SHRUBS AND TREES
Surrounding the
Central Rappahannock Regional Library
Landscaping at the Library Headquarters, including the fountain and benches in the front courtyard, was a gift to the
community from the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club in April 1991, following the Library’s renovation.
The RVGC donated and planted the Lewis Street ninebark shrubs in the fall of 2007.
Creeping lilyturf, creeping liriope—Liriope spicata
Tough, adaptable, and low-maintenance. Can be mown or sheared. Usually evergreen. Takes sun and shade, even dry
shade. Tolerates root competition from trees. Too invasive for borders, but great for a groundcover. Divide in spring.
Spike-like cluster of pale violet to white flowers in mid to late summer; blue-black berrylike fruit. Zones 4 to 9. 8 to 12
inches high with a spread of 6 to 12 inches.
'Natchez' crape myrtle—Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei 'Natchez'
Widely planted, a top performing crape myrtle in the southeastern United States. Introduced by the U. S. National
Arboretum in 1987. White flowers and exfoliating bark are characteristic of this cultivar. Reaches heights of 30 feet at
maturity. Very large blooms. Spectacular cinnamon brown bark develops after about 5 years. Not the best for fall color.
Carissa holly—Ilex cornuta‘Carissa’
Dense growth and less prickly than other hollies. Sun to part shade. Leaves have one soft spine on the tip. A branch
sport of 'Rotunda'. 'Carissa' rarely fruits. 3-4 feet high and 4-6 feet wide at maturity. Tolerates a range of conditions and
soil types, except wet soils and high-salt soils. Very heat and drought resistant. Often used as a tall groundcover or low
shrub mass around parking lots. Requires minimum pruning to maintain its mounding shape. Growth rate is moderate
to slow. Zone 7.
Shadblow, shadbush, serviceberry—Amelanchier canadensis
Deciduous. Moderate growth rate. Sun to partial shade; moist, well drained soil but tolerates dry soil. Irregular; low,
shrubby, often multistemed plant. 6 to 15' high, 15 to 20' wide. Yellow to orange fall color. Upright, white and light
pink flowers in early spring; sweet, purplish black berries. Native; flowers after A. arborea; produces suckers; occurs
naturally in bogs and wet sites. Zones: 4-7.
Fringe tree—Chionanthus virginicus
Large shrub or small tree. Dioecious or polygamodioecious, with male flowers being slightly showier. Fragrant, blooms
in spring. Fruit a dark blue drupe in late summer. Full sun to partial shade; pruning rarely required, prefers deep
moist, fertile, acid soil but is extremely adaptable (in the wild grows along stream banks and at the edges of swamps).
“Considered by the British to be finest American plants. (Michael A. Dirr - Manual of Woody Landscape Plants)”
‘Magyar’ ginkgo—Ginkgo biloba ‘Magyar’
Dioecious (“two houses”) long lived (one at Kew planted in the 1600’s); may be 20 years before flowering. Little
changed for 150 million years. Once native to north America. In general, tolerant of compacted soils acid or alkaline,
relatively tolerant of air pollution, heat or cold, insects or diseases. ‘Magyar’ is a seedless (male) strong upright growth
with a dominant central leader. Zone 3.
Kousa dogwood—Cornus kousa
Deciduous. Slow growth rate. Sun to partial shade; well drained soil. Vase shape in youth; rounded with horizontal
branching with age. 20 to 30' high, 15 to 20' wide. Reddish purple to scarlet fall color. Beautiful exfoliating bark. White
tapered bracts; blooms about 2 to 3 weeks after C. florida; interesting pinkish red to red fruit in late summer. Resistant
to anthracnose. More drought tolerant than native dogwood. Zones 5-8.
Nandina—Nandina domestica
Evergreen. Moderate growth rate. Sun to shade; range of soil types but prefers moist, well-drained soil. 6 to 8 feet high,
2 to 3 feet wide. 8 to 15" erect panicle of white flowers in early summer; panicle of 0.3" bright red berries fall into
winter. Leaves metallic bluish green; hues of red-green in winter. Drought tolerant. Zones 6 to 9.
