There is nothing more boring than a landscape with nothing but green plants. Every garden needs a splash of bright color to catch the eye. While we usually think of using flowers for garden color, I like to add intensely colorful shrubs to the landscape for that “wow” factor. Throw in tolerance to blazing summer heat, and you have an unbeatable combination that pops and sizzles. These are four of my favorite eye-catching heat-tolerant shrubs
Add a Splash of Color with “Gold Dust” Acuba
This is one of the easiest plants I’ve ever grown. The artistic golden-yellow splotches on the green leaves make this a real garden standout. This striking plant, hardy to USDA zones 7 to 10, has a preference for partial shade. It grows best in humus-rich, well-drained soil. Acuba is evergreen and dense-growing up to 10 feet in height and 6 feet in width.
Choose a Japanese Barberry to Suit You
I especially like Berberis thunbergii, commonly called Japanese Barberry, because it has so many interesting cultivars. While some like “Crimson Pygmy” and “Bonanza Gold” stay as short as 18 to 24 inches, others like “Rose Glow” grow to 6 feet high. These versatile plants can have forms ranging from upright to spreading to mounded. Not only is it heat tolerant, but drought resistant to boot. The more colorful varieties require full sun for the brightest hues. Japanese Barberry is hardy from zones 4 to 8.
Crotons Steal the Show in the Tropics
Driving through South Florida, you will hardly see a well-landscaped yard that doesn’t include a croton or two. Hardy to USDA zones 10 and 11, crotons are true tropicals that are easily damaged by freezing temperatures. Still, even northern gardeners cannot resist growing these bright beauties in containers. It is equally at home in sun or shade, making it a good choice for color indoors. Each of its dozens of cultivars has a distinctive leaf shape and colors. The purple leaves of one of the most popular cultivars, “Irene Kingsley,” are splashed with orange and bright red, with yellow veining in its green leaves. The curly-leaved varieties, such as “Dreadlocks,” have multi-colored leaves that twist into spirals. There are color combinations from pink to purple to red to yellow, with leaf sizes ranging from extra long and wide to thin and spaghetti-like.
Purple Loropetalum is Doubly Beautiful
The reddish-purple foliage of Lorapetalum chinense var. rubrum is eye-catching as is, but it is exceptionally beautiful when it’s covered with its masses of hot pink flowers. Cultivars such as “ZhuZhou Fuschia” can grow to 15 feet, while the compact varieties are so small they are often used as ground covers in zones 7b to 9. With dozens of sizes and forms to choose from, this plant can find a place in any garden.
I’ve enjoyed growing these spectacular plants for many years. I hope you will find a place for at least one of these easy-care, eye-popping shrubs in your garden.
More from Deborah Aldridge:
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