Shrubs
Evergreen and deciduous shrubs used in hedges, borders, and foundation plantings across Middle TN. Browse 61 entries in our identification guide.
Cherry Laurel
Prunus caroliniana
Identify Cherry Laurel (Prunus caroliniana) in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Japanese Flowering Cherry
Prunus serrulata
Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata) care in Middle Tennessee. Notes on disease susceptibility, pests, and soil requirements for Columbia, TN zone 7a.
Yoshino Cherry
Prunus x yedoensis
Identify Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Japanese Snowbell
Styrax japonicus
Identify Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus) in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Glossy Abelia
Abelia x grandiflora
Identify Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Aucuba
Aucuba japonica
Aucuba japonica thrives in dense shade and clay soils across Middle Tennessee. Field-guide notes on cultivars, fruit set, pests, and planting conditions.
Boxwood
Buxus spp.
Boxwood (Buxus spp.) care guide for Middle Tennessee: sun, soil, pruning, pest management, and hardiness in zones 6b/7a.
Camellia
Camellia spp.
Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua in Middle Tennessee: bloom timing, acid soil requirements, clay siting, freeze protection, and tea scale management.
False Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera
Chamaecyparis pisifera in Middle Tennessee: cultivar selection, bagworm pressure, canker susceptibility, and pruning limits for landscape plantings.
Japanese Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria japonica
Identify Japanese Cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica) in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Arizona Cypress
Cupressus arizonica
Cupressus arizonica as a drought-tolerant evergreen screen in Middle Tennessee. Notes on drainage requirements, bagworm pressure, and canker risk.
Foster Holly
Ilex x attenuata
Foster Holly (Ilex x attenuata) thrives in Middle Tennessee zones 6b/7a. Learn about its acidic soil needs, pruning for privacy screens, and winter berry care.
Chinese Holly
Ilex cornuta
Ilex cornuta in Middle Tennessee: drought-tolerant evergreen shrub, self-fruitful cultivars, deer resistance, and tea scale management notes.
Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Ilex crenata in Middle Tennessee: boxwood substitute performance, black root rot risk in clay soils, Volutella blight, and drainage requirements.
Nellie R. Stevens Holly
Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'
Identify Nellie R. Stevens Holly (Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens') in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Yaupon Holly
Ilex vomitoria
Ilex vomitoria: native Tennessee evergreen holly tolerating clay, compaction, and shade. Field notes on wildlife value, cultivars, and site adaptability.
Anisetree
Illicium parviflorum
Illicium parviflorum: shade-tolerant, deer-resistant evergreen shrub for wet clay sites in Middle Tennessee. Notes on hardiness, siting, and screen use.
Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis
Juniperus chinensis in Middle Tennessee: cultivar selection, bagworm management calendar, cedar-apple rust, and drought tolerance notes.
Red Chokecherry
Aronia arbutifolia
Aronia arbutifolia: native Tennessee shrub with persistent red berries, scarlet fall color, and tolerance for wet clay soils. Notes on wildlife value and cultivars.
Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Berberis thunbergii in Middle Tennessee: deer resistance, cultivar selection, invasive potential, and pruning notes for landscape plantings.
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Callicarpa americana: native Tennessee shrub with magenta berry clusters in fall. Notes on siting, wildlife value, rejuvenation pruning, and deer tolerance.
Sweetshrub
Calycanthus floridus
Calycanthus floridus: native Tennessee sweetshrub for shaded clay sites. Notes on fragrance variability, cultivar selection, suckering habit, and pollinator value.
Flowering Quince
Chaenomeles speciosa
Chaenomeles speciosa in Middle Tennessee: early-season bloom, fire blight management, lace bug pressure, and pruning timing for flower wood.
Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
Clethra alnifolia: native Tennessee shrub with fragrant summer bloom for wet clay sites. Notes on midsummer pollinator value, cultivars, and pH requirements.
Forsythia
Forsythia x intermedia
Forsythia x intermedia in Middle Tennessee: bloom failure causes, correct pruning timing, rejuvenation technique, and cultivar notes for spring display.
American Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Hamamelis virginiana: native Tennessee shrub blooming November–December. Notes on late-season pollinator value, siting, witch hazel aphid galls, and cultivar selection.
Bigleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea macrophylla in Middle Tennessee: bloom failure causes, remontant cultivars, pH and flower color, powdery mildew, and pruning rules.
Panicle Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata
Hydrangea paniculata in Middle Tennessee: new-wood bloom reliability, full-sun tolerance, cultivar selection, tree-form training, and pruning timing.
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Hydrangea quercifolia: native Tennessee shrub with four-season interest, old-wood bloom hardiness, fall color, and clay soil tolerance. Pruning timing notes.
Winterberry Holly
Ilex verticillata
Ilex verticillata: native Tennessee deciduous holly with scarlet winter berries. Pollinator pairing, clay soil tolerance, cultivar selection, and bird value.
Virginia Sweetspire
Ilex virginica
Itea virginica: native Tennessee shrub for wet clay sites with fragrant summer bloom and reliable fall color. Cultivar notes, pollinator value, and siting guidance.
Beauty Bush
Kolkwitzia amabilis
Kolkwitzia amabilis in Middle Tennessee: late-spring flowering on old wood, rejuvenation pruning technique, drainage requirements, and site tolerance.
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Lindera benzoin: native Tennessee shade shrub, sole host for spicebush swallowtail. Notes on early spring bloom, fruit set, dioecious planting, and woodland siting.
