What type of bush or shrub would you plant in full sun....zone 5?

Hi,


I ran across this site while looking for a similar thing for Zone 6b--you won't believe some of the cool old fashioned and newer varieties! Hope you won't mind people stopping to ask what you have:)





Here's a sample form the site below--











Abelia chinensis - Chinese Abelia; 5-7'; Zone 7-9; Full Sun to Partial Shade; Flowers July-September, White, Fragrant, on new seasons growth. Excellent species for butterflies. Introduced 1844.





Abeliophyllum distichum - White Forsythia; 3-5'; Zone 4-8; Full Sun to Light Shade; Flowers February-April, White, Fragrant; Nice companion shrub for forsythia, not as showy, but nice color.





Asmina triloba - Common Pawpaw; 15-25'; Zone 5-8; Full Sun to Shade; Flowers April-May; Purple; Fruit is edible with a taste similar to that of banana; Grows mostly along streams and rivers; Native to the Southeast US; Introduced 1736.








Buddleia davidii - Butterfly Bush; 6-10'; Zone 5-8; Full sun; Flowers June through frost in variety of colors on nodding spikes 5- 12" long; Flowers on new growth; Prune to 8" during dormancy; Fast growing, when cut back will reach 5-10' by midsummer. Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Good specimen plant or informal hedge. Introduced 1890.





All these and more from:





http://www.greenehill.com/owners.htm








PS I ended up with a Berberis darwinii %26amp; an Osmanthus x burkwoodii--no one else around here has those :)





Happy hunting!


gg

What type of bush or shrub would you plant in full sun....zone 5?
Rose of Sharon is beautiful if somewhat invasive. Definitly hardy!


My sister has some with the biggest purple flowers. So tropical looking! And nice that it blooms a little later in the season. Right when summer is in full swing! Also comes in white and pink.





Smoke bush. 3 seasons of interest. Nice specimen plant. Very


interesing to look at.





Spirea. Weeping habit that blooms in Spring. Or you can prune the heck out of it. It can be a hedge. But i enjoy the natural look of it, plant just one or two in a strategic location for best affect. Mine are planted at the L and R corners of the front yard and really define the space.
Reply:I live in zone 5b. I planted a Rose of Sharon about three years ago and I love it. The leaves are a beautiful shade of green when they emerge in the spring and then in the summer you get non-stop flowers. I also have a butterfly bush, and a hydrangea that didn't bloom this year. I love them all and they all do very well with me and my heavy clay soil... even though no blooms on the hydrangea.
Reply:I live around the zone 5/6 border, so I am very familiar with plants of that hardiness. I would plant a Viburnum. In my opinion the best representative of the species is called Doublefile Viburnum. There are many good cultivars of this species, but here are two of the best:





Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Shasta'


Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Summer Snowflake'





Here is a list of attributes:





- Tough as nails (tolerate harsh sun and freezing winters)


- Beautiful flowers in late spring


- Excellent foliage quality


- Nice fall foliage color (Burgandy)


- Get red berries in the fall


- No pruning required





Check out a picture: http://www.marysplantfarm.com/_photos/sh...





Other excellent plants to consider are:





Hydrangea paniculata


Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark)


Weigela florida


Clethra alnifolia