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Medium Shrubs Accent, hedge, patio privacy, central anchors to larger planting islands are uses that come to mind for these, the classic sized shrubs. Plant these where they have space to grow into their natural form and you will be rewarded with their true beauty, maximized flower production and minimized work from not pruning. In the suburban yard these are often useful for windbreak to increase your enjoyment of outdoor time and to protect floral and vegetable garden areas.
This Plant Select® 1998 entry continues to thrill us. As the only Buddleia hardy in Zone 4, that alone is a real plus but the arching, thin pendulous branches covered in fine textured silvergray foliage are quietly graceful and when the fragrant lilac hued blooms twirl around last year’s growth like stripes on a candy cane it is a stunning addition to the early summer garden. What a butterfly magnet! Windbreak.
This lilac was discovered by Frank N. Meyerin gardens near Beijing, China in 1909 and has never been observed in the wild leading to the belief that it is a hybrid. Growth habit is full and evenly shaped from a young age with small, wavy, dark green leaves. Fragrant lavender flower clusters bloom in May (not early May) from establishment and annually onward. This lilac is not as xeric as some others but it is such a handy size and blooms well with less than full sun that we recommend it heartily.
Plant Select®2001 This is the only Mock Orange at the Experiment Station in Cheyenne that was prospering after years of neglect! Perhaps that is because this native western strain is suited to growth on alkaline soils (doesn’t get chlorotic) unlike many of the eastern or developed varieties. This tough but beautiful shrub named after Meriweather Lewis has dense racemes of 1-1.25 inch pure white flowers in early summer that provide sweet orange-blossom like fragrance. Use it where you will get to see and smell it but not where reflected heat will be a challenge.
Chartreuse spring foliage matures into yellow leaf color above fuzzy rosy-pink stems in this form of Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac. In autumn the show gets even brighter as the leaves become a variegated yellow, orange and scarlet. The branches angle upward and the deeply cut leaflets drape downward creating a rather oriental look. An easy to grow accent plant with only one caution: protect the stems from buck deer damage.
Consider planting Allegheny Viburnum, Cheyenne Flowering Quince, Cheyenne Mock Orange, Fernleaf Buckthorn and the Ninebarks together for a lush landscape in semi-protected sites. The Currant species belong in both this plant grouping and the next. You will enjoy the foliage and fragrances. Where wind and exposure are more intense use Cheyenne Privet, Szechuan Cotoneaster, the Lilacs, Tiger Eyes Sumac, Golden Elder and Silver Fountain Butterfly Bush. Consider Blue Velvet Honeysuckle, Chokecherries and New Mexico Olive in both the previous grouping and the next. They are quite strong plants! The various Mountain Mahoganies, Utah Service, Silver Buffaloberry, the Sagebrushes, Rabbitbrushes, and Junipers belong on the toughest sites. You may plant this last grouping in less stressful sites if you do not situate them in any soggy spot without good drainage.
Flowering Quince 'Cheyenne' (Chaenomeles japonica)
Discovered at the Cheyenne Experiment station this flowering quince is the most durable and alkaline tolerant of the genus on the market today! Expect glossy green foliage with deep rosy red blooms in May. Quince have an exotic southern mountain or oriental garden look and you can enjoy this one in your Wyoming garden! We introduced this shrub in 2007 and was by far the most talked about introduction by our customers!
A selection of a Wyoming native only this one has better fruit production! Very fragrant yellow blooms appear in spring followed by black tear drop edible fruit. Autumn color ranges from wonderful oranges to reds. Tolerates wind and dry soils very well! An excellent shrub for seasonal interest.
Another selection of a Wyoming native with outstanding attributes for our area! In spring, the yellow trumpet-shaped flowers have a strong clove fragrance followed by up to 3/4” black fruit that have a sweet spicy fragrance! Light green tri-lobed foliage turns orange in autumn. This shrub was selected by fruit growers beginning in the late 1800’s for its excellent fruit quality and is still used today! Tolerates wind and dry soils very well!
