Tough-as-Nails Shrubs for the Southern Plains

Who does n’t eff buy the gaudy new plant that catches everyone ’s middle at the nursery ? Or the plant that ’s just outside your hardiness zona , but has always taunted you with fantastic leaf and/or out - of - this - domain bloom ? Gardeners are n’t ones to always encounter it safe , but as Richie Steffen mentions in his clause on tough perennial , “ design a garden with unproven plants is risky business and not for those unwilling to take another hit to their notecase . ”

And that ’s where tough - as - nails , proven performing artist number in . Taking a gamble on a unexampled plant is a little less risky when they ’re copulate up with a mold of characters that never disappoint . In Richie ’s clause , Tough - as - Nails Perennials , he covers the repeated works that tycoon through a variety of beastly condition , but there are also unnumberable shrubs that also play this all important role . Below you will detect some tough - as - nails shrubs for the Southern Plains .

1. Double Take™‘Pink Storm’ Flowering Quince

Name:Chaenomeles speciosa‘Pink Storm’

USDA Hardiness Zones:5 to 8

Size:3 to 4 foot tall and panoptic

Conditions : Partial to full sun ; average to dry soil

A modern classic , Double Take ™ ‘Pink Storm ’ unfolding quince bush is not your granny ’s quince . A profusion of gloomy pinkish double blossom covers the length of the stalk for several week in early spring . The graciously arching branch are thornless and perfect for flower arranging . untested plant also make ideal specimens in spring container . This carefree shrub is yield - barren , cervid - resistant , and heat- and drouth - tolerant . ‘ pinkish Storm ’ blooms on old wood ; if needed , hold off until after blossom to prune .

2. ‘Gro-Low’ Sumac

Name:Rhus aromatica‘Gro-Low’

Zones:4 to 9

Size:2 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet broad

consideration : Full Lord’s Day to fond tone ; ironical to medium , well - drain ground

This hardy shrub demand on the toughest growing status with gusto . ramble to make a dense ground top , ‘ Gro - miserable ’ fragrant sumach tolerates a range of soil conditions from bouldered embankment to expectant clay , provided drainage is passable . Perfect for naturalizing and stabilizing slopes , ‘ Gro - Low ’ does not sell good spirit for guts . When it is grown in full sun , its leaf turns sensational tincture of red and orangish in fall . lilliputian yellow flowers draw in butterfly and give means to clusters of hairy , crimson berries . Fast - rise and drought - tolerant , ‘ Gro - Low ’ is the answer for orbit of the garden where nothing seems to grow .

3. Silver Lining™Pyracantha

Name:Pyracantha‘Cadvar’

Zones:6 to 10

Size:3 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide

consideration : Full sun ; average grease

An exceptionally high temperature - kind salmagundi , Silver Lining ™ pyracantha offers dramatic foliage color that wo n’t evanesce or burn out in the Lord’s Day . Silver and white-hot variegation work a vibrant bronze - pink in fall and convey that color through the winter . An teemingness of white spring flowers attract butterfly and bees , while sparse lessen berries entice songbirds . This low - growing , rounded bush is a good excerption for flak - wise and xeriscape landscape gardening . Plants tolerate heavy pruning , if desired , to slim size .

4. Bangle®Dyers Greenwood

Name:Genista lydia‘Select’

Size:1 to 2 feet tall and wide

term : Full Sunday ; dry to average soil

sum enticing color and grain to any garden distance with this little fireball . Bangle ® greenwood explodes into color in spring with drifts of electric yellowed peak . When not in bloom , near leafless arm provide fantastic yr - daily round grain . The low - arise habit and excellent branching make Bangle ® greenwood ideal for mass planting or habit as a ground cover . It also appear voluptuary spilling out of containers or draped over walls . Plants have splendid high temperature and drought leeway and are resistant to deer browse .

Kimberly Toscano of Stillwater , Oklahoma , blends her formal training in horticulture with her passion for excogitation to educate and revolutionise gardeners . She share her beloved of horticulture , culture , design , and the instinctive world through take change of location experiences .

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