I have a couple golden Ninebark and the fall colours this year were fabulous. I don't know if everything lined up right this year to create that display, or if the shrub has finally matured enough (3 or 4 years old from a small one gallon planting). I've always been impressed with the golden in the early spring, that leaf colour has to be the freshest looking leaf going.

I also wouldn't be without the Diabolo Ninebark - love that leaf colour!

I haven't yet met a spirea, dogwood or lilac that I didn't like. I really love plants that know how to take care of themselves. Any of the Spirea bumalda, in particular, I'd have to call my favourite all season shrub - from the first leaf appearing to the fall colour-up and everything inbetween, there's always something of interest or changing on them.

This past season I planted a Viburnum lantana 'Mohican', and (if all goes well) I think I'm really gonna like it - for those thick leathery leaves if nothing else.

I'm also liking the purple leaved Berberis - I have a couple different ones but can't remember the names. They leafed very early, provided good contrast in the summer, and turned flaming red in the fall. Gotta watch those thorns, though.

The plants I will suggest...maybe not "new", "unusual" or uncommon but I think that they go quite micely in a perennial bed.

I like all the miniature spireas to add in beside the perennials. And besides, the deer that wonder through my acreage seem to not like to eat spireas. The series is called the carpet series...I have a green carpet and the sparkling carpet. I picked them up at Canadian Tire one year. In 2001 I bought them. Moved them in 2003 and divided each into 3 plants. They only grow under 12" high.

Also there is a miniature lilac that I bought a couple of years ago that is still very miniature...check out charisma.

Philadelphius - Mock Orange - is an attractive shrub and the flowers smell absolutely wonderful. They look nice too if you like white.

I have a forsythia that looks inoffensive in summer and blooms in late winter/early spring - so early I always seem to get a layer of snow on the yellow flowers. Not that it does them any harm mind you. It's nice in that it's the first thing to flower. It's pretty slow growing for me and doesn't need much pruning. I have only had it 4 years.

For fall colour, I just love good old cotoneaster!

Nanking cherry is a really nice, if short-lived, fruiting shrub. Flowers are great and cherries make great jelly. I have several scattered around my yard, but for some reason they just up and die sometimes. So I let a few grow when the birds plant them.

I guess none of these are really unusual either... sorry.

I really like my Sambucus "Sutherland Gold". It's not as gold as it could be because it's in light shade, but it's very graceful-looking. I'd like to get another one to plant in sun and see if the leaves are more gold. This fall i planted a Purple-leaf Sandcherry. It's only a couple of feet high, but very striking.

We have two Nanking cherries that are about 15 years old. They are nice shrubs, all around, and do produce some fruit some years if they haven't been nipped by a late spring frost. That being said, there were several dead areas on each tree this year, and i think it was my fault for digging too close to the roots. :(

I'd second Pudge's recommendation of 'Diabolo' ninebark! Very showy leaves, very fast growing, and their spikey, rather dead-looking branches are kind of interesting in winter.

I'd also recommend sweetberry honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea)...I don't see many of these around, though they are very hardy. The cinnamon-colored bark provides winter interest, as compared to so many of our hardy shrubs with grey or otherwise dull bark. I also find the angular, almost right-angled, branching habit and leaf shape kind of interesting. Another plus is that they are extremely early to leaf out. They seem get to just under 6' tall (I think ours have finally topped out!), and form a neat, well-rounded shrub.
One could also look up the cultivars that are being marketed as "honeyberries". Although we don't have any of these, I expect they are much the same in appearance as our old ornamental variety, with the exception probably of a heavier bloom (though still pretty insignificant in appearance) and better fruit (although the article in the Winter 2005 The Gardener for the Prairies suggests there is still a lot of variability in fruit quality among these selections).

I also like Diervillea lonicera, for the beautiful coppery and bronzy tones of its leaves. The flowers are subtly attractive, though not outstanding, and it has no particular winter interest. Its suckering habit, which we have started to see evidence of, is handled easily enough just by pulling out the suckers. There may be some die-back in winter, though it does the plant no harm to treat it as a perennial, cutting it to the ground each spring. I believe this species is native to Manitoba?

