10 Great Varieties of Trees & Shrubs

The NC-7 Regional Woody Ornamental Trials is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agricultural experiment stations in the Midwest. The goal of this project is to identify trees and shrubs for the nursery trade that will perform well in home landscapes. Paul Ovrom of the USDA’s North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station in Ames, Iowa and one of the coordinators of the NC-7 trials, compiled the following report exclusively for Organic Gardening on 10 winners that are now available at nurseries in the United States and Canada

Top Shrubs you can Plants

1/ Fragrant Sumac ‘Konza’

USDA hardiness zones: 5 to 9

Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica is native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. ‘Konza’ is a deciduous variety of fragrant sumac that grows to about 9 feet tall, fruits heavily, and has dark red foliage in fall. Use ‘Konza’ in borders or hedges, or as foundation plants. In the trials, ‘Konza’ has adapted well to a wide variety of climates and soil types, and has been particularly drought tolerant. Fully hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, ‘Konza suffered winter twig injury in the trials in USDA zones 3 and 4.





