Flowering shrubs for the garden – our 87 favorites

Certain popular shrubs are found in many gardens and are therefore also produced in quantities so that the large garden centers can always offer enough of these shrubs. New cultivars are constantly being produced within the common plant species, of which the latest are (should) be made public favorites through advertising. Because these latest breeding sensations are not always convincing and it takes a while for disappointments to get around, a list of the shrub favorites from the advertising trade is always a bit of a “snapshot”.

Below are the favorite shrubs that are found in conventionally managed gardens, with particularly proven cultivars and particularly sensational new breeds:

A

• American pod, Ilex meserveae, most popular varieties ‘Blue Angel’, ‘Blue Maid’, ‘Blue Prince’, ‘Blue Princess’, ‘Heckenfee’, ‘Heckenstar’, ‘Golden Gem’, ‘White Cream’

B

• Bladder spar, Physocarpus opolifolius, preferred in the ‘Dart’s Gold’ variety or as a devil’s shrub ‘Diabolo’
• Bloombux, rhododendron hybrid, new breed, easy-care rhododendron that combines “lush flowering in June with good properties similar to those of boxwood”
• Flower Skimmia, Skimmia japonica, popular cultivar ‘Rubella’
• Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens var. Arborescens, variety that is resistant to boxwood shoot death

D

• Fat man, Japanese ysander, Pachysandra terminalis, easy-care low green for every occasion
• Scented jasmine filled, Philadelphus ‘Snowbelle’, popular pipe shrub hybrid with large, white, fragrant flowers

E

• Ivy, Hedera helix, in the ‘Arbori Compact’ variety, is brand new as a dwarf shrub
• Yew, Taxus, especially as cup yew T. media ‘Hicksii’ (popular hedge plant), pyramidal yew T. media ‘Hillii’, columnar yew T. baccata ‘Fastigiata Aureomarginata’ + ‘Fastigiata Robusta’

F

• Firethorn, Pyracantha, the hybrids’ Orange Charmer ‘,’ Red Column ‘and’ Soleil d ‘Or’ are popular
• Spruce, Picea, especially as cone spruce P. abies ‘Acrocona’
• Lilac, Syringa, preferably as dwarf lilac S. meyeri ‘Josee’
• Forsythien, Forsythia, gerne als reichblühende Forsythia x intermedia ‚Lynwood‘
• Five-finger shrub, potentilla, hybrids ‘Abbotswood’, ‘Klondyke’, ‘Princess’ and ‘Red Ace’

G

• Gorse, Cytisus scoparius, popular cultivars ‘Lena’, ‘Boskoop Ruby’, ‘Luna’; C. hybrids x praecox ‘Albus’, ‘Allgold’
• Common loquat, Photinia fraseri, usually shines in the ‘Red Robin’ variety
• Goldliguster, Ligustrum ovalifolium, shows beautiful leaf color in the popular ‘Aureum’ variety
• Elms, Ulmus, especially as golden elm Ulmus carpinifolia ‘Wredei’

H

• Hahnenkamm Sickle Fir, Cryptomeria japonica, in the varieties ‘Cristata’ + ‘Pipo’ a welcome Japanese guest with very idiosyncratic foliage
• Dogwood, cornus, flower dogwood C. kousa ‘China Girl’, variegated white C. alba ‘Elegantissima’, yellowwood dogwood C. sericea (stolonifera) ‘Flaviramea’, redwood dogwood C. alba ‘Sibirica’ (also called variegated ‘Variegata’) ), Carpet Dogwood C. canadensis
• Hibiscus, Hibiscus, with the coveted new hybrids ‘Blue Bird’, ‘Afrodita’ and ‘Lady Stanley’
• Hydrangeas, hydrangeas, convince primarily as ball hydrangea H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’, oak-leaved hydrangea H. quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’ and panicle hydrangea H. paniculata (‘Bobo’, ‘Candlelight’, ‘Limelight’, ‘Little Lime’, ‘Vanille Fraise’ ‘)

