Late-Blooming Trees & Shrubs Here's a look at some of the late-blooming shrubs sold at Woodland Gardens this year. Check out their flowers and foliage colors. Real winners!

Caryopteris (Blue Mist Spirea, Bluebeard) A deciduous shrub with small gray-green leaves and lovely bright blue flowers in late summer. Grows 2-3 feet high and wide. Easy to grow.

	Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique' is similar to Hydrangea "PeeGee," but it is more vigorous. The flowerheads are "unique" in shape - broad at the base, rounded at the tip. The flowers start as creamy white and change to pink. Blooms early July-Oct.
	Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' - a Great Plant Pick. This Oakleaf Hydrangea has long pyramidal panicles of many small white flowers that fade to rose-pink. The leaves turn deep plum purple in autumn (especially when planted in full sun). It grows to 4-5' tall and spreads 5-6'.
	Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue' The first of our many hydrangeas to start blooming. Nikko Blue is the most popular "Mophead" hydrangea. Its blossoms will turn into huge, round, blue flowers (in acidic soil) or light pink in other soil. The plant will grow to 4-6 feet tall.
	'Blushing Bride' Hydrangea, the newest version of an 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea, begins as an all-white flower that slowly turns a pale pink. Click here for the Endless Summer website.

Itea 'Henry's Garnet' - Virginia Sweetspire (photo from the UConn Plant Database)This shrub was selected for the Gold Medal Award for plants in 1988 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society because "it is a tough, adaptable native shrub with great contrast from summer to fall. Fragrant long white flowers bloom in late June against green foliage; fall foliage is a striking red-purple that lasts well into winter."

Sambucus nigra - 'Black Lace' Elderberry Purple black, finely cut foliage - creqamy pin flowers in spring - black-red berries in fall - This is a very showy, unusual deciduous shrub. It's best planted in full sun for the best color.  It can grow to 8 feet tall, but it can also be easily pruned to whatever size you want it. (Proven Winners photo)

Salix integra 'Nishiki' and 'Flamingo' - Dappled Willow In this photo there are two types of Dappled Willow. 'Flamingo' is the shorter version. They're similar, however, in their coloring - long, thin light green leaves mottled with white and pink; slender, delicate branches that are somewhat weeping. These are trouble-free deciduous shrubs that can grow large, but are easily pruned to the shape and size you wish. To promote the pink and white coloring, prune during the summer.

Mountain Laurel  -  Kalmia latifolia 'Quinnipiac' Mountain Laur(on left) and 'Little Linda' (right) were absolutely gorgeous this spring. Mountain Laurel--Connecticut's state flower- is great for acidic soils in a sunny to partly shady area. It has shiny evergreen leaves and beautiful flowers in May/June that come in white, pink, red, and combinations of those colors. Many cultivars are available, from dwarf varieties that stay around 3 feet up to larger varieties that grow as large as 12 feet.

Philadelphus 'Snowbelle' - Mock Orange Here's a low-growing, compact deciduous shrub with a wonderful fragrance from its snowy white, double blossoms. The foliage is deep green. Snowbelle is easy to grow and very adaptable.

Chionanthus virginicus - Fringetree This is a Cary Award winner - a pest & disease-resistant deciduous tree with delicate clouds of fragrant white flowers in early June and blue fruit in the late summer. It's unusual and special.

Just a Quick Sampling of Our 2008 Nursery Stock Spring-flowering Shrubs & Trees Azaleas (38 varieties - all colors) Rhododendrons (25 varieties - all colors and sizes) Lilacs Dogwoods Forsythia Crabapple & Many Other Fruit Trees Abelia Summer-flowering Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) Caryopteris Hydrangeas (LOTS!) Hibiscus Potentilla Weigela Evergreens Broadleaf Evergreens Hedge Plants Shade Trees Block-the-neighbor plants Weeping Trees PLUS: fruit trees, grapes, berry bushes