Spring Shrubs

Dr. Gary Bachman: Believe it or not, there are other spring flowering shrubs besides azalea. I'll describe a few of these today on Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Dr. Gary Bachman: An uncommon spring flowering shrub is white forsythia, abeliophyllum distichum. This shrub has a growing habit of being multi-stemmed with arching branches on leafless stems an abundance of white flowers that may have a tinge of pink is spectacular. The size of white forsythia will be three to four feet wide and up to six feet tall in full sun or light shade. This is a great companion plant for the more common border forsythia.

One of the first shrubs to bloom in late winter is the vernal witch hazel, hamamelis vernalis. The flowers are spidery in appearance and selections range in color from solid yellows, oranges, and reds. The flowers have a pungent fragrance and persist up to three to four weeks. Vernal witch hazel is a dense multi-stemmed shrub up to 10 feet high and greater in width.

A good companion plan for the old fashioned shrub border is Mock Orange, Philadelphus coronarius. The flowers open in late spring and fill the air with its sweet fragrance. The flowers are a pure white with a multitude of yellow stamens. Mock Orange will grow 10 to 12 feet tall and wide.

Spring flowering shrubs should be planted in rich well drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Since spring flowering shrubs form their flower buds the previous summer and fall, you should always wait to prune these shrubs until after flowering to fully enjoy their ornamental benefit. Multi-stemmed shrubs should be thinned on a yearly basis by removing the oldest third of the stems. This will maintain your shrubs youthful appearance and keep you young at heart with their spring flowering beauty.

I'm horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.