The most compact, heaviest-blooming dwarf Lilac ever grown, Syringa Bloomerang is a flower machine for 4 months or more every year. The heaviest flowering is in spring, when this compact, very well-branched shrub erupts in fragrant purply-pink bloom trusses, ideal for cutting yet irresistible in the garden as well. Then the flowers simply continue into summer, long past even the late-blooming Lilacs, with color present on the shrub all the way until autumn.

Introduced by Tim Wood of Spring Meadow Nursery, this cross of the famous dwarf  Syringa ‘Josee’ outdoes all other members of the family with its generosity of blooms over a long, long season. Syringa Bloomerang reaches a petite 4 to 5 feet wide and 4 feet tall, an ideal size for smaller gardens or containers. Give it full sun and enriched, well-drained soil, water it during dry spells, and this ultra-fragrant mini will repay you in armloads of blooms!

Hardiness: Zones 4-7.

Syringa meyeri is laden with enormous quantities of fragrant, pink-tinted lavender panicles in early summer. This beauty is a true sun worshiper, preferring full sun, but will flower well in light shade. Painstakingly pruned and trained to a single trunk, this dwarf Korean Lilac is sculptured into a magnificent formal accent! Mildew-free, and an exceptionally hardy garden gem.

Space Lilacs 6 to 12 feet apart in an airy location with full sun and well-drained soil. A yearly top-dressing of mulch, preferably well-composted manure, is beneficial.

Hardiness: Zones 3-8.

Syringa vulgaris President Lincoln is bestowed with long, open, pyramidal clusters of single flowers of purest Wedgwood blue. A rare color in Lilacs, these magnificent flowers are the nearest to a true blue of any variety known. Space Lilacs 6 to 12 feet apart in an airy location with full sun and well-drained soil. A yearly top-dressing of mulch, preferably well-composted manure, is beneficial.

Hardiness: Zones 3-7.

Cannot ship any Syringa to AZ.

Krasavitsa Moskvy (Beauty of Moscow) is weather resistant, extremely hardy, and has a long blooming period. The unusually large double flowers of this hybrid Lilac resemble pink pearls in bud, but open to pure white. The striking combination of buds and flowers creates a beautiful bicolor effect. Delightfully fragrant, the large panicles are abundant and exceptionally full, making this a superb garden plant, as well as a perfect choice for cut flowers.

Krasavitsa Moskvy grows 12 to 18 inches annually. In 8 to 10 years you can expect a fully developed shrub, 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 7 feet wide.

Hardiness: Zones 3-7.

A gardeners’ favorite ever since its 1916 introduction, ‘Adelaide Dunbar’ is the Lilac no true lover of this species can be without. Boasting big double flowers of richest purple held along tightly-packed trusses, it also boasts spring foliage of bright maroon and one of the most intense and sweet scents in the Lilac family. Renowned for its mildew resistance, which keeps the bright green foliage full and lush all season, ‘Adelaide Dunbar’ flowers very heavily in spring. Give it plenty of sun and it will reward you with a lifetime of glorious blooms.

Named for the wife of Rochester, New York park horticulturist John Dunbar (the man responsible for creating “Lilac City” in Rochester), this classic variety has never been equaled.

Hardiness: Zones 3-7.

Late-blooming Miss Kim Lilac blossoms even later than the French hybrids

Syringa patula Miss Kim is a charming, rare Lilac from Korea that grows more compactly than the French hybrids (only 6 to 8 feet). Delicate clusters of very fragrant, single blossoms, rich pink in bud and changing to ice-blue when mature, appear weeks after the French hybrids have finished blooming, thus extending the Lilac season. Leaves turn burgundy in fall extending period of interest.

Miss Kim is easily kept pruned to 4 feet because of its dense, leafy habit and naturally rounded form. This small stature is ideal for smaller grounds and foundation plantings. Hardy and trouble free, it does well in the South, where other Lilacs are not happy.  Space Lilacs 6 to 12 feet apart in an airy location with full sun and well-drained soil. A yearly top-dressing of mulch, preferably well-composted manure, is beneficial.

