‘Must Have’ shrubs for 2007

This company is the one that brought us the beautiful ‘Black Lace’ elderberry for instance. It was the talk of the Chelsea Garden Show in 2003, having intense purple-black finely cut foliage that puts one in mind of Japanese maples.

For 2007 there are other shrubs causing excitement. ‘My Monet’ is a new dwarf weigela with a tight habit and colourful foliage. It can be used in an artistic drift along the edge of an annual or perennial bed or as an accent piece. The variegated pink, cream, and green foliage is just as attractive as the spring flush of flowers plus the blooms attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

A bright yellow-green Euonymus called ‘Blondy’ has a big splash of pleasing yellow and a thin dark green margin on each leaf. This is a beautiful neat-growing shrub with superb hardiness and sunburn resistance. ‘Blondy’ is a colorful evergreen that looks great all year long and doesn’t sprawl like other euonymus.

‘Summer Wine’ is a new ninebark that combines fine texture and compact branching. Smaller than other ninebark varieties, ‘Summer Wine’ is an easy way to introduce wine colored foliage into the home garden. It is fast growing and has few, if any, pest problems. In early June, it blooms with white button-like flowers that accent the leaves nicely. The bark on older plants exfoliates into papery strips. The fruit is beautiful in the fall and the shrub is drought tolerant.

Butterfly bushes are tempting to grow for the pretty-winged insects they attract, however some can be very ‘rangy’. The English Butterfly series provides a solution with ‘Peacock’, ‘Purple Emperor’, and ‘Adonis Blue’.

Developed in England, these three new cultivars are just now making their way across the Atlantic. They are only a third the size of other butterfly bush varieties, extra bushy and loaded with colorful rich pink, mauve or deep blue flowers. The compact size of these new cultivars is perfect for smaller gardens and the mixed border. They can also be used in containers in milder climates. The plants are deer-resistant.

There will be many more Proven Winners ‘ColorChoice’ shrubs on the market this spring. These plants are born and bred for multiple seasons of interest of flowers, foliage, bark, seed heads or other attributes. Experiment with one in your garden this year.