About Bushes for Zone 5 Climates
Shrubs are an important feature in a landscape. Evergreen shrubs become anchors of permanence and deciduous shrubs add interest with their changing foliage and blossoms throughout the seasons. They add scale and structure to the garden in conjunction with trees and other perennials. Before planting zone 5 shrubs, do some research and carefully consider their requirements, ultimate size, adaptability, and seasons of interest. For instance, does the shrub have a creeping habit, is it mounded, and what is its overall spread? Know the shrub’s site conditions. That is, what pH, texture, and drainage of the soil does it prefer? How much sun and wind exposure does the site get?
Zone 5 Shrub Varieties
It’s all very well to read a list of shrubs suited to zone 5, but it’s always a good idea to do a little local research as well. Take a look around and note what types of shrubs are common to the area. Consult your local extension office, nursery or botanical garden. On that note, here is a partial list of shrubs suited to growing in zone 5 gardens.
Deciduous shrubs
Deciduous shrubs under 3 feet (1 m.) include:
Abelia Bearberry Crimson Pygmy Barberry Japanese Quince Cranberry and Rockspray Cotoneaster Nikko Slender Deutzia Bush honeysuckle Japanese Spirea Dwarf Cranberry Bush
Somewhat larger (3-5 feet or 1-1.5 m. tall) shrubs that are suited to zone 5 are:
Serviceberry Japanese Barberry Purple Beautyberry Flowering Quince Burkwood Daphne Cinquefoil Weeping Forsythia Smooth Hydrangea Winterberry Virginia Sweetspire Winter Jasmine Japanese Kerria Dwarf Flowering Almond Azalea Native Shrub Roses Spirea Snowberry Viburnum
Larger deciduous shrubs, those that get from 5-9 feet (1.5-3 m.) in height, include:
Butterfly Bush Summersweet Winged Euonymus Border Forsythia Fothergilla Witch Hazel Rose of Sharon Oakleaf Hydrangea Northern Bayberry Tree Peony Mock orange Ninebark Purple Leaved Sandcherry Pussy Willow Lilac Viburnum Weigela
Evergreen shrubs
As to the evergreens, several shrubs of between 3-5 feet (1-1.5 m.) in height include:
Boxwood Heather/Heath Wintercreeper Euonymus Inkberry Mountain Laurel Heavenly Bamboo Canby Paxistima Mugo Pine Leatherleaf Eastern Red Cedar Drooping Leucothoe Oregon Grape Holly Mountain Pieris Cherry Laurel Scarlet Firethorn
Larger, more tree-like shrubs that grow from 5 to 15 feet (1.5-4.5 m.) in height may include varieties of the following:
Juniper Arborvitae Rhododendron Yew Viburnum Holly Boxwood
