Genus: Clethra for the Garden
Karen Clethra is a genus 75 species of flowering shrubs and small trees in the Clethraceae plant family, in the order Ericales that includes azaleas. There are two recognized species native…
Plant Profile: Chinese Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha)
Native to the woodlands of China, this deciduous shrub is a member of the Thymelaeaceae, a plant family that also includes Daphne. It grows up to 6′ tall and wide,…
Plant Profile: Mountain Pepperbush (Clethra acuminata)
Also known as cinnamon pepperbush, this deciduous shrub or small tree is native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern US. It grows up to 8-20′ tall and has an…
Plant Profile: Littleleaf Lilac ‘Superba’ (Syringa pubescens subsp microphylla ‘Superba’)
Native to China, this flowering deciduous shrub is a member of the olive family, Oleaceae, that also includes privet, jasmine and forsythia. The shrub is bushy, grows up to 7′…
Plant Profile: Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum)
Native to China and Japan, this deciduous flowering shrub is a member of the moschatel family, Adoxaceae, that also includes elders. The shrub grows 8-10′ tall and has horizontal branching…
Plant Profile: European Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
Also called common privet, this semi-evergreen or deciduous shrub is native to central and southern Europe, north Africa, and southwestern Asia. It is a member of the olive family, Oleaceae,…
Plant Profile: Rock Spirea (Holodiscus dumosus)
Rock spirea is a deciduous shrub also known as mountain spray, rock spirea, bush oceanspray, and glandular oceanspray, and is a member of the rose family, Roseaceae, that also includes…
Plant Profile: False Mock-Orange (Fandlera rupicola)
Also known as cliff fendlerbush, this deciduous shrub is native to the mountains of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico,Colorado, and Utah where it grows on dry rocky slopes, cliffs, mesas, and…
Plant Profile: Bridalwreath Spirea (Spirea prunifolia)
This flowering deciduous shrub is native to China, Taiwan and Korea where it grows on hillsides and stony, baren places in full sun. It is a member of the rose…
Plant Profile: Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)
Ozark witch hazel is a deciduous flowering shrub or small tree native to the Ozark Plateau from southern Missouri through northwestern Arkansas east to Oklahoma where it grows in moist…