Plant Select 2006! Fine-textured, gray-green fern like foliage with a thick waxy coating gives rise to the name of this high desert aromatic plant. White flowers like a cluster of strawberry blooms top the stem from mid to late summer. Dr Crenshaw, CSU says this plant is one of the best pollinator plants he’s come upon! Our friends at the Denver Botanical Garden recommend using it as an informal western hedge! Makes a great privacy screen for a hot patio or terrace!
Beautiful deep burgundy foliage all season long on arching stems with pinkish-white flower clusters in early summer provide a stunning accent in the sunny shrub border. Tolerates alkaline ground but not salt in its irrigation water.
Hairy Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus breviflorus) A native to the American Southwest, this shrub is similar to our native True Leaf mountain mahogany but grows bigger and has even larger twisted seed tails. The leaves are gray-green and persist going into winter. Very tolerant of harsh conditions. (May take centuries to reach maturity.)
Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany (Cerocarpus intricatus) A Rocky Mountain beauty for a small space or as an accent in a rock or alpine garden! A very dense and rounded shrub with stiff intertwining branches and tiny, almost needle-like evergreen leaves, evergreen! Very drought tolerant and slow growing.
Three Leaf Sumac (Rhus trilobata) A very hardy native found in the open on the foothills of our mountains and along upland streams. A personal favorite because of its ability to handle nearly any extreme! This multi stemmed shrub has unique 'oak like' leaves that turn a brilliant red to orange in fall.
No matter how drought tolerant our plants are, you will need to plan on watering twice maybe three times a week during the establishment year. We’re talking three good soakings a week in hot weather and only once a week during more moderate temperatures. Roots don’t grow into dry ground, so water both the potting soil and the surrounding ground. All this said, we don’t want you to leave a plant sitting in hole full of water surrounded by slow to drain tight clay. You still have to poke your finger in the ground to check for moisture in both the potting soil and surrounding ground. During intense heat, we sometimes pour a cup of water at the plant’s center for a gallon sized plant and up to 5 gallons on a 15 gallon pot because the potting soil dries out faster than the surrounding natural soil.
What makes living in Wyoming so powerful? The sky goes on forever, sagebrush flats are anything but flat, rocks aren’t hidden by the prairie grasses, you can see 20 miles to the next rise. Home for most of us is on the Sagebrush Steppe. Using our native plant materials from these places and those from the Asian Steppe echoes our surroundings and celebrates where we are. On the practical side of things, using these plants means you won’t be fighting to keep them alive. You’ll be enjoying your landscape more and intervening in the garden less. After all we want time to go play in our surroundings! Doesn’t sustainable landscaping make more sense than trying to maintain a fiction of being someplace else?
If trees and shrubs are in your future, consider dormant planting in March and April. There is less heat and water stress associated with planting then for you and your trees! When ever possible we will work with you to secure your woody’s for early spring delivery. When ordering please indicate on the order form you want to plant early. Our Audubon friends say that providing water is even more important than a feeding station for attracting birds. Planting in layers of different heights and textures provides safe haven for birds as they dry and groom after visits to the bird bath and will get you even more avian action in your yard. We recommend planting these trees and shrubs for giving shelter and natural food: Russian Hawthorn, New Mexico Olive, Silver Buffaloberry, Crandall Clove and Gwen’s Buffalo Currants, Pawnee Buttes Sandcherry, Utah Serviceberry and Winnipeg Parks Rose. Even the Cone flowers provide natural seed for small songbirds in winter, and last but not least the native and adapted grasses! Our native bird habitats are diminishing...by carefully selecting the right plants, you will have developed a sanctuary for birds and dare we say for you!
Rain Gauge Throughout this site, the following are used as guidelines for watering established plants:
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Dwarf Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri ‘Palabin’) 
‘Tiger Eyes’ Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’)
Crandall Clove Currant (Ribes odoratum ‘Crandall’)
Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium) 
Summer Wine Mountain Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Seward’)
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