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Landscape Design in Rockville MD: Include Hardy Shrubs

The landscape design for your Rockville MD home should include hardy shrubs. Why?

Hardy shrubs add so much to your garden; they provide visual depth, seasonal change, and some even provide food for birds and other animals. Selecting the right shrub may seem challenging; here are some beautiful low-maintenance options to consider for early summer through winter:

Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus Parviflora) - One of the best summer-flowering shrubs for shade areas, this shrub blooms for weeks from early to mid-summer, and hummingbirds and butterflies love the white flowers with pink filaments. The leaves go from bronze, to dark green to shades of yellow in fall.

Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea Arborescens) - A favorite of many gardeners, the Smooth Hydrangea has large, snow balls (up to 12 inches across) that brighten shady areas and bring life to the garden from midsummer to early fall. Blooming for weeks, the pom-poms go from lime-green to cream to brilliant white for weeks, then back to pale green in late summer before switching to a tan shade in fall. The pom-poms are lovely in dried flower arrangements.

'Midwinter Fire' Dogwood (Cornus Sanguinea) - This is a shrub that has something special for every season. Fragrant tiny white flowers appear in late spring that will attract butterflies. These flowers transform into clusters of dark purple berries in summer that are very attractive to birds. By the fall, there’s a golden foliage followed by branches and stems that start out yellow at the base of the plant and gradually turn bright orange, then to crimson red towards the tip of the plant.

Red Chokeberry (Aronia Arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima') - Easy to grow and beautiful nearly all year round, the Red Chokeberry begins it’s show in the spring. Early butterflies and pollinators are attracted to the nectar of the white to light pink flower clusters that appear along the branches. The flowers are followed in late summer by abundant clusters of red berries that last through the fall and well into winter (these berries can be made into jams and jellies.) The glossy dark green leaves turn a brilliant red in fall.

For more information on including these and other gorgeous shrubs in the landscape design for your Rockville MD home, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. For over 30 years, East Coast Landscape Design has designed and installed landscapes in Rockville MD and the rest of suburban Maryland that enhance our clients’ lifestyles and the beauty of their homes.


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