Genista pilosa (or Cytisus pilosa) is interesting too. We've had 'Vancouver Gold' for many years; it has the habit of a very low-growing groundcover. It's evergreen and very hardy. During its relatively long bloom period in spring (tulip time), it's very showy, covered in golden pea flowers.

Rosa primula is very hardy, and in some years (but not all), it puts on a terrific show. The branches (which are otherwise gangly and thorny) look like thick cylinders of closely-packed primrose-yellow, lemony-scented single flowers.
We've already talked a couple of times about the year-round value of red-leaf rose, Rosa rubrifolia, so I won't push that one again, LOL!
Rosa pimpinellifolia (or R. spinosissima) is also very hardy and lovely in bloom, covered with single white or pale yellow blossoms. Strangely enough, people passing by don't seem to recognize these as roses, and often ask what they are. The hips are black and abundant, although they don't seem to stay on as long as on red-leaf rose. The leaves are quite tiny, and therefore a bit different, and interesting. Alas, all the species roses I've mentioned are single bloomers, but still very worthwhile, IMO.

So what small or dwarf conifers are people growing? We've had a 'St. Mary's Broom' spruce for some time, and it has done very well...this spring, it actually started developing a leader... which we cut out to keep it "dwarfed" and rounded.

Malus 'Thunderchild' Ornamental Flowering Crabapple. I'm sure Doris will chime in with this medium size tree too! LOL

I also green thumb up with the 'Diabolo' Ninebark, will have to look for the Golden one now too ;)

Sharon

One that I have is a weeping Norway spruce. It is still rather small but I have hopes for it over time.
Mugo pine can be pruned to an attractive bonsai-like tree. I have seen overgrown Mugo pine with interesting form.
I grow red-twig dogwood largely for the colored stems in the winter.
One of my "must have" shrubs are the Rugosa roses. They have flowers all summer, yellow leaves in the fall and big red hips.

I keep looking at Corkscrew Hazel Corylus avellana "Contorta" but get put off by the price of the ones at the nursery.

There are a number of Burning Bush Eunymus nanus around here and they put on a good show in the fall.
The town has some Scotch pine. They have interesting shape and the orange bark is attractive as well.

Ian

After a tour through the yard, I'm reminded of another subshrub that is underrepresented, for no reason I can think of, in local plantings - cliffgreen (Paxistima canbyi). Again, it's very hardy and somewhat unusual too, in that it's evergreen. (It also has the mysterious but intriguing common name of "ratstripper"!)
The flowers are insignificant, but it's nice to have some greenery in winter. It's well suited for planting among perennials in part sun (at least that's where mine are), and spreads slowly. Here's one in a picture from March, 2005:

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On the same note of evergreen shrubs, I'm sure some of the people who corresond on this forum are growing the hardier rhododendrons and azaleas. If not, I'm not sure I'd recommend them unless you like doing some extra fussing, but anyway... We've had a single specimen of 'PJM' rhodo for about 8-9 years now (although the various 'Lights' series azaleas we tried died of dehydration through the winters). Depending on your conditions, they may require winter protection (a burlap tent is adequate here, though we have stopped protecting ours through the last couple of winters). We've also ceased any measures to try to acidify the soil around it (although I expect a humusy layer has built up), but it seems to do as well as any I've seen in these parts. Again, this pic is in March/05, but the flowers are nice too, of course.


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Diablo is a fine ninebark that grows quite a bit larger than what was originally thought. It is SO darkly colored that you may find it difficult to manage design-wise in the garden. On the other hand if you're like me (a collector),who puts design on the back burner, that wouldn't matter much.

I suspect sweetberries and honeyberries are the same. Back in 2000, I got my first honeyberries(Lonicera kamchatka cvs.) from One Green World. Now they list the same cultivars as L. caerulea. ABgardeneer is right in that they are extremely variable, and in just about every characteristic. I grow 4 cultivars: Berry Blue is upright-smaller leaved and more tart berries, Blue Velvet is squat with larger, downy leaved and huge sweeter berries(but less of them), Blue Bird is middle of the road with these characteristics. Bloom time is variable too. Since they are not self fruitful, it is necessary that you choose cultivars with bloom times that match. I bought my first three when apparently not too much was known about this, and found Blue Velvet bloomed much later than my other two, and some years it produced hardly a fruit. Now I have Blue Moon to pollenate with it. But they all bloom extremely early, relatively speaking. If you want the fruit, you'll have to net them to prevent bird predation (at least I have too). And I have found in my climate 4a, they could be considered invasive. The first few years I allowed the birds to feast, and I had seedlings coming up everywhere. But now that I net them, there is no problem. In your zone 3 they might be just fine. Still, an ounce of caution . . .

