Luddite that I am, I keep a handwritten garden journal where I record observations on the gardens’ performance, To-Do lists for Spring and Fall, and Wish Lists, several of them. Perennials, or Dahlias, or Shrubs. They are long lists and the longer I garden, the longer they get. Having said that, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite shrubs, the ones we use over and over, in our own gardens and in the gardens we design for others here in New England Zone 6. To qualify for inclusion in my Top Ten Flowering (Deciduous) Shrubs, the shrubs have to meet the following criteria: low maintenance, reliable performance, flexibility and beauty. Here are the first five on the list, and the others will follow in Part II:

Hydrangeas

Will it be considered cheating if I include several different types? The classic Mopheads, (blue or pink, depending upon your soil) Bigleaf Hydrangea (hydrangea macrophylla) are stunning in the late June and July garden. A hedge of them is lovely, where they can get morning sun but some shade in the afternoon and they’re great at the back of a perennial border, if you have the depth. There are dwarf varieties available, for those with small gardens. They combine well with roses, which, if allowed to drape over them, can create beautiful color combinations. Ditto for clematis. The large-flowering white snowballs are Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ (now also available in pink…yes ‘Blushing Annabelle is on the wish list) are magnificent plants and can give even a two year old garden a quality of maturity. They can take quite a bit of shade. The oakleaf hydrangeas have airy white pannicles that light up a shady spot. Their foliage turns a rich mahogany red in the fall, adding interesting color to the shrub border.

Spiraea

Once again, there are several varieties, early flowering, late flowering, pink flowers, white flowers, golden leafed, dark-leafed.

Weigela

This is an old standard that’s had a garden revival with all the new cultivars that are now available. One of my favorites is a golden leafed version with bright pink, almost fuschia colored blossoms. It likes full sun but can take some shade, and it really lights up a shrubbery border when contrasted with dark or silver

leafed plants.

Philadelphus (Mock-Orange)

Commonly known as Mock-Orange, this shrub is lovely when flowering, yes, but, more importantly, it’s is all about fragrance.  You can smell its sweet perfume from 30′ away and that alone is reason enough to plant it in a sunny spot somewhere near a patio or where you like to spend time in your garden. There are several cultivars available, some with single blooms, others, double. I like Minnesota Snowflake, a clear, pure white, double blossomed version. It doesn’t have much going for it, other than good clean dark foliage and disease and pest resistance, when its not flowering, so plant other small shrubs or perennials at its feet to provide floral and/or foliage interest throughout the growing season.

Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)

We all know this large shrub as Butterfly Bush and it’s ubiquity might make it seem a bit too common to include in this list, however, there are some truly spectacular cultivars that deserve a place in every garden. White Profusion is of a slightly smaller stature than the usual variety and yet it is positively covered with fragrant white panicles from mid to late summer. Dubonnet(wine red), Dark Knight,(deep purple) and some of the other richly colored cultivars make a wonderful grouping with White profusion, and an easy ‘island border’ that reduces mowing while, at the same time, producing lots of material

for floral arrangements, Fragrant ones, to boot!