Sourwood—Oxydendrum arboreum
Deciduous. Slow growth rate. Sun to partial shade; well drained soil but does well in dry soil. Pyramidal; slender trunk;
drooping branches; narrow crown. 20 to 30' high, 10 to 15' high. Variable fall color - yellow, red, purple. Fragrant, lily-of
the valley like flowers in summer; greenish yellow seed pods that last into fall. Excellent native tree; difficult to
transplant; shallow root system; flowers attract bees and butterflies; seeds for bird. Zones 6-9.
Sweet bay magnolia—Magnolia virginiana
Evergreen to semi-evergreen. Moderate to rapid growth rate. Sun to partial shade; moist to wet soil. Conical narrow,
rounded crown; multistemmed; upright spreading habit. 10 to 60' high. 10 to 20' wide. 2 to 3" creamy white flowers
with lemon scent from late spring to late summer; bright red seeds. Native; often multi-trunk; smooth bark; shallow
roots; aromatic spicy leaves and twigs; fruit attracts birds; larval food for swallowtails. Zones 5-9.
Virginia sweetspire—Itea virginica
Easily grown deciduous shrub. Full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, humusy soils, but tolerates a wide range of soil
conditions. Can form dense colonies by root suckering if left unchecked. Typically grows 3-5'. Fragrant, tiny white
flowers borne in cylindrical, drooping racemes which cover the shrub with bloom in early summer. Dark green leaves
turn an attractive red in autumn, sometimes persisting on the shrub until December. Naturalizes well in wild plant
gardens. Good for wet locations such as low spots or on the edges of streams or ponds.
Common witch hazel—Hamamelis virginiana
15-20’often good yellow fall color, and fragrant flowers in late fall. Native to eastern and central United States. An
understory small tree or shrub of deciduous forests. Medium to moist soil, not for dry areas (naturally lives along
stream banks). Has explosive seed capsules. Witch hazel distilled from bark of young stems and roots. Zone 3–4.
‘Simplicity’ rose—Rosa ‘Simplicity’
This pink floribunda is being planted very successfully in huge landscape projects. Its never ending display of semidouble, clear pink flowers, are made up of about 15 firm petals. The name Simplicity refers not only to the clean simple
appearance but as much to the simplicity of planting a rose which needs very little care.
Yoshino cherry—Prunus x yedoensis
Deciduous. Rapid growth rate. Sun to very light shade; prefers moist, well drained soil but tolerates clay. 30 to 40' high,
30 to 50' wide. yellow to gold fall color. Cluster of double, pale pink or white flowers in March April; slightly fragrant;
small blackish fruit in summer. Excellent floral display. Zones 5–8.
American beautyberry—Callicarpa americana
Deciduous. Rapid growth rate. Sun to partial shade; dry to moist soil; best fruit production in full sun and moist soil. 3
to 4 feet high, 4 to 5 feet wide. Non-showy flowers. Yellow-green fall color. Drought tolerant; berries attract birds; cut
back severely each year for best berry production (flowers on new growth); native to the southeastern US; best used near
natural area or mass planted; avoid excessive fertilizer. Zones 7–10.
‘Diablo’ - purple leaved ninebark—Physocarpus opulifolius
Diablo ninebark shrubs reach 8–10 feet tall with a similar spread. These multi-branched, upright shrubs are fast
growers. In spring, Diablo ninebark bears white or pinkish-white flowers that grow in clusters. The purplish foliage of
Diablo ninebark plants (with a touch of red here and there) earn them the nickname, "purple ninebarks" or purpleleafed ninebarks." An increase in red color and a hint of bronze added to the purple in the leaves make them even more
attractive in fall. Mature branches exhibit exfoliating bark, giving Diablo ninebark plants winter interest. Zones 3–7.
K