Regional Picks: Showy Shrubs – Southern Plains

See regional plectrum for showy shrubs , and read the clause by Paul Cappiello for even more idea .

“ Show - stopping shrubs — you acknowledge the kind . You ’re lead a radical of friends around the garden , and they ’re politely succeed you with gin and tonic in script , oooing and aaahing in slimly hushed tones . And then it happens . They spot something in the distance that cast the whole shebang into chaos . The formerly demure and proper garden folk are discombobulate sharp elbow as they compete for the good path to whatever it is that caught their corporate eye . After all , they ’ve got to be the first to Instagram the heck out of it . ” Read moreShow - Stopping bush .

View the whole accumulation .

1.Sapphire Surf™ Bluebeard

Caryopterisxclandonensis‘Blauer Splatz’

Zones:5–9

Size:1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Conditions : Full sun ; average , well - drained soil

Native Range : Mongolia , China , and Japan

Sapphire Surf ™ bluebeard shines with rich blue flush that cover the industrial plant from head to toe in tardy summer through autumn , putting on a show when the rest of the garden is nose down . Plant masses of this low - maintenance shrub , and pollinator ( butterflies , bees , and hummingbirds ) will enjoy them almost as much as you . Bluebeard provides a hardy choice to rows of lavender ( Lavandulaspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) used to trace walkways — and it also has aromatic leafage . This shrub refuse deer and lapin browsing and is drought large-minded once ground . The thick habit is perfect for container too .

2.Funshine®Abelia

Abeliaxgrandiflora‘Minacara1’

Zones:6–9

Size:2 to 3 foot tall and wide-cut

Conditions : Full sun to partial shade ; moist , well - drained soil

Native Range : Interspecific crossbreed ; parent blood line from China

I have intercourse abelias for their hardiness and versatility . They bridge over sun and shadiness seamlessly , tolerate even the toughest planting sites , and are exceedingly deer resistant . And with radiant foliation and trumpetlike bloom , they never stop show off . The owing leafage colour and tidier habit of Funshine ® abelia offer even more to love . you could expect glossy , lime green leaves frost with golden yellow , marmalade , and caramel brown hues . thrust in fragrant lavender blooms teeming with butterfly and hummingbird , and you have one unconvincing bush . And honorable of all , it ’s easy to arise .

3.Summertime Blues™ Chaste Tree

Vitex‘Helen V. Froehlich’

Size:5 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide

Conditions : Full sun ; average to moist , well - enfeeble stain

Native Range : Interspecific hybrid ; parent lines strange

Finally , a bush - size chaste tree ! Summertime Blues ™ packs everything we love about chaste tree diagram and repackages it into a manageable , rounded bush of staring delight . Oversize blue - violet flower daze on stalwart black shank , attracting butterflies all summer long . The blossoms are also sterile , so there ’s no need to worry about boney seedlings . Improved hardiness allows gardener as far northwards as Chicago to enjoy this excerption , while reducing the risk of wintertime die back in the southerly states . first-class drought tolerance makes Summertime Blues ™ apotheosis for the hot , ironical summers plebeian throughout our region .

4.Night Light™ Hinoki Cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa‘Conschlecht’

Zones:5–8

Size:4 to 5 foot tall and wide

Conditions : Full sun to partial shade ; adaptable to a wide-eyed range of a function of soils

Native Range : Japan and Taiwan

This evergreen plant smasher shines like a beacon . In full sun , the dramatic yellowed - green foliage glows in golden hues along the leaf tips and demonstrates remarkable ohmic resistance to warmth and burn . Dense layer of monotone , fan - shape arm constitute a loose , rounded mound that makes a adorable accent or focal power point . The plant takes on a bronze coloration in wintertime and displays good winter hardiness , tolerating wind and wintertime burn . Night Light ™ hinoki cypress is an first-class pick for yr - round color and structure .

Kimberly Toscano is a garden couturier and pedagogue from Stillwater , Oklahoma .

ok Gardening Recommended Products

Scotts Cordless Grass - Shear / Shrub - Trimmer Combo

hunky-dory horticulture receives a mission for particular purchase through links on this web site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising program .

Funshine Abelia

Photo: Courtesy of Bailey Nurseries

ARS telescope Long Reach Pruner

Gardener ’s Supply Company Large Garden Tubtrug

Get our late tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos charge to your inbox .

Sapphire Surf Bluebeard

Photo: Courtesy of Bailey Nurseries

Signing you up …

Regional Picks: Showy Shrubs – Midwest

Regional Picks: Showy Shrubs – Southeast

Regional Picks: Showy Shrubs – Northeast

Regional Picks: Showy Shrubs – Northwest

Join ok Gardening for a loose rent springy webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned flora diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technical managing director …

When I recognise a particular gumption dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few calendar month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delicious color pattern …

When we only prioritize works we want over plants our landscape painting needs , each time of year is filled with a never - end list of chores : pruning , top , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Funshine Abelia

Photo: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden architect Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trigger on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …