Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Shrubs for containers 2023
Container gardening is a trend that continues. Proven Winners, a major plant breeding company, shares some perfect shrubs for your containers. First up is a native plant! Aronia melanocarpa aka Black Chokeberry.
Specifically Low Scape Mound (a nativar) is hardy to zone 3 and offers three-season appeal with masses of white spring flowers, black summer fruit and fabulous red fall color. Low Scape is under half the size of the native species growing to just 2’ tall by 2’ wide. It adapts to a range of soils and moisture conditions, so it easily remains lovely in containers and landscapes throughout the season. Or plant it in the ground.
For early spring flowers, there’s a forsythia nativar hardy to zone 5 called ‘Show Off Sugar Baby’.
It grows to about 2.5’ tall and 3’ wide, with stems that are absolutely loaded with beautiful bright yellow blooms. After flowers are spent its healthy green foliage provides a nice backdrop to other plants for the rest of the season. It’s also adaptable to a wide range of soils and can be placed from full to part sun.
Being from Minnesota where our most popular dish is Tator Tot hotdish, this arborvitae stood out, albeit in a short way! Named ‘Tator Tot’ this little evergreen is hardy enough for northern Minnesota and also grows to just about 2.5 ft tall and up to 4 ft. wide.
It naturally grows in a dense little ball. It can be grown in containers framing your entryway or planted in the ground. Its foliage has a lovely scent when rubbed.
And a bonus: this fun little butterfly bush (aka Buddleia) called ‘Pugster Pinker’. Hardy to zone 5 it has flowers that attract pollinators and humans.