Uses:

• Shrub border
• Informal hedge screen
• Specimen shrub
• Near outdoor seating areas to enjoy the fragrance

Hardiness: Zones 3-8.

Heavenly scent!

Originally developed for superior cold-hardiness, ‘Fragrant Pathways’ also breaks new ground for compact habit, big double blooms, and powerfully sweet fragrance! A groundcover Gardenia extraordinaire, it belongs in your sunny to partly shaded bed, border, and containers, as well as along walkways and other heavily-trafficked areas.

Gardenia is known for its intoxicating scent, but ‘Fragrant Pathways’ takes matters one step further with an aroma so intense that even a small planting will perfume the entire garden. Plant it beneath a window, set it in pots near the entryway, and dot it in the patio garden to keep your garden sweet from early summer until well into fall!

The blooms are exquisite too, fully double and 1 1/2 inches across — quite large for such a low-growing, compact plant. They gleam against the small, dark green, very glossy leaves, which remain evergreen all winter.

Gardenia lovers will appreciate ‘Fragrant Pathway’s’ parentage — it is a sport of the beloved favorite ‘Radicans,’ and was developed at Gilbert’s Nursery here in South Carolina. Famous for surviving winters too harsh for other ‘Radicans’ cultivars, ‘Fragrant Pathways’ is a super-vigorous performer in any setting, forming a tight little mound 10 inches tall, 36 inches wide, and bursting with blooms.

Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart in the sunny to partly shaded garden for a lush carpet of white that lasts all summer and into fall! Hardy in zones 7-10.

Vinca minor La Grave (Bowles’ Variety) boasts flowers larger, of richer color, and borne more profusely than the species. In mid- to late spring your sunny or shady garden will be awash in radiant purple, with glossy evergreen foliage that always looks great!Periwinkle or Trailing Myrtle is a prostrate vine that roots along the stems, forming a dense, evergreen mat that makes the perfect ground cover. Adaptable to sun or shade, it is virtually maintenance-free, and lasts for many years.

La Grave is a splendid variety that looks much showier than the species, especially when interplanted with dusty-rose Atropurpurea! Perfect above spring-blooming bulbs and in areas needing quick coverage, La Grave tolerates poor soils as well as heat, humidity, drought, and cold. Thoroughly reliable and so lovely! Grows 2 to 6 inches high and 2 to 3 feet wide. Best color is in part shade.

Zones 4-9.

This tree is one of the last to leaf out, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t see foliage right away in spring – its magnificent display is well worth the wait. Showy pink clusters of powderpuff blooms stand out amongst the rich chocolate foliage in late summer and have a pleasantly sweet melon scent. Flat seedpods adorn the tree in fall and persist into winter.This fast-growing deciduous tree has a wide, vase-shaped habit with an arching dome-shaped canopy and grows up to 8 feet in its first season. Its open, airy habit makes it highly wind-resistant and provides filtered shade.

These tough trees are drought-tolerant and adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions, including salt spray. ‘Summer Chocolate’ transplants easily, has no major pest problems, and is reputed to be deer-resistant. It will achieve the deepest, darkest color in full sun but is also tolerant of partial shade. Use this highly ornamental tree as a landscape specimen, accent, or patio planting for years of conversation-starting beauty.

This dwarf tree has a rounded, dense habit ideal for a big show of color, and that’s just what it’s prepared to give you year after year — beginning from a very young age. The blooms emerge rosy-pink on fat 5-inch wands, then mature to soft lavender as the weather warms. Wonderfully fragrant, they are a magnet for bees and add a lot of color to any size space.

Ideal for the patio, small garden designs, and in large containers everywhere, Prairie Petite reaches just 3 to 4 feet high and wide. It looks terrific out of bloom too, thanks to its compact, very tightly-held habit. This is a little showpiece of a tree that enlivens any sunny to partly-shaded spot.Prairie Petite is quite cold-hardy, thriving all the way through zone 2 in the north. For best flowering and growth, give it well-drained soil well enriched with humus.