Corylus avellana 'Contorta', if you want to try, a plant on it's own roots would be a must. Most are grafted, and it is quite difficult to find the counterpart. Here in 4a MN it is not uncommon for it to die back every few winters if it is not sited correctly. So I don't know that I would even venture a grafted one up there.

Paxistima canbyi is strangely vacant in gardens. I even learned it in college back in the late 70's/early 80's. So it has been around, but I would still classify it as an unusual. Here they grow tighter than ABgardeneer's photo, and form a little shrublet.

For evergreens, I think any dwarf Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) should do fine. I'll bet you could even get away with one that turns yellow in winter, like 'Gold Coin'. Pinus sibirica and Pinus cembra (especially ssp. sibirica) grow quite slow even as a species. They or their cultivars would be good choices. Someday, someone would even get edible pinenuts from them.

Although Picea abies species is very hardy, some of the dwarfs are not so, and it would be hit and miss. Judging from the abuse my P.a. 'Parsoni' has received, it would be a good choice. It was sold to me as 'Gregoryana Parsoni', which is an invalid name. Whether it is actually Gregoryana or Parsoni might still be dabateable, but I have decided on Parsoni.

I would also consider Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Nana'. It is IMO, the hardiest of all false cypress. I have several filifera types, and all laugh at -36F, so I am guessing the hardiest could do fine with your -40F. Sadly, your out of luck with any of the fernleaf types, as they barely make it here.

There are a few really dwarf Amur maples out there. I think one has "elf" in the name.

Euonymus hamiltonianus sieboldianus, the Yeddo euonymus with its decorative capsules. Zone 4, but worth a try in my book. I have seed (and for E. bungeana) if you (or anyone) would like to try. Bungeana is listed on the NDSU site. My seed would be from 'Pink Lady'.

How about the many willows that you could cut down and renew each year? Even your native pussywillow would be nice, and a great host plant for several butterfly larvae too. I don't know if Hakuro Nishiki would make it up there, but I bet the similar Salix cinerea 'Tricolor' would.

Seneca Hill Perennials last year listed Amelanchier alnifolia var. pumila in their catalog. A three foot serviceberry, zone 3. Very nice.

And all the Viburnums too: dantatum, trilobum. They are more common, but can't be beat for all season interest.

Rick

You all are awesome. I am printing these lists and going to research where I might be able to purchase some of these. Thank you!!!

'PJM' rhodo - I did not think it was hardy to our area. I might have to try one of these.

Conifers - I have just recently started collecting dwarf conifers in the last several years. I've picked up quite a few here and there mostly the unusual ones which I will list below. One frustration I have regarding conifers...there is not much information regarding there mature height and widths. Not even in the Amer. Conifer Society web page. Some of them do have specifications listed for a 10 year plant, but even this is rare.

Abies Veitchii 'Glauca'
Picea Abies 'Frohburg'
Picea Abies 'Hildburghausen'
Picea Glauca 'Pendula'
Picea Omorika 'Bruns Weeping'
Picea Pungens 'Blue Pearl'
Pinus Mugo 'Jacobsen'
Taxus Media 'Maureen'
Picea Glauca 'Witch's Broom'
Thuga Occidentalis 'Columbia'
Picea Abies 'Inversa'
Juniper Skyrocket (Juniperis Scopulorum Skyrocket)
Japanese Dragon Eye Pine (Pinus densiflora oculus dragonis)
Horsford's Dwarf White Pine (Pinus strobus Horsford's Dwarf)
Louie Gold White Pine (Pinus strobus Louie)
Pinus bankslana 'pendula'
Pinus densiflora 'Golden ghost'
Larix decidua 'Cherry valley'
Tsuga canadensis 'Geneva'
Pinus parviflora 'Zuisho'
Larix decidua 'pendula'

I also have quite a few miniature ones that I have planted in a rock garden. I did join the ACS in hopes of learning more about these plants. With the slow rate of growth, it is hard to learn much about them quickly, lol.