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Physocarpus opulifolius: native Tennessee shrub adaptable to clay, compaction, and drought. Purple-leaf cultivars, powdery mildew, and rejuvenation pruning notes.
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Rhus aromatica: native Tennessee groundcover-scale shrub for dry rocky banks. Notes on 'Gro-Low' cultivar, fall color, deer resistance, and Central Basin performance.
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Sambucus canadensis: native Tennessee shrub for moist sites, thicket-forming with edible late-summer fruit. Notes on suckering, pruning, and wildlife value.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Viburnum dentatum: native Tennessee shrub with white spring flowers and blue-black fall fruit. Clay-tolerant, wildlife-valuable, adaptable to Middle TN conditions.
Spider Flower
Cleome hassleriana
Cleome hassleriana: tall warm-season annual with spidery pink to purple flowers, prolific self-seeder, deer-resistant, and a top pollinator plant in Middle Tennessee.
Elephant Ear
Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia esculenta: tropical accent plant grown as a tender perennial in Middle Tennessee. Large foliage, wet-site tolerant, corms must be overwintered indoors.
Cigar Plant
Cuphea ignea
Cuphea ignea: tubular red-orange flowers attract hummingbirds from late spring through frost. Grown as a warm-season annual in Middle Tennessee's Zone 6b/7a.
Sweet William
Dianthus barbatus
Dianthus barbatus: fragrant cool-season biennial with dense flower clusters in May–June. Notes on overwintering, Fusarium risk in clay, and pollinator value in Middle TN.
Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
Digitalis purpurea: biennial with tall spotted flower spikes in May–June, toxic to humans and pets, self-seeding in dappled shade. Middle Tennessee siting and care notes.
Diamond Frost
Euphorbia hypericifolia
Euphorbia hypericifolia 'Diamond Frost': heat-tolerant annual filler with airy white blooms from spring through frost. Notes on latex sap caution and Middle TN performance.
Blue Daze
Evolvulus glomeratus
Evolvulus glomeratus: trailing annual with sky-blue morning flowers; requires excellent drainage to avoid crown rot in Middle Tennessee clay soils.
Globe Amaranth
Gomphrena globosa
Gomphrena globosa: heat and humidity-tolerant annual with papery clover-like flower heads from June through frost. Excellent cut-and-dried flower for Middle Tennessee.
Lantana
Lantana camara
Lantana camara: drought-tolerant annual in Middle Tennessee with continuous blooms from spring through frost, exceptional butterfly value, and lace bug susceptibility.
Sweet Alyssum
Lobularia maritima
Lobularia maritima: fragrant cool-season annual that blooms spring and fall in Middle Tennessee; declines in peak summer heat, recovers with cooler September temperatures.
Zonal Geranium
Pelargonium x hortorum
Pelargonium x hortorum: popular bedding annual with continuous blooms; Botrytis gray mold and tobacco budworm are the key challenges in Middle Tennessee's humid climate.
Petunia
Petunia x hybrida
Petunia x hybrida: spring-through-frost annual requiring mid-season cutback for rebloom; tobacco budworm and Botrytis are key challenges in Middle Tennessee.
Coleus
Plectranthus scutellarioides
Plectranthus scutellarioides: shade-tolerant foliage annual in vibrant colors; downy mildew and mealybugs are the key management issues in Middle Tennessee.
Moss Rose
Portulaca grandiflora
Portulaca grandiflora: drought-tolerant succulent annual for hot, dry sites in Middle Tennessee; thrives in poor soil but fails rapidly in waterlogged clay.
Azalea
Rhododendron spp.
Rhododendron azaleas in Middle Tennessee: pH-sensitive shrubs requiring acidic, well-drained soil. Notes on iron chlorosis, Phytophthora root rot, and lace bug management.
Nandina
Nandina domestica
Nandina domestica: adaptable semi-evergreen shrub with persistent red berries; invasive in woodland edges of Middle Tennessee, toxic berries documented to kill cedar waxwings.
Spirea
Spiraea japonica
Spiraea japonica: low-maintenance deciduous shrub with pink spring flowers; requires periodic hard rejuvenation pruning and aphid monitoring in Middle Tennessee landscapes.
Knockout Rose
Rosa 'Knock Out'
Identify Knockout Rose (Rosa 'Knock Out') in Middle Tennessee. Shrub identification and care guide from Mr. Lawn Care, Columbia TN.
Japanese Privet
Ligustrum japonicum
Ligustrum japonicum: evergreen screening shrub invasive in Middle Tennessee woodlands; spreads by bird-dispersed seed, requires triclopyr for stump control after removal.
Burning Bush
Euonymus alatus
Euonymus alatus: vivid scarlet fall color but invasive in Tennessee woodlands; euonymus scale is a persistent pest requiring dormant oil treatment in Middle TN landscapes.
Itea
Itea virginica
Itea virginica: native Tennessee shrub with fragrant white June flowers and vivid fall color; tolerates wet clay soils, no significant pests, underused in Middle TN landscapes.
Deutzia
Deutzia scabra
Deutzia scabra: arching spring-flowering shrub with white to pink blooms in May–June; blooms on old wood — prune immediately after flowering in Middle Tennessee.
Weigela
Weigela florida
Weigela florida: reliable cold-hardy shrub with tubular pink to red flowers in May–June; blooms on old wood, prune within 6 weeks of bloom for best results in Middle Tennessee.
Lilac
Syringa vulgaris
Syringa vulgaris: fragrant April–May flowering shrub requiring 800+ chilling hours; marginally reliable in Middle Tennessee's warm winters, powdery mildew common in summer.
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