Intermediate Sized Deciduous Shrubs (5-8 feet)
Tagged as: Lilac, Intermediate Sized, Deciduous, shrubs, Viburnum, Weigela
Intermediate-sized Deciduous Shrubs for the Home Landscape
- Generally grow 5-8 feet tall
- Plants with multiple stems arising from a common crown at ground level or single-stemmed plants that begin branching at a point near the ground
- Lose their leaves at the end of the growing season (deciduous)
- Recommended for the Midwest on the basis of ornamental value, proven hardiness, availability, and freedom from serious problems
USES IN THE LANDSCAPE
- Create privacy or a sense of enclosure
- Define boundaries
- Screen unwanted views
- Provide seasonal interest with flowers, fruits, nuts, seedpods, fall color, stem and bark color, texture, and form.
- Muffle noise
- Provide a focal point in the landscape
- Create structure or "bones" in a mixed border
- Provide a backdrop against which other plants can be highlighted
FACTORS TO CONSIDER
- Ultimate size. If your site is limited by overhangs, or proximity to walks, driveways, patios, buildings, or surrounding plantings, keep in mind the ultimate height and width of the plant you're selecting. Shrubs can be expensive and difficult to move or remove if they outgrow their location, or they may require pruning to maintain a desired size. You'll save yourself time, effort, and expense by selecting a shrub with a mature size that suits the site.
- Maintenance. Deciduous shrubs can offer seasonal interest with fruits, nuts, and seedpods. However, these can also be messy. Consider these factors when you're planting shrubs near patios, walkways, entries, and driveways.
- Shape. Deciduous shrubs can have a variety of shapes: columnar, pyramidal, round, vase, weeping, and upright. Be sure to select a form that naturally grows in the shape you desire to avoid added maintenance.
The chart below provides information about the size and other important characteristics of medium deciduous shrubs recommended by The Morton Arboretum for their suitability and desirability in the Midwest.
Recommended Intermediate-sized Deciduous Shrubs for the Home Landscape
| BOTANICAL NAME | COMMON NAME | HEIGHT | SPREAD | FORM | RATE | ZONE | CULTURAL/COMMENTS |
| Aronia arbutifolia | Red Chokeberry | 6-8' | 3-5' | Upright spreading | S | 4-9 | Sun to shade; prefers moist (to wet) soil; showy red fruit; reddish-purple fall color; native to Midwest |
Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' |
Brilliant Red Chokeberry | 6-8' | 3-5' | Upright | S | 4-9 | Glossy green leaves turns a brilliant scarlet in fall; white flowers in spring; abundant red fruit in fall |
| Berberis koreana | Korean Barberry | 6-8' | 4-6' | Upright | M | 3-7 | Sun to part shade; adaptable to many soil types except wet; drooping 3-4" clusters of bright yellow flowers in spring; extremely cold hardy; reddish-purple fall color |
| Berberis 'Tara' |
Emerald Carousel™ Barberry |
4-5' | 4-5' | Rounded | M | 4-6 | Sun to part shade; well-drained soil; deep green leaves, arching stems; pendant yellow flowers |
| Buddleia davidii
|
Butterfly bush | 6-8' | 5-8' | Upright Spreading | F | 5-9 | Full sun in well-drained, fertile soil; best pruned to ground in early spring to promote vigorous new growth and flowering; long, upright panicle flowers vary in color, depending upon cultivars; attracts butterflies; fragrant, blue-green foliage |
| Calycanthus floridus |
Common Sweetshrub, Carolina-Allspice | 6-9' | 6-12' | Rounded | S/M | 4-9 | Sun to shade; adapts to acidic or alkaline soils; dark maroon, spicy, fragrant flowers, urn-shaped fruit, dark green leaves turn yellow in fall |
| Callicarpa dichotoma | Purple Beautyberry | 4-6' | 4-6' | Rounded | F | 5-8 | Sun to part shade; well-drained soil; root hardy only (zone 5); prune back to 3-4" tall in early spring; violet to metallic purple berry in fall |
| Clethra alnifolia |
Summersweet | 6-8' | 4-6' | Oval to rounded | S/M | 4-9 | Sun to shade; prefers moist (to wet) acidic soil high in organic matter; salt tolerant; fragrant white flower spikes in August; seed capsule persistent in winter |
| Clethra alnifolia 'Rosea' | Rose Summersweet | 6-8' | 4-6' | Upright | S/M | 4-9 | Soft pink flowers fade to white; dark green leaves |
| Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice' |
Ruby Spice Summersweet | 5-6' | 4-6' | Upright | S/M | 4-9 | Rosy pink flowers retain color |
| Corylus americana |
American Hazelnut | 6-10' | 4-6' | Rounded | M/F | 4-7 | Full sun to shade; well-drained, pH adaptable; drought tolerant; multi-stemmed suckering; showy male flowers (catkins) in early spring; orange-yellow fall color; native in Midwest |
| Cotoneaster divaricatus | Spreading Cotoneaster | 5-6' | 6-8' | Upright to mounded | M/F | 4-7 | Full sun to part shade; well-drained fertile soil; shallow rooted; wide spreading; glossy green foliage; wind & salt tolerant; attractive red fruit; maroon fall color |
| Dirca palustris |
Leatherwood | 5-8' | 4-8' | Rounded | S | 4-9 | Shade to part sun; thrives in cool, moist to wet soils high in organic matter; found in elevated flood plains; protect from wind; light green foliage one of the first to leaf out in spring; clear yellow fall color; spring plant only |
