum until roses came and moved them out. Your spirea is so beautiful. I wish I had room for it, but maybe it's for the best. Thank you for more lovely photos and insightful comments.

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  15. My problem is...I would mess up taking a picture of a concrete block...honestly. I do love viewing God's creation as captured through the camera of others and you have done that quite well. I have added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit my blog and become a follower also.

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  16. Your garden makes me dream..
    Roses are wonderful but a garden can't be built with this only plants.. The shrubs you choose are beautiful.. I like azaleas and "rhodendrons" too..
    Have a good day!
    Sophie

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  17. Very nice...I'm looking for a white loro.

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  18. ha ha, I understand your dilemma with the azaleas, I have that too.
    Your Chinese Fringe Flower, loropetalum chinense, which I've never seen, absolutely beautiful ..

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  19. I think early blooming shrubs put a little calm in our anxious souls waiting for the roses to bloom. I loved seeing glimpses of your garden. It looks gorgeous. Love that white loropetalum!

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  20. Thank you Sherry, for such a nice comment. The first azalea is Pink Bubbles. I have the same problem with other shrubs most of which had to go because of the roses. My husband is unmoved about the loropetalums - they are evergreen and they will stay (or else...).

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  21. Thank you, covnitkepr1, for you nice comment and invitation.

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  22. Merci beaucoup, Sophie. J'ai un rhododendron aussi, but it is doing even worse than my azaleas. It blooms much later too.

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  23. Thank you, Darla, I am glad you are, they are so lovely and unusual. I hope you find them.

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  24. Thank you, Marian. It makes me feel better to know others have problems with azaleas, too... I am glad you liked the loropetalums, they are great shrubs.

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  25. Thank you, Holley! You are so right, early spring is much more bearable this way. I am glad you liked my garden, thank you for the compliments.

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  26. What a lovely garden you have, thanks for sharing.

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  27. Thank you, Toyin, I am very happy to hear from you.

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  28. Your garden must be absolutely beautiful! It sure is from the small glimpse we get through your blog! How nice to have blooming shrubs in March! Happy Spring!

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  29. Thank you, Beth for your nice comment. My garden is always work in progress, as I am sure yours is too, but I am glad you liked it.

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  30. So lovely, so lovely...

    xoxoxo, cd

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  31. Dear Masha,
    What a color! They splash me from the computer.
    Your climate is not really suitable for azaleas!!!?? that I can definitely not seen on your photos!!, beautiful.
    I also have one in the garden, which blooms, but not as lush as yours.
    Masha,.. Beautiful pictures, I enjoyed it ... and go see more often.
    Kind regards, Elly

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  32. Such a beautiful spring show!!... your garden sounds so thoughtfully planned out.

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  33. Dear Masha
    I'm very happy because of this article, as I'm discvering a new tree. Thank you for sharing about Loropetalum chinense: I may plant it soon as it seems to be very interesting...

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  34. Dear Elly, thank you so much for your nice comment. My azaleas look good because I work on them all the time, amending the soil, feeding, watering. It is a fight to keep them looking good.

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  35. Thank you, Sweetbay, I am glad my garden produces such an impression. I don't think planning and working ever stops.

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  36. Thank you, Gabriel, and I am so glad I finally found a plant of which you don't know anything. So far you have been the one to surprise me with the wealth of your botanical knowledge.

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  37. I have pink Chinese Fringe Flower bush in my garden too. It is blooming now. But, of course, I had no idea what it's called. Now I know. Thank you, Masha!

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  38. You are welcome, Olga! They are such lovely shrubs, you have good taste:)

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  39. Masha ... when my garden grows up it wants to be just like yours - You really inspire me!

    I feel exactly the same way about my Azaleas - I don't like then when they are not flowering, and then every year when they flower I decide they are actually worth keeping. I absolutely love your double bridal wreath spirea - how gorgeous it is in bloom! What a joy your garden is. I am in totally in awe!

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  40. Thank you, Christine, for your wonderful compliments. I am glad I am not alone in my ambivalence about those azaleas. At least they like shade and don't compete for sunlight with roses!

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  41. Dear Masha,
    Your garden is beautiful and your pictures even more ! Not to mention the roses are wonderful, I love them soo much !
    Have a good day,
    Amitiés florales.

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  42. Merci, Laurence! Thank you for stopping by, I love hearing from you.

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  43. The first azalea photo looks like a rose. I really love the lorepetalum but it is marginally hardy in my zone 6 PA garden, and I don't want to take the chance. I used to have that spiraea in Maine, and I loved it---old-fashioned!

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  44. Thank you, Carolyn. Interesting that you call spirea old-fashioned, I never thought about it that way, yet maybe that's why I like it so much.

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  45. It is very interesting to visit your blog. I'm from Montreal Area, Quebec, Canada. And some of your shubs I have never eared about them, but very nice. Thank you for sharing.

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  46. Masha you may well be renowned for your Roses but you are certainly not a one hit wonder. The Azaleas do grow well in Scotland, but I have not heard of the lovely Chinese Fringe Flower.

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  47. Really big showtime!

    I am blessed to grow all the shrubs you showed in sandy acid southern soil including both white and vivid shades of loropetalum. This is the time of year when the most humble of abodes across south Georgia turn into fairyland behind great wads of azaleas and dogwoods.

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  48. Thank you, Sue, and that's why I like reading other people's blogs, I seem to learn a lot too. Do you have a blog?

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  49. Thank you, Alistair. You are lucky to be able to grow azaleas (and rhododendrons I presume?), they are such lovely shrubs. I think the Chinese Fringe Flower might need a warmer climate than yours.

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  50. Thank you, NellJean. I have never been to Georgia, but what you say reminds me of Dallas where we lived for two years. Every spring, they have gorgeous azaleas and dogwoods too. My azaleas never look as lush as theirs. Spring must be looking wonderful for you right now.

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I am so glad you have stopped by!