Geranium ‘Sweet Heidy’ – So numerous are the merits of this new Hardy Geranium that it leaves older cultivars in the dirt. Each bloom is a combination of pink and blue, with elegant whiskering. They arise from late spring till early fall, months longer than most other Hardy Geraniums. And the plants have a lush, semi-trailing habit that works well on walls and slopes as well as the border and containers. Best in sun to part shade and enriched, well-drained soil, it reaches 14 inches high and 24 to 30 inches wide. Qty 1 3-inch Pot. Zones 4 – 8.

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum – A floriferous dwarf. 1-inch deeply veined salmon-pink blossoms on 6- to 8-inch stems in summer and fall. Drought resistant. Qty 1 3-inch Pot. Zones 3 – 8.Geranium ‘Jolly Bee’ PP#12,148 – Dozens of large blue blooms fill the garden all summer, each sweetly fragrant, veined in maroon and dotted with a white eye. As the blooms mature, the blue base color changes for dozens of new looks. The blooms, 1 1/2 inches across are among the largest we’ve seen. Plants tolerate acid and alkaline soils. Qty 1 3-inch Pot. Zones 4 – 8.”

Often difficult to locate and always in demand, Japanese Silver-Painted Fern is a miniature treasure for the partly- to fully-shaded garden. Just 18 inches tall, it bears lush, finely-cut foliage of rich green, each frond marked with a central stem of bright crimson and silvery markings. The effect in a dark corner of the garden is quite dramatic!Easy to grow, this fern needs only moist, well-drained, acidic soil. Over time it forms substantial colonies, increasing the color show with each passing year! And although its weeping habit makes it look very delicate, it’s one tough customer, withstanding poor weather and soil conditions beautifully.Space these plants about 18 inches apart in full to partial shade.”

Vinca minor (Periwinkle, Trailing Myrtle) is a very vigorous ground cover for large areas. Prostrate vines root along its stems and form an evergreen ground cover with glossy, deep green leaves and a multitude of lilac blue blooms appearing in April and May. Spreads rapidly in sun or shade, even in poor soils. Excellent for interplanting with spring bulbs. Zones 4-9.

This is such an easy, rewarding fern for the partly shaded garden, open woodland, border, or rockery. Native to North America, it sets long, tapering, elegant fronds anywhere from 6 to 16 inches long, their topside lightly covered in hair, their underside very hairy indeed. (Hence their common name of Hairy Lip Fern!) Adding interesting texture and rich, saturated deep green color to the garden, this the ideal subject for plantings large and small.The Hairy Lip Fern typically reaches just 6 to 8 inches high but spreads more than a foot wide, making it ideal to carpet the garden floor. Very distinctive and dense, its fronds offer nice contrast in texture and form to the Hostas, Hellebores, and Heucheras of the shade garden. If dry conditions strike, the plant may go dormant, but it returns readily as soon as the soil is moist again. Such adaptability makes it highly prized in a low-maintenance and water-sparing setting. Zones 5-8.

Alba complements every other color in the garden, and the blooms arise profusely on plants just 2 to 6 inches high and 2 to 3 feet wide. Wow!Known for its adaptability and low maintenance, Vinca thrives in heat, humidity, drought, cold, and poor soil. The glossy foliage is evergreen, and the plant spreads by rooting along the stem, quickly forming a dense, glimmering mat! Perfect for naked slopes and freshly-turned soil, it establishes rapidly and looks good year-round.If you like Alba, try a mixed planting with dusty-rose and large-flowered blue Vinca. Best blooming is in partial shade.Space plants 2 to 3 feet apart. Zones 4-9

Atropurpurea is perfect for overplanting the spring-blooming bulb garden, for covering poor soil quickly, or for blanketing the dusty spaces beneath trees and shrubs where few other plants are happy. Atropurpurea spreads about 9 to 12 inches a year — not quite as quickly as the species, but eventually covering quite a lot of ground — and so beautifully!There is really nothing like these rosy-red blooms in the Vinca family. They look splendid with large-flowered blues such as La Grave, as well as the hard-to-find white. And they’re lovely enough to grace a container all by themselves, so large and eye-catching are they!Space plants about a foot apart in the garden. Best color is in partial shade. Zones 4-9

This early spring-flowering shrub blooms with the Tulips. Masses of flowers are deep pink in bud, open pink, then mature to pure white. Then, just as the silvery leaves unfold, the 5-inch flower clusters reach their peak, filling the air with their intoxicating perfume. The spectacular blossoms are followed by clustered black fruit.

