UACES Facebook Landscape Shrubs A - C by Scientific Name
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Landscape Shrubs A-C by Scientific Name

Scientific Name Common Name Comments 
Abelia x grandiflora
Thumbnail picture closeup of Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) leaves  Select for larger images and more information. 
 
Glossy Abelia
 
 
  • Size: medium shrub 5' tall by 5' wide; often wild sprays of stems
  • Flowers: May to fall, white/pink tubular flowers
  • Fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: broadleaf evergreen. Sometimes winter foliage is a deep maroon
  • Culture: full sun. Adaptable to most soils. Tough
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: foundations, masses
  • Cultivars: many including ‘Sherwood’, Confetti™, Sunrise™. (‘Edward Goucher’ is a hybrid)
Aesculus
Thumbnail picture of Buckeye shrub Select for larger images and more information.  
Buckeyes
  
  • Size: large shrub or small tree; 15-20’ tall x 15-20’ wide
  • Flowers: true red or white/cream
  • Culture: shady
  • Use: component of woodland garden
Aucuba japonica 'Variegata'
Thumbnail picture closeup of Gold-dust Plant (Aucuba japonica 'Variegtata') leaves and fruit  Select for larger images and more information. 
 
Gold-dust Plant
 
 
  • Size: medium shrub: 6’ tall by 6’ wide
  • Flowers: not showy, small, purple, terminal panicles, spring
  • Fruits: dioecious (plant either male or female), lipstick red clusters mid-winter on female plants
  • Fall color: none/broadleaf evergreen
  • Culture: partial sun to shade. Cold hardy in zones 7 & 8. Locate near protection in zone 6
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: tropical looking broadleaf evergreen. Make sure and purchase female clone
  • Cultivars: species has green foliage. Several outstanding variegated (yellow/green) foliage cultivars
Berberis julianae
Thumbnail picture of Wintergreen Barberry (Berberis julianae) shrub form  Select for larger images and more information.  
Wintergreen Barberry
  
  • Size: medium 5' tall by 5' wide
  • Flower: yellow flowers (not significant) March
  • Fruit: black fruit (drupe) not showy
  • Fall color: none/ broadleaf evergreen; Very spiny leaf margin
  • Culture: full sun. Soil tolerant. Tough
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: low hedge; block traffic

 

Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea
Thumbnail picture closeup of Redleaf Japanses Barberry (Berberis thunbergii var. atrupurpurea) small yellow flowers and leaves  Select for larger images and more information.  
Redleaf Japanese Barberry
  
  • Size: small deciduous shrub (3' tall by 3' wide)
  • Flowers: small, yellow, insignificant
  • Fruits: red, can be attractive in winter
  • Fall color: variable. Can be red-orange
  • Culture: full sun; drought tolerant
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: median strips, massed in beds, tolerates shearing
  • Cultivars: many. Most popular are red-purple foliage cultivars (e.g. 'Crimson Pygmy', ‘Concorde’, ‘Rose Glow’ purple foliage with pink speckling)
Buddleia (Buddleja) davidii  
Thumbnail picture of Butterly-bush (Buddleia davidii) bush Select for larger images and more information.
Butterfly-bush  
  • Size: medium to large deciduous shrub (10' tall by 10' wide)
  • Flowers: spectacular. Significant summer flower display. Flower colors white, pink, purple, yellow. Attracts butterflies
  • Fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: none
  • Culture: full sun. Soil adaptable. Drought tolerant. Tough
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: fast growing and large to requires space. Back of mixed shrub border. Low maintenance areas
  • Cultivars: many depending mostly on flower color
Buxus microphylla
Thumbnail picture of Littleleaf Boxwood (Buxus microphylla) hedge.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Littleleaf Boxwood
  
  • Size: small (3' tall by 3' wide) broadleaf evergreen
  • Flowers/fruits: not significant
  • Fall color: none/broadleaf evergreen; will go off color in late winter (dull orange)
  • Culture: partial shade to shade; must provide adequate water in summer. Best suited to Northwest Arkansas. Intolerant of wet/heavy soils
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: Tolerates shearing; excellent choice for formal garden
  • Cultivars: many. Most hybrids or cultivars of variety koreana. Reasons: tighter habit, better leaf color, cold hardiness
Buxus sempervirens
Thumbnail picture of Common Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) shrub. Select for larger images and more information.  
Common Boxwood
  
