In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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February 29, 2008

Sun loving plants wanted

Q: Any suggestions for a “year around” shrub: specifically, flowers in the summer and colored leaves in the winter, that grows about 3 feet tall and planted in full sun.
Bob Bryans, Lincoln

A: I don’t know whether you’re looking for a single shrub, or perhaps an entire row, and that makes a difference. Are you adamant about fall color, or would evergreens be OK, too? What is your soil like? How will the plants be watered? Will you be installing some sort of irrigations system? Do you want drought tolerant plants? Are you willing to do some pruning to keep plants three feet tall?

Still, the possibilities are numerous. My suggestions are:

Nandina: yes,it’s very common, but tough and beautiful. It makes clusters of white flowers in spring that become beautiful red berries in the fall. Comes in many sizes and foliage types.

Barberry: The stems are armed with spines, but what beautiful foliage it has! It comes in green or purple, green edged in gold, and several other combinations. It loses its leaves in fall. Spring flowers are almost inconspicuous, small bright red berries in fall.

Other dependable sun-loving plants include: Cistus (evergreen, great flowers, no fall color), and forsythia (beautiful yellow flowers in spring, yellow leaves in fall).

I’d also add lantana, grevillea, rosemary and quince to the list, even thought they don’t have fall color, as well as California natives like ceanothus, manzanita, Dendromecon (bush poppy), baccharis (coyote bush).

Another good suggestion is to browse through a nursery and see what you like. If fall color is more important than flowers, visit in fall when plants are turning color so you see what you are getting.

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