J

• Japanese azaleas, Rhododendron x obtusum, ‘Diamond’, ‘Diamond Red’, ‘Geisha’
• Japanese golden orange, Aucuba japonica, popular is ‘Variegata’
• Pods, Ilex, mostly as Japanese pods I. crenata (‘Blondie’, ‘Convexa’, ‘Dark Green’, ‘Edens Paradise’, ‘Glorie Gem’, ‘Mariesii’, ‘Twiggy’), columnar pods I. crenata, Fastigiata ‘, Hybrid pod Ilex x altaclerensis (‘ Golden King ‘)
• Japanese dwarf cherry, Prunus kurilensis, ‘Brilliant’ + ‘Ruby’

K

• Pine, pinus, Japanese white pine P. parviflora (‘Negishi’ and ‘Glauca’), curved pine P. mugo var. Mughus, dwarf pine P. mugo var. Pumilio, columnar black pine P. nigra pyramidata
• Cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, in the cultivars ‘Etna’, ‘Genolia’, ‘Herbergii’, ‘Mount’ and ‘Vernon’
• Button bush Cephalanthus occidentalis, novelty from the North American continent
• Corkscrew hazel, Corylus avellana, ‘Contorta’ is the name of the garden star among the hazel bushes

L

• Arborvitae, Thuja, especially as the gold-tipped arborvitae T. plicata (‘Aurescens’) or the small Hiba arborvitae T. dolobrata (‘Nana’, ‘Variegata’)

M

• Medlar, cotoneaster, mostly as cotoneaster C. dammeri (‘Queen of Carpet’, ‘Streibs Findling’), loquat C. dammeri radicans, crawfish C. x suecicus (‘Coral Beauty’)
• Muschelzypressen, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Zwergsorte ‘Nana Gracilis’

P

• Wig bush, Cotinus coggygria, of the ‘Royal Purple’ variety has not long adorned German gardens
• Portuguese laurel cherry, Prunus lusitanica, a fairly new alternative to Prunus laurocerasus (on the blacklist of invasive neophytes in many regions)

R

• Ranunculus, Kerria japonica, the emission-resistant flowering shrub from Asia is particularly popular as a double ‘pleniflora’
• Rhododendrons are popular in a wide variety of species and cultivars / hybrids, which are sometimes also offered under the synonyms alpine rose and garden azalea:
• Rhododendron luteum, popular varieties are ‘Berryrose’, ‘Daviesii’, ‘Fireball’, ‘Klondyke’, ‘Golden Eagle’, ‘Nancy Waterer’
• Among the rhododendron hybrids from an unnamed parentage, the varieties ‘Alfred’, ‘Blattgold’, ‘Cunningham’s White’, ‘Diadem’, ‘Dufthecke’, ‘Goldbukett’, ‘Goldworth Yellow’ and ‘Nova Zembla’ are particularly praised
• R. ponticum (‘Graziella’, ‘Variegatum’), R. Roseum (‘Elegans’), R. yakushimanum (‘Anuschka’, ‘Fantastica’, ‘Silberwolke’) and the fragrant R. viscosum (‘Framingham’, ‘Lemon Drop’, ‘Millennium’) are among the favorites of hobby gardeners
• Dwarf rhododendrons, gladly planted and available from R. camtschaticum, R. impeditum (‘Moerheimii’), R. repens (‘Baden Baden’, ‘Scarlet Wonder’), R. russatum (‘Azurika’, ‘Gletschernacht’)
• The Inkarho company refines rhododendrons on lime-tolerant substrates so that they can grow in normal garden soils. Theoretically, every rhododendron can be refined on a base such as ‘Cunninghams White’. B. ‘Azurro’, ‘Berliner Liebe’, ‘Brasilia’, ‘Furnivall’s Daughter’, ‘Goldflimmer’ and ‘Nova Zembla’