Viburnums are among the finest deciduous flowering shrubs for year-round garden interest! Spring brings pink or white buds that transform into attractive white flowers that are often delightfully fragrant. Summer brings lush, rich-textured foliage. Not to be outdone, fall brings color to the leaves as well as abundant berries that attract birds. Hardy as Oaks, Viburnums tolerate salt spray and prefer sunny locations.

Wayside Garden offers the best species and hybrids, each with a distinctive growth habit, leaf shape and texture, flower formation, and berry cluster. Korean Spice Viburnum is easily grown and ultimately reaches 8 feet in height and width. Zones 4-8

Eight feet tall and 4 feet wide, this multi-branched shrub has a neatly rounded habit that makes it ideal in a line along the driveway, in the back of the border, or as part of a barrier planting. Spring brings clusters of fragrant white blooms, and by late summer giant clusters of blue-black berries have replaced the flowers with bird-attracting beauty. In autumn, the glossy 4-inch foliage turns first to maroon, then to deep reddish-purple before dropping. A lovely multi-season shrub for any sunny setting!And while ‘Winterthur’ is showing off, it is also pollinating Brandywine, Cardinal Candy, V. carlesii, Blue Muffin, and every other Viburnum in its vicinity.

Most Viburnums will set flowers and fruit even if grown solo, but they are far more productive if grown near a pollinator. ‘Winterthur’ is the perfect candidate to beautify the entire Viburnum garden. Zones 5-9

A Wayside Worldwide Exclusive Introduction! Plant Patent Applied For. cv: ‘Bulk.’ Wayside Gardens is proud to introduce this spectacular Viburnum that produces the most colorful berries ever. A splendid native shrub that belongs in every garden within its hardiness range, Brandywine? is by far the heaviest-fruiting Viburnum we have seen.

From early September through February, this compact 5 to 6-foot shrub is hung with huge clusters of round berries that begin green, then turn white and finally sport all bright shades of pink and blue. Irresistible to birds and most productive when grown near its cousin V. ‘Winterthur,’ Brandywine™ offers multi-season beauty on a deciduous habit.Spring brings new leaves of deep green, glossy and reaching nearly 4 inches long.

By late spring the 2- to 4-inch clusters of white blooms have arisen, lasting into summer. And when the blooms have passed and begun to sport berries, the foliage turns a rich, deep red before falling.Brandywine? was developed by noted plantsman Mark Bulk, and reaches just 5 to 6 feet wide. It thrives in full sun to part shade and is quite adaptable to varying soil types and moisture levels. Zones 5-9

This Viburnum is simply never out of season! No matter when you care to admire it, this super-hardy little shrub has something to offer, be it white blooms, gigantic clusters of shiny red berries, or deep red foliage! What a year-round joy for the foundation planting, border, or hedge! Cardinal Candy is well-named, for the birds will think that the gates of heaven have opened when they see the thousands upon thousands of small, very shiny, scarlet berries this shrub offers from late summer right through midwinter! Polish your binoculars and get out your field guides — your garden is expecting LOTS of company, especially as winter sets in and less food is available for the birds.

But berries are just one part of Cardinal Candy’s? show. The fun starts in late spring, when tons of creamy-white flowers, held in nice 5-inch clusters that really show up across the yard, simply cover this well-branched shrub. After the blooms pass, the fruit sets, followed in fall by the turning of these deep green leaves into rich tones of russet, mahogany, and wine-red. Handsome! And after the leaves fall, the berries remain on the intricate silhouette of the shrub.

Cardinal Candy is more than just a pretty face, however. It has been found to be exceptionally hardy, surviving a -25 degree F cold spell that killed off all other Viburnums in the garden. Very adaptable to most soils, levels of moisture, and light exposures, Cardinal Candy is ideally grown in full sun to partial shade, but will make itself at home almost anywhere. It reaches 4 feet tall and wide after about 5 years, and tops out at 5 feet a year or two later. For a solid wall of color, space plants about 4 feet apart. Then get ready for the show! Zones 4-7