Shrubs For Shade: “My Bark is Worse than my Bite . . “

Owning a home can be one of the most enjoyable things you will ever do, and keeping the outside looking beautiful will help maintain its value.  Many people come to visit us looking for landscape ideas for entrances that are shaded.  Either by large trees or by the angle at which the home was built, the front entrance to the home finds itself in the shade most of the time.  There ARE many plants that can perform well in the shade.  In a series of articles, we’ll share with you some strong SHRUB choices for shadier environments.

A brief reminder on the difference between “shrubs” and “perennials”.  Shrubs, unlike other perennial plants such as tulips or peonies, produce woody growth.  That means they produce growth NEXT SEASON on the growth they produced this year.  As opposed to the aforementioned tulip and peony which die down to the ground and come up again in the Spring.

The Ninebark genus gets its name from the idea that a person can count “nine layers” on the exfoliating bark of its branches.  Ninebark has attractive tri-lobed foliage in varying colors.  Among our favorite varieties are Dart’s Gold, Little Devil, Amber Jubilee, and Summer Wine.

As with other desirable foundation plants, these Ninebark varieties are compact hybrids that have a mature height of no more than six feet.  The shortest of them is the Little Devil.  With a surprisingly fast growth rate for a compact shrub, the Little Devil will reach its mature height in just about one season.  Stopping at just about four feet, the Little Devil has dark chocolate to deep green foliage.  Small half-inch diameter white flower clusters can cover these shrubs in mid to late June.  The fall foliage of Ninebark is stunning!  Strong hues of oranges and reds make these attractive choices for all-season interest.

Darts Gold Ninebark (Photo Credits: Bailey Nurseries)

Dart’s Gold is chartreuse to a yellow variety of Ninebark that also has a compact habit.  The slower growth rate on Dart’s Gold often means easier maintenance.  The same white flower clusters appear in June and can last until mid-July.  The yellow foliage turns coppery hues in the fall.

Amber Jubilee was bred in Canada and is one of many dwarf cultivars on the shrub market.  Jubilee’s coppery summer foliage turns a rich bronze to purple in the fall.  Topping out at six feet this shrub is also a great choice for foundation plantings.

Perhaps the tallest of the varieties we’ve mentioned the Summer Wine has dark chocolate foliage similar to the Little Devil.  The familiar white flower is also present with this shrub in June which can look striking against the dark foliage.  Achieving a maximum height of six or seven feet Summer Wine could be a fantastic choice as a foundation plant or short hedge.

Something that often goes ignored with shrubs is the need for routine maintenance.  Annual pruning of shrubs has its benefits when attempting to keep them looking lush and healthy.  Woody plants eventually develop bark and stems become hard.  This is expected of trees, but shrubs often can look undesirable with leaves on top and stems down below.  As your Ninebark shrubs mature, after three to five years, consider removing 20% of the thickest stems you can find all the way down to the soil level.  This will allow light and air to penetrate into the shrub canopy and both reduce opportunities for pests and disease as well as improve the overall look of the shrub.