  • Size: large (12' tall by 12' wide) broadleaf evergreen
  • Flowers/fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: none/broadleaf evergreen
  • Culture: best in rich, moist soil, partial sun, but more tolerant of sun and heat than Littleleaf Boxwood (B. microphylla). Better suited to south/central Arkansas than Littleleaf Boxwood (B. microphylla)
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: screen/hedge
Callicarpa americana
Thumbnail picture of American Beautiberry (Callicarpa americana) leaves and red berry clusters  Select for larger images and more information.  
American Beautyberry
  
  • Size: medium (5' tall by 6' wide) deciduous shrub; native to Arkansas. Irregular habit
  • Flowers: insignificant, pinkish
  • Fruits: fall, spectacular, violet to magenta
  • Fall color: yellowish
  • Culture: partial sun to shade. Requires moisture to keep from wilting
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: naturalizing; does well in shade
  • Cultivar: white fruited from ('Lactea')
Calycanthus floridus
Thumbnail picture closeup of Common Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) red flower with green foliage.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Common Sweetshrub
  
  • Size: medium (6' tall by 8' wide) deciduous shrub. Irregular habit
  • Flowers: unique; May (sporadically into summer). deep red, 1 inch
  • Fruit: not showy
  • Fall color: yellowish
  • Culture: best in partial sun to shade. Best in rich, moist soil
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: naturalizing
  • Cultivar: yellow flowering form: 'Athens' ('Katherine')
Camellia japonica
Thumbnail picture closeup of Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica) red flower.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Japanese Camellia
  
  • Size: medium (8' tall by 8' wide)
  • Flowers: very showy. Flowers variable (single/double; white, pink, red); flowers typically January thru March. More likely to see flower bud damage on this than Sasanqua Camellia (C. sasanqua)
  • Fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: none/ broadleaf evergreen; Coarser leaves than Sasanqua Camellia (C. sasanqua)
  • Culture: best in rich, moist soil; partial sun; Best in cold hardiness zones 7 & 8
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: screen, back of mixed shrub border
  • Cultivars: many for variation in flowers (color, single/double)
Camellia sasanqua
Thumbnail picture closeup of Sasanqua Camellia (Camellia sasanqua) red flower with yellow center.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Sasanqua Camellia
  
  • Size: medium (8' tall by 8' wide) broadleaf evergreen
  • Flowers: very showy. Flowers late fall (Oct. thru Dec.). Typically flowers before Japanese Camellia (C. japonica)
  • Fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: none/broadleaf evergreen. Leaves more refined than Japanese Camellia (C. japonica)
  • Culture: same as above. Best in rich, moist soil, partial sun
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: screen, back of mixed shrub border
  • Cultivars: many. Similar flower choices as Japanese Camellia (C. japonica)
Chaenomeles japonica
Thumbnail picture of Japanese Floweringquince (Chaenomeles japonica) shrub with early coral colored flowers  Select for larger images and more information.  
Japanese Floweringquince
  
  • Size: medium (5' tall by 7' wide) deciduous shrub; Thorns on stem
  • Flowers: very showy. Very early spring flowering; pink/white/coral/orange
  • Fruit: rare. Looks like a ‘Yellow Delicious’ apple
  • Fall color: none
  • Culture: full sun. Best in rich, moist soil. But generally tough
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: beds, low ground cover, foundations
  • Cultivars: many, mostly based on flower color or plant size
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis'
Thumbnail picture closeup of Hinoki Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis') foliage.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Hinoki Falsecypress
  
