Shrubs and trees provide color in the garden in the summer season. We want to share some of our favorite shrubs with you this month!

One of the most popular is the Hydrangea, which offers ball-shaped, panicle, and even lacecap flowers depending on what variety you select. Many Hydrangea flower heads dry well and can be preserved. Every year we see new Hydrangeas; there’s sure to be one for every gardener!

In our area, the Oak Leaf Hydrangea is native, and it’s not just the white flower panicles that are interesting. Its large oak-look-like leaves are green in summer and turn rusty red in fall. In winter, its exfoliating branches have their unique beauty.

Hydrangeas are not the only choice. Here are more shrubs that will light up the garden in mid and late-summer. Bottlebrush Buckeye is a large shrub that loves shade and sports large upright flower panicles in late summer. It’s dramatic and surprising in the garden. Clethra is a delicate, shade-tolerant shrub with slender white or pink flower heads that are a fragrant surprise in midsummer. Both these shrubs are great for soaking up excess water in wet, semi-shady spots.

Another shade-lover is Sweetspire, also called Itea, an open-form shrub with reddish green leaves and white flower panicles in summer. Pollinators also love this one. Itea’s leaves turn a stunning dark red in fall. Speaking of dark red – you can have this color in your garden all year long if you choose ’Royal Purple’ Smokebush, a large shrub with burgundy leaves that gets its name from plume-like panicle flowers. This shrub also comes with green or chartreuse leaves, depending on your selected cultivar.

Given all these choices, there’s no reason not to Embrace Your Space with Color! So come see us today and let us help you add one or more of these great shrubs to your outdoor space!