We would all love our landscape to be full of beautiful shrubs, plants, and flowers all year round and just because the trees have lost their leaves doesn’t mean your yard has to be barren. Thinking of your yard as a landscape that changes with the seasons can be very beneficial. The following are different types of flowers, trees, and shrubs that can help keep your yard looking beautiful throughout the year.
Perennial Flowers
Coneflowers are known to bloom throughout the summer and range in height from 16 inches to 4 feet. The main colors are pink, purple, and white; however, selective breeding has created colors such as red, yellow, and other bright shades.
Butterfly weed, also called milkweed, is as easy to grow as a weed (even though it is not a weed) but a lot prettier. Hummingbirds and butterflies love these flowers. They range in colors of orange, yellow, pink, and vermillion and show up in mid-to late summer.
Lenten rose is an evergreen and tough and also loves the shade. It blooms while the snow is still on the ground and comes in purple, red, near-black, white, green, and pink. Each plant grows to about one foot tall and 18 inches across.
Virginia bluebells are a spring flower that showcases pink buds that grow into pink-purple blooms. They enjoy both the sun and the shade and 2 feet high and wide. Virginia bluebells easily reseed themselves so it’s a possibility that a colony may grow over the years. It’s also a good idea to plant then behind a summer plant to they hide the greenery that turns brown and goes away by June.
Hardy geraniums have dense foliage and an apple-scented spicy smell and begin to flower in June. They grow about 6 inches high and 14 inches wide, flourish in full sun, and need little water. You can expect their foliage to turn a dramatic burgundy when autumn comes around.
Black-eyed Susans have bright, gold flowers that stay in bloom for more than a month beginning in August. The most popular types of black-eyed susans are Indian Summer and Goldstrum. These perennials require no maintenance, grow in full sun, and reach 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
Panicle hydrangeas are known for their cold tolerance and can become 6-8 feet tall and wide. Due to their large size and vase shape, they are often seen in hedges, borders, or as a garden focal point.
Sedums produce green broccolilike buds that open up to large pink flowers heads by midsummer and then turn to a rusty red by fall. They are easy to grow, rich in texture and shape, and are stingy with water.
Goldenrods bloom in September and last until October. One type of goldenrod, Fireworks, can grow as 3 feet in full sun while other reach 2 to 4 feet.
Shrubs and Trees
American Beautyberry is a shrub that sheds its leaves annually and is known for its showy berries in the winter, which ripen between September and October.
American Holly is a tree that has evergreen leaves, leaving you with green foliage all year round. It also has bright red berries during the winter, allowing you to clip some off for decoration around your house.
Southern Magnolia isn’t necessarily the best tree for the St. Louis area, but if it is located in a protected area it should be alright. Just like the American Holly, the Southern Magnolia is a broadleaf evergreen. These trees do get large but they also produce showy, fragrant flowers in late spring.
River Birch trees do lose their leaves but that does not make for a sore eye. Due to the loss of their leaves, the River Birch’s distinct bark is then showcased.
Eastern Wahoo is a shrub that can be easily grown and shows off fruits that attract birds. It has a multi-trunk form that is perfect to use as a hedge in your landscape.
No matter what time of year it is, you always want your yard to look beautiful and appealing. Adding perennials will help achieve that goal along with trees and shrubs that can keep your landscape looking alive during the winter months. St. Louis Select Landscaping would be happy to help you decide where the best spot would be to plant these aesthetic landscaping decorations. Call us at (314) 568-6550 for our professional opinion and to get your yard looking the way you want it to.
