4 NEW Easy Care Shrubs to Look For

Recommended level of gardening maintenance….

I'm a lazy gardener. I want to enjoy my garden – not be a slave to it, which makes me really picky when it comes to selecting plants.

You'd think by now that I'd have enough plants wouldn't you? Funny how we always find an excuse to go shopping come spring. Something has always been moved, eaten, or succumbed to drowning (as I write this it is raining AGAIN and I am considering building an ark). In other words I NEED a few things for the garden.

My criteria is that they have to be deer resistant, drought resistant once established, and low maintenance.  With that in mind I've been reviewing some of the new offerings for 2018.

Here are my top contenders.

Electric Love weigela

The first dark leaved weigela with RED flowers! Photo credit: Bloomin' Easy

This got my attention when I noticed the dark foliage – and also the red flowers; a new combo. Weigela are a favorite of mine , with a proven track record for performance and an easy going attitude, and this color scheme would certainly work in my garden too – what about yours? (Incidentally if you want dark leaves and pink blooms they also have a new one just for you! You can read more about both these new introductions from Bloomin' Easy here.)

Bloomin' Easy tells us this Electric Love weigela gets just 1-2' tall and 3-4' wide so consider it as something for the front of the border or even in a pot! Really pretty cool. Hardy in USDA zones 4-8

Wasi-Sabi doublefile viburnum

Wasi-Sabi doublefile viburnum – exciting new dwarf introduction. Photo Credit: Proven Winners, Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc.

I've had my eye on this for some time as it promises to be a superb foundation plant. This is a dwarf version of the popular but much larger doublefile viburnum. It still offers the distinctive layered habit, stunning, white, lace-cap hydrangea-like flowers and fiery fall color, but at just 2-3 feet tall it can be comfortably placed under most windows. The shrub spreads 3-4 feet wide so you can enjoy those horizontal tiers. Kudos to Proven Winners for a shrub that the home gardener truly needs. USDA 5-8. You can see the rest of their 2018 shrub introductions here. (There are some stunners!)

Cool Blue ceanothus

Cool Blue ceanothus – romance in a pot. Photo credit: Sunset Plants

Oh this is soooooo tempting. Maybe I can find a spot that is warm enough?? Or maybe I'll grow it in a pot? Cool Blue ceanothus is my color, it has gorgeous foliage, and it passes my criteria for deer resistance and drought tolerance in spades. My only hesitation is that the hardiness rating is 7b-10 (I'm 6b, 7 on a good year). Maybe I'll get one anyway, just to test it for you! Major brownie points to Sunset Plants for producing a knockout shrub though, and at a demure 3-4' tall and 4-5' wide is much easier to fit into the typical garden then the well known but much larger variety Victoria. Just imagine this in one of my blue containers.….

First Editions® Virtual Violet® Lilac

Inhale deeply and slowly……. If you love lilac but are frustrated by their susceptibility to mildew check out this new introduction from First Editions. The foliage emerges deep violet on dark purple stems then matures to a dark, glossy green while the color of those blooms is every bit as bewitching as the perfume. At 6-8 feet tall and 5-7 feet wide this has a good upright shape making it suitable for hedging or as a stand alone shrub. I DEFINITELY need this one! I have the regular, old-fashioned lilac (Syringa vulgaris) in my garden and while it smells divine the foliage gets horribly disfigured by disease. I also have a dwarf variety which is very pretty  but the flowers don't really have the 'wow' factor that Virtual Violet clearly displays.  Hardy in USDA 3-7. If you want to see the rest of the new introductions that Bailey's Nursery has this year, including their First Editions shrubs, check out this link.

Availability

Be aware that some of these are new to growers in 2018 so they will become available to retailers beginning in summer/fall in limited quantities with much more volume growth beginning in 2019. But I know you love to see what's just around the corner and start planning for new treasures!

MORE Low Maintenance Plants

Do you know how to tell a potential garden thug from a well mannered guest? The tags don't help much! That's why I've created this short online course:

Secrets to Selecting Low Maintenance Plants

This will save you money, time, and frustration. Find out more

Make this the year you transform your garden from one that takes all your time and energy to the restful oasis you've always dreamed of.