Shrubs can be a versatile part of the landscape

    Here are a few selections of shrubs that are low maintenance and that add beauty to your landscape. Any of these shrubs can be used for a border or in groupings or just singly depending on the size of your landscape.
    One that I am sure will gain lots of popularity is Black Lace® elderberry or Sambucus nigra. This has purple foliage with deeply cut leaves that appear lacy. Pink flowers will appear in early summer. This gives the shrub a striking appearance. This is a tough and adaptable plant that grows in a wide range of challenging conditions. It does best in moist or wet soils but tolerates dry soils. It does well in clay soils, too.
    Elderberry can thrive in either an acidic or alkaline pH. It will grow to a height of 9 feet by 8 feet wide. It blooms on old wood. After the first winter, if you want it to be bushy, prune it to a foot high. You can fertilize it with a diluted solution of 10-10-10 fertilizer to help with berry production. Otherwise, this shrub is very low maintenance. Plant it in full sun or a location that has some afternoon shade, if you don’t want to have the leaves turn slightly green. With its watering requirement, be sure to water every seven to 10 days.
    The next shrub has been gaining popularity for its ability to rebloom or give continuous bloom through the season. Most lilacs bloom in cool weather, early spring and are finished by early summer. This is not the case with Bloomerang® dark purple reblooming lilac or Syringa ‘Penda.’ These have fragrant flowers and are compact shrubs growing from three to five feet tall.

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