barn nursery - trees shrub shade

Aucuba

Sometimes called the gold dust plant, aucuba has striking yellow and green leaves that can light up a shady area. This evergreen can grow 4 to 6 feet tall. A green variety, called serratifolia, is also available and has large red berries in the fall.

Azaleas come in both evergreen and deciduous types. All bloom primarily in the spring, and some have a second, lighter flush of blooms in the fall. Evergreen azaleas can grow from 18 inches to 8 feet tall, depending on variety. They all want afternoon shade and excellent drainage. The Girard series is especially good for Chattanooga. The flowers are large, range from white to pink, red, and purple, and appear late enough in the spring to be safe from late frosts. Deciduous azaleas are generally hardier than their evergreen cousins. Many deciduous azaleas are native to the American southeast, and others like the Exburies are large flowered hybrids. Most grow 5 to 8 feet tall, some taller, and have a loose, informal appearance. Their flowers can be pink or white, but they also come in yellow, orange, and coral.

Azalea Golden Flare

Camellias are large growing broadleaf evergreens with spectacular white, pink, or red flowers. Bloom time varies from September to April. The Japonica varieties have larger leaves and flowers and a stiffer habit than the sasanquas. The best japonicas for Chattanooga flower in early spring. Most japonicas need winter protection to flower well here, but the Ice Angels series, including Betty Sette, is hardy down to -10 degrees and will grow even on the mountains. Sasanquas tend to bloom in the fall. Their leaves and flowers are slightly smaller than the japonicas and they have a looser, informal structure. Good sasanqua varieties include the single red Yuletide, and the pink Kanjiro. All camellias prefer afternoon shade and protection from strong winds. Most will grow at least 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, with some topping 12 feet.

Camellia Sasanqua Kanjiro

Camellia Yuletide

Dogwood

Cherokee Brave

Dogwood Constellation

Dogwood

Stellar Pink

Hydrangea Annabelle

Hydrangea

Endless Summer

Hydrangea

Lanarth White

Hydrangea

Merritt's Supreme

Hydrangea

Nikko Blue

Hydrangea

Oakleaf Alice

Hydrangea

Tardiva

The Barn Nursery • I-24 at the 4th Avenue exit • Chattanooga, Tennessee • 423-698-BARN

Azalea Girard’s Saybrook Glory

Camellia Japonica Betty Sette

Hydrangeas are stars of the summer garden. Most varieties prefer partial shade and plenty of water and all are deciduous. Bigleaf hydrangeas like Nikko Blue and Merrit Supreme have snowball like blooms that can be up to a foot across on 4 to 5 foot tall plants. Most hydrangeas bloom for 6 to 8 weeks, but Endless Summer will flower from early June though October. The flower color depends on the pH of the soil. Acid soil (sulfur) makes blue flowers and an alkaline soil (lime) will create pink flowers. Hydrangeas also come with white flowers. Annabelle is a shade loving selection with pure white flowers the size of volleyballs. Oakleaf hydrangeas have cones of flowers that start out white and fade to rusty-pink. The leaves turn crimson in the fall. The late blooming panicle hydrangeas like Pee Gee and Tardiva will take more sun than other varieties. They bloom from August to October and can be grown as large shrubs or limbed up like small trees.

The native Florida Dogwood is one of the most treasured plants in the south. Its tiered branches often start low on the tree. The layers of white, pink, or red flowers appear in April before the leaves. Red berries cap the branches in the fall, and the autumn leaf color is dark reddish-purple. Kousa, or Chinese dogwoods, bloom 2 weeks later than the Florida dogwood, after the leaves have come out. The leaves turn reddish-orange in the fall and the fruit looks like raspberries. Hybrids between the two varieties such as Constellation and Stellar Pink are more disease resistant than the parent plants. All dogwoods prefer partial shade and grow 20 to 30 feet tall and wide. Deciduous.