S

• Säckelblume, Ceanothus impressed, myist in der Sorte ‘Victoria’
• Shadow bells, Pieris japonica, ‘Carneval’ and ‘Mountain Fire’ are the favorites
• False cypress, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, is particularly impressive in the ‘Columnaris Glauca’ variety
• Schmetterlingsstrauch, Buddleja, v. a. Hybride (‚Black Knight‘, ‚Border Beauty‘, ‚Cardinal‘, ‚Empire Blue‘, ‚Sungold‘, ‚White Bouquet‘) und Zwergformen (‚Buzz‘, Blue, Dark Pink, Ivory, Midnight, Pink Purple)
• Snowball, viburnum, preferably as winter snowball V. bodnantense (‘Dawn’), pillow snowball V. davidii, Chinese scented snowball V. farreri and Mediterranean snowball V. tinus (‘Eva Price’)
• Siberian pinnate sparrow, Sorbaria sorbifolia (‘Sem’)
• Spier shrubs, spirea, especially as snow spar S. x arguta (crossing of several species of spar), splendid spar shrub S. x vanhouttei and dwarf spar (S. japonica ‘Golden Princess’, S. bumalda ‘Anthony Waterer’)
• Spindle bushes, Euonymus, as winged spindle bush E. alatus (novelty from Asia with bright red foliage), creeper E. fortunei (‘Gaiety’, ‘Emerald Gold Gaiety’), spindle tree E. japonica (‘Aurea’, ‘Bravo’, ‘ Marieke ‘)
• Thorn-leaved scented flower, Osmanthus heterophyllus, popular varieties ‘Aureus’, ‘Purpureus’, ‘Rotundifolius’, ‘Variegatus’

T

• Peat myrtle, Pernettya mucronata, mainly varieties with berries (‘Alba’, ‘Coccinea’) and cultivated foliage (‘Purpurea’)
• Lavender or grape heather, Leucothoe axillaris (‘Curly Red’, ‘Scarletta’)
• Tulip magnolia, Magnolia x soulangiana, old French hybrid breed, is currently facing competition from Magnolia ‘Genie’

W

• Juniper, Juniperus, preferably creeping juniper J. media (‘Old Gold’), small coastal juniper J. conferta (‘Blue Pacific’, ‘Slager’), rocket juniper J. scopulorum (‘Blue Arrow’), carpet juniper J. horizontalis ( ‘Glauca’, ‘Golden Carpet’) and dwarf juniper J. squamata (‘Blue Star’)
• Willows: Usually as harlequin willow Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’, cat willow Salix caprea ‘Pendula’ and Swiss willow Salix helvetica
• Weigelien, Weigela, especially the cultivars ‘Bristol Ruby’, ‘Monet’, ‘Nana Variegata’ and ‘Red Prince’

WITH

• Witch hazel, Hamamelis intermedia (‘Aphrodite’, ‘Feuerzauber’, ‘Westerstede’)

Return to nature

What the majority of Germans perceive as a traditional shrub is planted from around 1950 – as soon as the economic miracle started, the good old hazel bush was “out” and completely new bushes were imported from other continents. In their homeland, these imports are in lively exchange with their environment; this give and take is largely lost in the new environment. That is why imports usually bring hardly any profit for the indigenous nature, but simply survive (because the basic principles of plant metabolism work globally).

The exotics with the great flower or leaf colors hardly offer any shelter to local wild animals and it is not uncommon for the local insects to leave the garden hungry; For experts, in addition to the monocultural intensive agriculture, which is dependent on the use of pesticides, this is a cause of the currently observed insect mortality and the decline of our songbirds.

These are dramatic and harmful developments that do not leave German citizens indifferent, which is why it is precisely the native bushes that are being rediscovered. The gardeners who want to do something good for nature by planting their garden, instead of foreign / bred cultivars, plant (at least also) original, native trees, such as those listed below with special features and advantages:

B

• Beagle rose, Rosa spinosissima, food for insects, rodents, important soil stabilizer

E

• Mountain ash, rowanberry, Sorbus aucuparia, flowers for insects, berries for birds and humans
• Vinegar rose, Rosa gallica, animal protection and nutrient wood, flowers for rose oil, medicinal water and tea

F

• Buckthorn, Rhamnus frangula, bee pasture, bird seed, orange-red autumn colors, natural remedies
• Field maple, Acer campestre, absolutely city-proof, decisive hedge wood, natural remedies
• Field rose, Rosa arvensis, pet food, bird protection wood, edible rose hips