Mature size for dwarf conifers is very subjective. They are not what people think or necessarily what they want: something that grows to a size and never goes beyond. The "dwarf" here means slow growing. Of course, there are varying rates of growth, but they will never stop until they die. If you find data on growth rate (per year or years) it is a more meaningful statement then maturity. And of course how it grow in Minneapolis compared to what it does in Oregon, is very different. I generally say Minneapolis has half the growth of Oregon, and you farther north even less. Many dwarf conifers are so new that a "mature" size (if there was one) couldn't be given anyway.

Ladylotus, your list is quite impressive. I truly lust after a Picea omorika 'Bruns Weeping'. My Pinus densiflora 'Oculus Draconis' survived for about 5 years. I just planted out a Taxus x media 'Maureen'. How long have you had yours?

Rick

My Taxus Media 'Maureen' will be going through its second winter. Last winter I did not know to have it in a protected spot and it sun scorched or wind burned very badly. However, I was able to baby it along this summer and now have it surrounded with bags of leaves. This Spring I am going to move it along my house foundation in hopes that might be a better location. I did not want to move it until it was healthier.

I like a bit of the unusual conifers and not the 'Christmas' tree types. I've poured through catalogs and websites in hopes of reading about something unique. Rick, I've started my conifer obsession about 4 years ago and will continue to add to my collection as I run accross them.

I had the pleasure of visiting a wonderful gentleman in Iowa who was the president of that regions conifer society. He toured me through his amazing yard. He had a very small yard that was jam packed with conifers. It was breath taking. I hope one day to have even a fraction of that beauty. His yard made me realize that when perennials disappear during our long winter months, that he still had a pleasing garden to view.

I still have a rather long 'want list' and a rather thin wallet. lol

I put my Maureen on the east side of my garage, no extra protection for the winter. It's going to make it or not.

How about this....not sure what it is? Does anybody know
Konrad
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Sure looks like a nightshade, Solanaceae family.

Moss says that matrimony vine, Lycium halimifolium is an introduced rare escape, and here is one photo that seems similar:

http://www.bgard.science.ru.nl/images/35395522.jpg

Or possibly another introduction, Lycium barbarum (however Moss does not note the introduction of this species in Alberta)...see the attached site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lycium barbarum

Not familiar with too many nightshades, but it is not the bitter nightshade that is a prevalent European invader here. Actually, at first it looked exactly like it; but then I looked at the way the berries were held - along the stem, rather than bunched at then end. In addition, individual Bitter nightshade flowers are never individually attached to the stem, nor in the leaf axils.

And it's certainly not any of the annual types that grow down here. But their flowers DO individually attach to the stem.

So I conclude only that I only know what it is not(!) And so glad I could be of help. LOL (But the Lycium sure looks promising.)
Rick

Rick, that was the first thing I thought of too (Solanum dulcamara, etc.), but it doesn't fit, as you said. Then I thought of bittersweets...oriental bittersweet et al, but it's not Celastrus either, since they appear to have fruits in clusters.

Also crossed off twisted stalk (Streptopus spp.) since the stems are so delicate and jointed (unlike the photo), and it's herbaceous, not woody.

Here's Moss' description of the nightshade, Lycium halimifolium:
-shrub (i.e. woody), sparingly branched, nonhairy, often spiny at the nodes; branches slender, recurved-drooping, sometimes climbing; leaves with stems or not...(unfortunately we have no leaves or flowers in the photo so I'll skip those descriptions but you can see pictures if you Google); fruit an ellipsoid berry, scarlet or orange-red, 1-2 cm long.
(E. H. Moss, Flora of Alberta, 2nd Ed.)

Konrad, have you seen this plant in summer? If it is a Lycium, the leaves and flowers would be extremely distinctive as compared to any native species.
Or would there happen to be any old leaves still hanging on it, out of the picture? (The thin stems with a few leaves and some tendrils in the picture, hanging on the woody curved branch, appears to be a vetch, and is not part of the plant in question). Does it have any small thorns at the places where the fruit stalks come off the main stem?

By the way, Konrad, that is an excellent photo!