  • Size: small (4' tall by 2' wide) pyramidal conifer
  • Culture: best in rich, moist soil, partial sun; avoid open windy situations in Arkansas
  • Disease/insect: none significant if properly located
  • Use: specimen
  • Cultivars: many other cultivars in addition to ‘Nana Gracilis’. Variation in size, foliage color, plant shape
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea'
Thumbnail picture of Japanese Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea') shrub showing golden hue of foliage.  Select for larger image and more information.  
Japanese Falsecypress; Golden
  
  • Size: medium (7' tall by 7' wide) yellow foliaged conifer
  • Culture: best in rich, moist soil, sun; avoid open windy situations in Arkansas
  • Cultivar: this cultivar has distinctive threadlike yellow foliage. There are many other wonderful cultivars of C. pisifera that make great specimens
Chionanthus virginicus
Thumbnail picture of a Fringetree.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Fringetree
  
  • Size: large shrub or small tree; 15’ tall x 15’ wide
  • Flowers: snow white (showy), bloom mid-April
  • Culture: sun to shade
  • Use: mixed shrub bed, woodland garden
Clethra alnifolia
Thumbnail picture of Summersweet Clethra (Clethra alnifolia) green shrub.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Summersweet Clethra
  
  • Size; medium (5' tall by 7' wide) deciduous shrub
  • Flowers: showy. Terminal white spikes early summer
  • Fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: generally not significant. Can be golden yellow like hickories
  • Culture: best in rich, moist soil, partial sun
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: naturalizing, massed
  • Cultivars: several. ‘Hummingbird’ is tighter habit and white flowers; pink selections include ('Ruby Spice', 'Pink Spires')
Cornus sericea (f. stolonifera)
Thumbnail picture closeup of Rodosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea [f. stolonifera] ) white flowers and green leaves  Select for larger images and more information.  
Red Osier Dogwood; Redtwig Dogwood
  
  • Size: medium (5' tall by 8' wide) deciduous shrub
  • Flowers: generally not dramatic; white, terminal cymes in early summer
  • Fruit: not dramatic and brief, white
  • Fall color: deep purple
  • Twigs: exceptional in winter, bright red. Best color on new wood so routinely renewal prune
  • Culture: best in rich, moist soil, sun or shade; adaptable to very wet areas. Must provide lots of water if located in full sun
  • Disease/insect: foliar leaf spot common
  • Use: edge of stream/pond, massed
  • Cultivar: ‘Isanti’ and ‘Kelseyi’ are more compact. ‘Flaviramea’ has bright yellow twigs
  • Often incorrectly sold as C. stolonifera
Cotinus coggygria
Thumbnail picture of Common Smokebush (Continus coggygria) white and red forms with flowers  Select for larger images and information.  
Common Smokebush
  
  • Size: large (10' tall by 8' wide) deciduous shrub
  • Flowers: actual flowers not showy, but fine colored hairs give impression of flowers Summer impact
  • Fruit: not significant
  • Fall color: generally not significant
  • Culture: full sun. Best in rich, moist soil but fairly tough
  • Disease/insect: none significant
  • Use: specimen
  • Cultivars: several, most people prefer deep purple selections ('Royal Purple', 'Velvet Cloak')
Cotoneaster apiculatus
Thumbnail picture closeup of Cranberry Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus) red berry-like fruit  Select for larger images and more information.  
Cranberry Cotoneaster
  
  • Size: small (18" tall by 4' wide) deciduous shrub; low arching branches
  • Flowers: insignificant
  • Fruit: dramatic, red, cranberry sized
  • Fall color: in northern climates is a deep maroon
  • Culture: best in rich, moist, well drained soil, full sun
  • Disease/insect: fireblight
  • Use: rock gardens, ground cover in full sun, slopes
Cryptomeria japonica 'Globosa Nana'
Thumbnail picture of Globe Cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica 'Glbosa Nana ').  Select for larger images and more information.  
Globe Cryptomeria
  
  • Size: 3.5’
  • Culture: full sun
  • Use: mixed shrub border
Cupressus arizonica
Thumbnail picture of Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica) shrub with berries.  Select for larger images and more information.  
Arizona Cypress
  
  • Size: 45’ tall by 20’ wide
  • Culture: sun to partial shade
  • Use: screen/hedge, specimen
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