G

• Common barberry, Berberis vulgaris, fruit is food for painted ladies, bumblebees, bullfinches, grosbeak, dormouse (and for humans, e.g. dried like raisins), sought-after breeding wood
• Common rock pear, Amelanchier ovalis, bird food and nesting trees, edible fruits can be eaten from the bush
• Common privet, Ligustrum vulgare, caterpillar food for privet hawkers, bird fruits
• Snowball, Viburnum opulus, flowers for insects, fruits for birds

H

• Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, fairly storm-proof hedge trees, floor maintenance, offers privacy almost all year round
• Hazelnut, Corylus avellana, provides delicious nuts that also feed on birds, rodents, beetle larvae and caterpillars
• Northern pike rose, Rosa glauca, leaves purple, in autumn yellow-orange-red
• Dog rose, Rosa canina, see field rose

K

• Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas, flowers early in the year, edible fruits
• Buckthorn, Rhamnus catharticus, food for butterflies, fruit for blackbirds

L

• Lavender willow, Salix eleagnos, fast-growing wicker or building material, early bee pasture

M

• Medlar, Mespilus germanica, rose family with edible fruits

THE

• Ear willow, Salix aurita, see Lavender willow

P

• Euonymus europaeus, food for bees, beetles, birds (especially robins), can look very nice: bit.ly/2rjRVgD

R

• Red honeysuckle Lonicera xylosteun, important food for butterflies, berries are eaten by birds
• Red dogwood, Cornus sanguinea, food for caterpillars, birds, small flies, fruit can be cooked
• Red elder, Sambucus racemosa, flowers, berries, leaves for insects, birds and gourmets

S

• Common willow, Salix caprea, early bee pasture, wild animal and insect food, cover shrub
• Sea buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides, bird nutrients, tolerate salt, edible fruits are vitamin C bombs
• Sloe, Prunus spinosa, food for insects, birds and hares, wood for protection against birds
• Black elder, Sambucus nigra, tolerates salt, flowers for insects, berries for birds, both for humans
• Pedunculate oak, Quercus robur, very important for many animal species, also as a narrow columnar oak Q. r. ‘Fastigiata’ or ‘Columna’ with stiff, upright side shoots

W

• Wine rose, Rosa rubiginosa, food for birds and butterflies, fruit edible
• Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, C. oxyacantha, bird protection wood, food for birds, rodents, insects, coffee substitute and natural remedies
• Wild apple, Malus silvestris, food supplier for many insects and rodents
• Wild pear, Pyrus communis, edible fruit, food for insects, rodents and hedgehogs
• Wild blackberries, Rubus fruticosus, impenetrable privacy screen on the trellis, fruit edible
• Woolly snowball, viburnum lantana, leaves for beetles, flies and wasps, berries for bank voles, birds, wood for archers

These shrubs also have pretty flowers and fruits, which sometimes look a little more inconspicuous than some exotic ones, but harmonize with the flowers and fruits of every other native shrub. In addition, there are mostly flowers and fruits with added value; if they are not or not so digestible for humans (or only as medicine), they at least feed some native animal.

And with the native trees, you can achieve the diversity that is really important in an environmentally friendly or environmentally beneficial garden planting at the lowest possible cost. If no ecologically oriented nursery has (re) opened in your area, there are certainly cuttings somewhere in the area (with which you can come to your bushes for free or for a small gift).

The real advantage for professional home gardeners lies elsewhere, however: If you forego some of the known, high-maintenance plants, a carefully laid out, near-natural garden is hardly any work, but “takes care of itself”. When a few plants that require a lot of care do end up in the garden, the care brings more than beauty, namely food directly from the plant to the table, while fruits, vegetables and herbs from the supermarket shelf have started to break down vitamins right after the harvest.

Even if some nutrients are long-lasting: If 25% vitamin C is broken down per day, you can calculate the vitamin C content of the “freshest fresh produce” that goes straight from the farmer to the shop (if it’s not a farm shop, 1- 2 days), is sold for several days and first takes a long nap in the refrigerator at home. Rock pears, sea buckthorn and rose hips are happy to help out in this emergency.

Conclusion
When it comes to their favorite shrubs, Germans seem to divide themselves into two camps today: “Conventional” exotic species or real native nature. Both factions can wonderfully coexist; where in the long run the original bushes usually prevail because they bring multiple benefits at low cost and minimal maintenance.