dwarf flowering shrubs

Cinqfoil

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Shrubby cinquefoil or Potentilla fruticosa is the rose’s often-overlooked relative.  It boasts so many conspicuous virtues—hardiness, varmint-resistance, a repeat-blooming habit and beauty—but somehow it lacks the flash of the eternally beloved rose. I am, of course, addicted to roses, but not long ago I finally bought a pink-flowered potentilla and now I wonder why I … Read more

Little Oak Leaves

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I love my oak leaf hydrangea, or Hydrangea quercifolia, now in bloom, along with the similar oak leaf varieties illuminating lightly shaded spots throughout my neighborhood.  Its cone-shaped flower panicles are enormous; each one covered with creamy white florets.  They make wonderful cut flowers—a symphony in fresh white and green.  Eventually, of course, the panicles … Read more