| Euonymus alatus 'Compacta' | Compact Winged Euonymus | 5-10' | 8-10' | Rounded | S | 4-7 | Sun or shade; must have well-drained soil; excellent natural hedge without pruning; corky twigs; interesting fruit; red fall color |
| Forsythia 'Meadowlark' |
Meadowlark Forsythia |
6-9' | 6-9' | Vase | F | 4-8 | Full sun for best flowers; urban tolerant; bright yellow flowers on arching stems; flower bud hardy |
| Forsythia 'Northern Sun' | Northern Sun Forsythia | 8-10' | 6-8' | Spreading | F | 3-8 | Clear yellow flowers; hardy to -30 F |
| Hydrangea quercifolia |
Oakleaf Hydrangea | 4-6' | 4-8' | Upright suckering | S/M | 5-9 | Sun to part shade; well-drained, moist soil; mulch to keep roots cool; large, white, cone-shaped flowers gradually change to pink and fade to brown; outstanding reddish-purple to orange fall color, cinnamon-brown exfoliating bark |
| Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' |
Snow Queen Oakleaf Hydrangea | 4-6' | 4-6' | Rounded | S | 4-9 | More compact than above; larger upright flowers turn pink as they mature; dark green leaves turn a deep red-bronze fall color |
| Ilex verticillata |
Common Winterberry | 6-10' | 6-10' | Upright | M | 3-9 | Sun to part shade; prefers moist (to wet) acidic soil; bright red, persistent fruit; requires male and female plants for fruit set; native wetland plant in Midwest |
| Ilex verticillata 'Afterglow' | Afterglow Winterberry | 8-10' | 8-10' | Globe | S | 4-9 | Multi-stemmed compact habit; early white flowers; orange-red fruit |
| Ilex verticillata 'Jim Dandy' | Jim Dandy Winterberry | 8-10' | 6-7' | Oval | S | 4-9 | Male pollinator for 'Afterglow', 'Red sprite' and others |
| Ilex verticillata 'Southern Gentleman' | Southern Gentleman Winterberry | 6-8' | 4-6' | Oval | S | 4-9 | Male pollinator for 'Winter Red' |
| Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red'
|
Winter Red Winterberry | 6-8' | 6-8' | Rounded | S | 4-9 | Dark green leaves; abundant, large, persistent red fruits |
| Malus 'Tina'
|
Tina Crabapple | 5-6' | 8-10' | Spreading | S | 4-7 | Sun; well-drained soil; shrub-like form; red buds open to white flowers in alternating years; small red fruit; excellent scab resistance |
| Myrica pensylvanica |
Bayberry | 6-10' | 6-10' | Upright | M | 3-6 | Sun to part shade; tolerant of dry soils; semi-evergreen foliage; gray waxy fruit on female plants; salt tolerant |
| Philadelphus x virginalis 'Minnesota Snowflake' |
Minnesota Snowflake Mockorange | 5-8' | 5-6' | Rounded | F | 3-8 | Sun to part shade; prefers moist, well-drained soil; fragrant, white double flowers; extremely hardy |
| Physocarpus opulifolius 'Monlo' | Diabolo® Purple Ninebark | 6-8' | 4-6' | Upright Spreading | M | 3-7 | Full sun for best leaf color; adapts to most soils and tolerant of dry sites; distinct burgundy foliage holds color in heat of summer; creamy white flowers in spring; renewal prune every few years |
| Rhodotypos scandens |
Black Jetbead | 3-5' | 4-8' | Upright spreading | F | 4-8 | Sun or heavy shade; tolerant of dry soils; white flowers; black fruit in distinct clusters of four |
| Rosa glauca |
Redleaf Rose | 4-7' | 6-8' | Upright arching | M | 4-7 | Sun; well-drained soil; upright, arching canes; coppery to purplish leaves; clear pink flowers in early summer |
| Salix purpurea | Purple-osier Willow | 6-8' | 6-8' | Spreading | F | 3-6 | Full sun; pH adaptable; prefers moist to wet sites, spreading suckering roots, rejuvenate to ground when overgrown; long supple stems used for basket weaving; purple stems in winter |
| Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'
|
Dwarf Meyer Lilac | 4-5' | 5-7' | Rounded | S | 3-7 | Full sun to part shade; well drained soil; compact form, pale pink flowers; bronze fall color; mildew resistance |
| Syringa patula 'Miss Kim' |
Miss Kim Lilac |
5-7' | 4-5' | Rounded | M | 3-7 | Large, ruffled leaves; fragrant pale lilac flowers fade to white; maroon fall color |
| Viburnum carlesii |
Koreanspice Viburnum | 6-8' | 4-6' | Rounded | S | 5-7 | Sun to part shade; requires well-drained soil; open branching; pink to white, fragrant, semi-snowball flowers; wine red fall color |
| Viburnum x juddii |
Judd Viburnum | 6-8' | 6-8' | Rounded | S | 4-8 | Pink flower buds open to white, fragrant, semi-snowball flowers; place near patio, deck or sidewalk |
| Viburnum cassinoides |
Witherrod Viburnum | 5-6' | 4-6' | Rounded arching | S | 3-8 | Sun to shade; tolerant of wet soil; creamy white flowers; orange-red to wine fall color; multicolored fruit; use for naturalizing; native to Midwest |
| Weigela florida 'Pink Princess' |
Pink Princess Old-fashioned Weigela | 5-6' | 4-6' |
Spreading | M | 3-8 | Sun; well-drained soil; open loose habit; lavender-pink, funnel-shaped flowers |
| Weigela florida 'Red Prince' | Red Prince Old-fashioned Weigela | 5-6' | 5-6' | Upright | M | 4-8 | Large, red flowers throughout the summer; cold hardy |
Key to Growth Rate:
F = Fast (more than 12 inches per year)
M = Medium (6-12 inches per year)
S = Slow (Less than 6 inches per year)
For additional hydrangeas, click here
For additional viburnums, click here.
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