Easy care shrubs are a busy gardener’s best friends. These species require less water and fertilizer than most other shrubs. They also can get by without regular prunings as well.


Beautyberry

Beautyberrries prefer full sun to light shade, and can get by with moderate waterings.

These attractive shrubs with arching stems have lovely small, tubular pink or lilac blooms with four long protruding stamens. The flowers appear during the summer.

The opposite leave are toothed. Beautyberries are mostly grown for the spectacular, very showy. berry-like fruits. These can be purple to violet, according to the species.

The fruits remain on the plant during the summer, fall, and part of the winter. They’re borne on the wood of the current year. The berried stems are often used in flower arrangements.

Several species of beautyberries are in cultivation with the hardiness and size varying slightly. American beautyberry is a native that is also called French mulberry. This is native to the East and the South Central states. It can be over 5 feet tall. The opposite, toothed leaves turn purple in the fall. It is hardy to zone 7 and tends to be larger than the Chinese beautyberry. There is a variety with white fruits.


Flowering Quince

This shrub only needs a moderate amount of water. Flowering quince is suited to most soils. Several species are cultivated.

Most are hardy to zone 4 or so. These are often the first shrub to bloom during very early spring or late winter.

With five petals, the flowers can be single, double, or semi-double, according to the variety. These can be solitary or in clusters. They appear before the leaves emerge. The flower colors also vary as well, and can be white, pink, or red.

Flowering quince is typically thorny. They can be used as hedges and barriers. The smaller ones are only 3 feet tall, but most are five feet in height or more. The quince-like fruits are aromatic and can be edible.

The plants prefer full sun and a well drained soil. These do well in most soils, including slightly dry ones. Flowering quinces can experience some pest and disease issues that are typical of the rose family members, such as fire blight.


Heavenly Bamboo

This is also called nandina. The tough, evergreen plant withstands tremendous neglect. This shrub is 6 to 8 feet in height. Heavenly bamboo bears colorful clusters of red fruits that are present throughout the winter. These are ½ inch wide.

It bears attractive foliage that is semi-evergreen in warm climates and deciduous elsewhere. The plant is hardy to 10 degrees F. Assuming the temperatures go below that, the leaves can drop, but the plant will usually survive.

The twice compound, lace-like leaves are quite attractive. The new foliage is red to pink, later turning green. In the fall, the leaves bring purple to red or bronze in the fall.

The creamy small white blossoms open in late spring and early summer. These form ½ to 1 foot long terminal clusters, but aren’t particularly showy. .

This is one of my favorite shrubs, but unfortunately it is a favorite of the native rabbits. So, I’ve had to drop it from my preferred list after losing two newly planted ones to hungry rabbits.

This species has long been a garden favorite. But, the new cultivars, many of which are dwarf and have very showy, colorful foliage, are becoming very popular.

The plant tends to be rather leggy. Hardy to zone 7, this can be used for screens, borders, and as a specimen. A number of dwarf cultivars are available.

A very adaptable plant, it prefers a relatively moist oil. In colder areas, the tops can die back from severe cold. However, the plant will usually grow back from the roots.