Plants with hard stems are often referred to as woody plants. Woody plants have strong stems and buds that persist above the ground surface in the winter.
Trees and shrubs are the most well-known types of woody plants.
Woody plants are generally subdivided into deciduous and evergreen types. Soft stemmed plants are herbaceous plants that die to the ground during winter.
Apart from trees and shrubs, some vines are also classified as woody plants.
Today we will examine 10 plants with hard stems and how you can care for them.
1. Bottlebrushes
Bottlebrush plants (Callistemon spp.) acquire their name from the flower spikes that grow at the terminals of the stems and resemble a bottle brush.
Cultivate them as shrubs or small trees up to 15 feet tall.
The majority of bottlebrush cultivars bloom in red or scarlet over the course of the summer.
You can start growing bottlebrush in pots and then transplant them to a sheltered location for the winter.
To promote drainage, use a thick, peaty potting soil with some handfuls of sand added.
If the plants are clipped hard every year, they can grow in pots as small as 6 to 8 inches in diameter.
You’ll need a large tub if you want to let the plant flourish.
2. Flowering Almonds
The flowering almond (Prunus triloba) is a deciduous tree with beautiful pink flowers with double petals in the spring.
This medium-growing shrub looks well in parking lots, in strip plantings, or around a deck or patio.
The blossoming pink almond canopy is symmetrical and vase-shaped, with a smooth contour and a profusion of light green foliage.
Flowering almonds can grow to be about 12 feet tall with an equal spread.
The blossoming almond is tolerant to drought and grows at a modest rate. This plant can be grown in full or moderate sunlight.
It can also be cultivated in a wide range of soils in the shade.
Because the tree can not take mechanical harm or other stress, it is best planted in a ground cover or mulched bed.
Here is an article I wrote about plants with maroon leaves
3. Japanese Rose
The Japanese rose (Kerria japonica) is a deciduous blooming shrub with birch-like leaves and five-petaled yellow flowers similar to those found on traditional roses.
It blooms in the spring and again later in the summer.
The Japanese rose is one of the few flowering shrubs that thrive in full to partial shade. The double flowering type’s main branches arch beautifully to a height of eight to ten feet.
This permits the plant to grow in a wide range of widths. To keep a Japanese rose in check, it is usually necessary to prune it on a regular basis.
In the spring or fall, Japanese roses are often planted as nursery-grown potted specimens.
It grows relatively quickly, reaching maturity within the first year of planting.
4. Beautyberry
Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) is a deciduous shrub native to the United States’ southeastern states.
On average, it grows between 3 and 6 feet tall and wide, though it has been known to grow up to 9 feet tall.
It grows at a moderate to rapid rate, gaining 1 to 2 feet per year until maturity. Beautyberry is resistant to pests and illnesses.
The foliage of Beautyberry is medium green, and the flowers are pink or light purple.
The plant also produces berries, which bloom in late summer or early fall and can last throughout the winter.
Both humans and animals can eat the berries.
Beautyberry foliage turns yellow in the fall, though frost can cause the color to shift from green to brown well before leaves drop for the winter.
5. Juniper Shrubs
Juniper bushes (Juniperus) add a well-defined structure to the landscape as well as a fresh smell.
Juniper shrubbery is simple to care for because it does not require pruning to keep its appealing shape and can withstand bad weather hardily.
Juniper’s fragrant foliage is made up of spikes or overlapping scales. Some bushes contain both forms of vegetation because the leaves begin as needles and grow into scales.
Juniper shrubs should be planted in full sun or mild shade. When they are overly shaded, the branches stretch apart.
This helps them let more sunshine in, but the damage to their form is irreversible. Junipers may thrive in any soil type as long as it is well-drained.
Also check out this article I wrote on plants with long stems
6. Weeping Forsythia
Weeping forsythia (Forsythia suspensa) has drooping branches and flowers as the leaves unfurl in late winter or early spring.
Although native to China, weeping forsythia has become domesticated in various parts of North America.
The plant expands by taking root whenever a branch comes into contact with the earth.
Although a flowering forsythia is eye-catching, the foliage and stalks are unappealing.
After the flowers fade, you’ll be left with a rather uninteresting shrub for the remainder of the year.
Plant it where you can see the graceful form of the shrub from a range, such as near the back of a big shrub cluster.
When planted at the top of a concrete barrier, the branches tumble down to cover the wall.
7. Rhododendrons
Rhododendron is the generic name for a wide and diversified group of flowering plant Ericaceae woody shrubs and small trees.
The trees can be deciduous or evergreen, and the spirally arranged leaves can range in size from one to two centimetres to 100 cm depending on the species.
When planted appropriately, the rhododendron bush is a lovely, blooming specimen in many environments that is relatively little maintenance.
Rhododendrons have spectacular flower displays. Because they are both evergreens, they are frequently cultivated as attractive plants.
Growing rhododendrons successfully necessitates the selection of an appropriate planting location as well as soil preparation for the rhododendron bush.
Soil preparation is best done in the fall before planting the rhododendron in the spring.
8. Spirea Bushes
Spiraea, sometimes known as spirea, are fast-growing deciduous shrubs grown primarily for their lovely flowers in spring and summer.
Flowers appear in abundance. The flowers also come out in clusters made up of numerous tiny blossoms of white, pink, or purple.
Some spiraea kinds also exhibit colorful golden foliage, which is most noticeable in springtime when the leaves are immature and mature to yellow-green in the summer.
Spiraeas are simple to cultivate and make wonderful shrubs for a garden border, but they are not suitable for pots.
Size varies greatly depending on the variety and can range from 45cm high and wide to 2.4m, therefore matching the plant variety size to its location is definitely vital. Spiraeas are tough and simple to grow.
9. Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) have been popular attractive garden plants for decades, with flowers that come in a wide range of colors, including white, numerous shades of blue and pink, maroon, red, and even pale green.
Depending on the species, some hydrangeas have enormous, round flower heads, while others have a smaller, flatter, and more delicate flowers, as well as variable foliage shapes.
Plant hydrangea shrubs in the fall or early spring to give them time to build a good root system.
Hydrangeas grow quickly, typically two feet or more per year. Be cautious that the plant is poisonous to both humans and animals.
10. Japanese Holly
The Aquifoliacveae family’s Japanese Holly is a lovely evergreen plant.
It is a native of Japan and East Asia and can be found in thickets, woodlands, and moist areas in lowland and mountain areas throughout the country.
The shrub is dense, stiff, and compact, reaching a height of 10 feet.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in acidic, well-drained soil, while it tolerates a broad range of soil types, including clay, from damp to dry.
The shrub may be clipped to control its size, making it suitable for use in compact settings.
It is drought-resistant, can be placed in the shade, resistant to air pollution, poor soils, and clay soils, and it is simple to transplant.
It grows slowly, and it may not survive in locations with severe heat and humidity.
Conclusion
Plants with hard stems are not the usual soft herbaceous plants we have all around. Woody plants are often trees, vines and some shrubs.
This doesn’t mean however that they cannot be beautiful additions to your gardens or landscapes.
This post presents you with a list of beautiful shrubs and woody plants you can add to your garden.
Some can even be grown in pots before spreading out.
These plants survive in different climates and you’ll definitely find one or two special ones which will work for you.
