In the last article about planning a border, I talked about the importance of shrubs providing structure and winter interest in a large border especially.

The same rules for designing the whole garden apply to the selection of shrubs as they do to trees and perennials. Plan according to the mature size, soil type, maintenance requirements, and elements of design. The larger the space you have the larger the shrubs you can choose from but for smaller borders, think smaller and height rather than width and bulk. Leaf colour, texture and bloom time all become important.

Over time, I will spotlight some of these shrubs but the ones that follow are some of the basic and easiest. Easily my favourite are Roses.

Roses are not deer resistant despite being prickly so they are best suited to fenced gardens. There are roses for every situation even in our cold climate. I have mentioned Morden Research Station before but their breeding program produced many wonderful hardy roses for a cold climate. Look for the name Morden and Parkland Roses. Climbing roses are a creative way to provide roses to your palette of plants especially in a small garden. All Roses do need at least six hours of sun per day. If you have a south, east or west facing fence to train climbers on, these are three I would recommend.

1. ‘William Baffin’, pink red, blooms heavily twice and intermittently.

2. ‘Henry Kelsey’, red blooms, yellow center, blooms heavily twice and intermittently.

3. ‘John Davis’, not so tall, pink, same blooming pattern.

4. ‘Polar Star’, white blooms once in June. Rampant climber.

When it comes to shrub roses there are plentiful choices in different sizes.  Roses are an enormous topic with many different types but again I would recommend any of the Morden or Parkland roses. Just look them up for choices as there are too many to talk about here. Rugosa Roses are another great choice but they are ‘old’ roses which don’t always bloom heavily after their first flush. Their beauty is their scent. Rosa rugosa Blanc Double de Coubert is one of the most heavily scented Rugosa roses and its oils are used in perfumes around the world. Hybid Tea rose blooms are some of those you might buy on Valentines Day – thick buds with multiple layers of petals. As their name reflects, they are hybrids and although found in nearly every famous garden, they are tender and require much more care. They are usually grafted and that graft must be well protected over winter. Even with layers of mulch, carpet or insulation, there is no guarantee they will survive.

Roses, Polar Star, William Baffin, Winnipeg Parks. My garden.

After roses, all the following deciduous shrubs are very popular and well tested in zone three.

Barberries, Berberis. deer resistant, deep purple to lime green leaf colours. Spiny. Different sizes.

Dogwoods, Cornus. Deer resistant. Many species. Check zoning. Coloured stems provide winter interest. Look for red or yellow stemmed varieties. Will tolerate shade.

Different Dogwood varieties. Various gardens.

Euonymus, Burning Bush, unique seed pods. Beautiful fall colour. Maybe deer resistant.

Forsythia, deer resistant, early yellow spring blooming. Different varieties, different sizes.

Hydrangeas, many different types. Not deer resistant.  ‘Endless Summer’ proven in zone three. Will tolerate some shade.

Kolwitzia, Beauty Bush, beautiful pink flowering shrub, large arching branches. 8’ tall X 12’ wide when mature. Said to be deer resistant. Mine is protected from deer.

Beauty Bush, Kolwitzia. My garden.

Lilac, Syringa. Ubiquitous. Many varieties available. Deer usually stay away from but not always.

Mock Orange, Philadelphus. Fairly deer resistant. May nibble tender new growth. Exceedingly fragrant, white bloom in late spring. Different varieties, different sizes.

Ninebarks, Physocarpus. Different sizes but mostly large 5’ x 5’. Different leaf colours. Textural peeling bark, winter interest.

Ninebark, Physocarpus. Cranbrook.

Potentillas. Deer resistant. Lots of choice in flower colour, white, yellow, pink. Easy and frequently used in municipal planting.

Snowberry, Symphoricarpos. Deer Resistant. Lovely pink berry available as well as white.

Symphoricarpos. My garden.

Spiraeas, deer resistant. Spiraea japonica, pink, summer flowering. Spiraea prunifolia, Bridal wreath types, white spring flowering

Spiraea, ‘Bridal Wreath’ and Spiraea japonica, pink. Cranbrook and U.K.

Weigela, deer resistant, different sizes pink bloom, will tolerate shade. interesting leaf colours.

Coniferous shrubs add green to the garden in winter and provide a dark backdrop for perennial and annual flowers alike, which make them stand out. It would seem over the last few years, deer have taken a liking to most evergreens except Yew which is very toxic. Yew is a slow grower but provides a great sculptural base and can be trimmed to all manner of shapes. It also make a great hedge if you have patience.’ Hick’s Yew’ is the one for this climate.

Juniper. There are many Junipers, Juniperus scopolorum, Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus communis, Juniperus horizontalis to choose from and the columnar varieties, such as Juniperus scopolorum, ‘Blue Arrow’ and ‘Skyrocket’ are especially useful for exclamation points in the garden, adding height without too much width. They can also be trimmed into a neat shape or hedge. There is a Juniper for most locations. Drought tolerant and low maintenance they are best viewed on the internet and in the nursery to make choices.

Cedars can be difficult as their provenance is a damp climate. I have found the upright Brandon to be the easiest for hedges or focal point. The advantage of some cedars is that they will tolerate shade. Thuja occidentalis ‘Little Gem’ is one, a small 3’x3′ globe shaped little shrub.

Pines. Again there are many pines to choose from but I have noticed in the last few years of high U.V. hot temperatures and very dry summers many have suffered browning of their needles. Most pines are rather large for a municipal garden although Mugo pines are widely used.

Spruce, Picea varieties have a a few favourites. Picea abies ‘ Little Gem’ and ‘Nest Spruce’ Picea abies nidiformis are two low growing visually attractive evergreens that do well in a perennial border.

Cypress. generally not really hardy in zone three. May do well in microclimate.

I don’t have many evergreens in my garden other than Juniperus scopolorum Sky Rocket and a few Brandon Cedars. I will be removing the one Mugo Pine as it took such a beating from the climate last year. It is too brown for my liking and although over time it will recover, I don’t like the look of it so it is time for replacement. The cedars are doing okay and are well established so don’t suffer so much. One of the reasons I don’t want too many evergreens is because they can be brutal to deal with if they get large. They are scratchy and irritating to the skin.

Juniperus scopolorum ‘Skyrocket.’

Pictures of all these conifers can easily be found on the internet but are best viewed walking around the nursery. Always remember to check mature size!