Thank you all!
Lori
You're incredible!...BANG ON!.... Lycium barbarum L

You must have searched for ages to find out?

Well... in the meantime, I have found out the Chinese Name: Fructus Lysii
[from my Wife]

I know, this shrub is valued by the Chinese, because of it's medicinal properties.
Have gotten it from Chinese friends about 10 Years ago.. In this pic, just taken recently, there is another kind growing within....that made it even harder for you to figure it out! This other species, I think is of the same family? I don't think it ever had fruit, but it flowered a bit.
This one on the pic, the berries as you see, [that was all I had this Year], some Year more, some Year none.
The plant dies back almost to the ground every year but it grows nicely, ones it recovers in spring. [The other kind grows like weed]
Normally, we pick the berries and eat them fresh, [you can also eat the leaves] or have it in soup. This year I left them on because there where only a few and it seems the shrub itself is suffering from something? I'm going to propagate some again to keep it alive.
Konrad

And I just received my One Green World catalog, and what did I see on the back cover? Lycium barbarum-Wolfberry.
"Also know as Goji Berry, this Chinese native . . . grows to about 6 ft. . . . Light purple, bell shaped flowers . . . eaten fresh or dried like raisins . . . among the highest in antioxidents . . . contains all esential amino acids and minerals.

And it doesn't seem that birds go after it since you have such a good pic of the berries? Curious. And quite promising.

Hi there,

I dont have Âmaureen but do have taxus media ÂhicksiiÂ. North side of the house, no winter sun, but heavily wrapped for winter. ItÂs done quite well. But, seeing that itÂs zone 3 and this is a zone 4 plant, I find that sometimes even using regular burlap isnÂt enough. Sometimes the pointy Âneedles stick through the burlap and winter burn. For this reason I have used a thick wool blanket. This year I got a huge box and am trying that method. I didnÂt winter mulch, but I do ensure lots of snow is piled around the plant. But thatÂs here zone 2b/3 and I know I will always have to wrap it.

My chamaecyparis pisifera filifera 'Sungold' survived last winter fine. ItÂs short and was buried in snow, however.

I love my thuja occidentalis Âyellow ribbon but here too I wrap every winter as the golden foliage ones are more subject to winter burn. Oddly, however, there is a hedge of some variety of golden thuja a few blocks over, and they donÂt cover in winter at all. I am just wondering what variety that one is. I donÂt recall seeing them in spring (and seeing how much they winter burn) but I will have to keep my eye on those ones.

Has anyone tried Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety'? I planted one this past summer. Actually, if it winterkills to the ground that would be fine with me as I prefer it remain a smaller size.

Anyone tried Boxwood? I got buxus Âgreen mountain on sale in summer 2004. It survived one winter, though under very good snowcover (itÂs beside the deck, so gets buried in snow very early on in winter). If anything I thought the location might do it in, since it was fairly wet, but so far so good.

Does anyone know how diablo ninebark does in clay soil? My purple leaf sandcherry suffers from chlorosis almost every year (though in all honesty this summer was very wet). Was thinking of replacing it, but if diablo ninebark does the same thing I guess I wonÂt bother. Then again, I probably should try improving the soil around the shrub and see if that helps.

Glen

We talked about boxwood some time ago, however the post has since scrolled off into the ether. We've had one 'Green Mountain' for some time - this will be its 4th winter. It came through the first winter perfectly, which was quite amazing. The second winter the top half winter-killed. It had no significant winter-kill the third winter. We don't get long-lasting snow cover; most of our snow comes in March, if then.

All there is here is clay soil, and 'Diabolo' ninebark does well. I've never seen chlorosis on ours or any other specimen. However, we did live in Regina for some time and that clay soil (swelling clays) may be another thing again - maybe a bit of contouring to provide drainage, along with vast amounts of amendment, may help in some cases.

Does anyone plant any red-twig dogwoods (Cornus) with striking red bark in the Winter? I see Mytime has 'Siberian Pearls' and I'm especially wondering about the Fall and Winter color on that variety. Any others that are really striking? 'Cardinal'?

I have a thread in the Shrubs Forum with some pictures of these varieties that look too good to be true. (Drool, drool...)

Sharon

Those of you discussing the Chinse Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) should browse the Asian Vegetable Forum and join us. There are several existing threads on this topic.