Types of Native Shrubs and Hedges

Wintergreen Boxwood

Wintergreen Boxwood is popular for hedges and formal garden designs due to its dense, glossy green foliage and rounded growth habit. It is a small evergreen shrub. It is a popular evergreen shrub commonly used in landscaping for its outstanding attributes. This compact and versatile plant hails from the Buxaceae family and is native to Japan and Korea. Its name, 'Wintergreen,' is derived from its glossy, dark green leaves, which retain their vibrant color throughout the winter months, making it an attractive option for providing year-round interest in gardens and landscapes. The Classic Appeal of Wintergreen Boxwood Wintergreen Boxwood is an excellent option for landscapers looking for a medium-sized shrub. This plant consists of narrow, deep brown stems with a thick coating of small, green leaves. It can grow to around three feet in height and five feet in width. This plant's dense hedges and elegant appearance allow it to work well in any area where you want a traditional shrub. Attractive Leaves of Wintergreen Boxwood The main appeal of this plant is its extensive greenery. The entire shrub contains small, oval-shaped leaves that grow every inch or two along the plant's stems. The leaves have a smooth appearance, minimal veining, and a very regular shape. They're a deep green color, one shade darker than emerald green. This thick mass of green leaves gives the shrub a very even appearance, making it a lovely backdrop for other items in your landscape. It has an understated elegance that can complement any location. It is a favorite of gardeners because it is happy to take on whatever shape you desire. Many people like to trim this shrub into tidy cubes or orbs that line their fences, sidewalks, and walls. Some gardeners also enjoy pruning it into cones or other decorative shapes to create an eye-catching focal point on the landscape. If you prefer to leave it natural, it creates dense, oval shrubs that are an excellent filler for tree borders or more extensive flowerbeds. Lush Color All Year Round With Wintergreen Boxwood As you can tell from the name of Wintergreen Boxwood, one of its main characteristics is its ability to stay green throughout the winter. As an evergreen, this shrub looks bright and beautiful no matter the time of year. It doesn't change colors in fall, and its leaves won't fall off in the winter. Instead, it provides a touch of brilliant green to your landscape every season. This cheerful burst of greenery can keep your garden lively throughout the year.

Forsythia

Forsythia has vibrant yellow, bell-shaped flowers that bloom profusely in early spring before their green leaves emerge, creating a striking burst of color in gardens and landscapes. It is a deciduous shrub widely appreciated for its abundant and vibrant yellow flowers that herald the arrival of spring. It offers numerous landscaping benefits, making it a popular choice for gardens and outdoor spaces. One of the primary advantages of incorporating it into landscaping is its early-blooming nature.  The Golden Color Forsythia Forsythia is unparalleled in filling yards with a profusion of golden colors. Their early-season blossoming is so abundant that it covers landscapes in a kaleidoscope of yellow hues, signaling the arrival of spring. Pollinators that emerge during the first signs of spring rely on the nectar produced by these blooms. Seeing these colorful, bell-shaped blossoms arranged so closely together along the stems is breathtaking. They can reach eight to ten feet in height and ten to 12 feet in width. Their bark is rough and gray-brown. They can be erect, rounded, mounded, or arching. Their branches can be straight or curved. You can plant them as focal pieces or in mass groups. Yellow To Purple Foliage With The Forsythia In addition to their showy yellow blossoms, they alter their leaves with the seasons. The leaves transition from green to yellow to purple depending on the time of year. They stay primarily green during the summer and transition from yellow to deep purple hues throughout late autumn, right before falling to the ground. These plants go dormant in the winter. They, particularly the more significant types, are shrubs that proliferate, often reaching a height of two feet in only 12 months. Because they grow fast, they can quickly fill empty spaces in gardens and landscaping. Their fast growth also makes them work well as natural privacy screens. You can even grow them as hedges and borders for gardens and driveways. Their rapid growth also increases their resilience to environmental stresses. Design a Border With Forsythia In addition to their use as natural hedges and borders, forsythias provide a great deal of creative flexibility in design. Planting them side by side along a garden path will cause them to grow inward, creating a natural archway. Some people use them to create focal points. Others use them to help with soil stabilization on sloped banks because of their deep, complex root systems that retain topsoil.

Purple Swamp Rose Mallow

The Purple Swamp Rose Mallow is a shrub known for its large, striking, funnel-shaped lavender flowers with a prominent central stamen and glossy green leaves. It is a popular ornamental plant. This shrub presents many advantages when incorporated into landscaping designs, offering a blend of aesthetic, ecological, and practical benefits that make it a prized choice among landscape designers and homeowners.  Purple Rose Mallow, also known by their family name, Hibiscus Moscheutos, are stunningly gorgeous flowers characterized by their two different shades of lavender. They instantly add a sense of elegance to any yard and will keep returning year after year. The Beautiful Flowers Of Purple Swamp Rose Mallow The first thing you'll notice about these colorful flowers is that they're trumpet-shaped, and no other flowers look pretty like them. They're also sometimes referred to by their common name, rose mallow, although their name is a misnomer. Most of these flowers will grow into their characteristic royal hues but can also become pink, red, white, yellow, or orange. Either way, they open beautifully to put themselves on display. Aside from the flower's petals, a cluster of white shoots out from the middle. This five-lobed capsule contains seeds and will excite your local bees. Aside from the flowers, the shrub they grow on produces alternately grown leaves with lobed margins. These multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs can grow up to 15 feet tall. The mixture of these rich, dark green leaves and bright flowers creates a stunning contrast that would look fantastic on any property. Provide Homes for Wildlife With The Purple Swamp Rose Mallow Aside from looking gorgeous, planting one of these shrubs will also attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees to your yard. This makes a special treat for bird lovers, especially those who haven't been able to attract hummingbirds onto their property. Shrubs are also a vital part of the ecosystem and offer a place for pollinators to gather one of the main ingredients of life. Make Your Yard Pop With Purple Swamp Rose Mallow Whether you're a big fan of their purplish-blue color, want to attract wildlife, or want instant curb appeal, you'll get what you're looking for when you plant Purple Hibiscus. If you've ever driven down a street and witnessed flowers that took your breath away, you know exactly how these will make everyone else feel. They can't help being showy, and you'll be happy.