Midwestern Landscape Plants

Shrubs

• Shrubs are bushes that grow from several stems rather than a single trunk. Many thrive in the Midwest's temperate climate, where you can see them lining walkways, hiding building foundations or providing a background for smaller plants in landscaped settings. Some landscapers trim shrubs in boxy symmetrical shapes, while others prefer to let the plants assume their natural shape. Shrubs suited to the Midwest include cranberry cotoneaster, Adam's-needle yucca, dwarf European cranberry bush, Fritsch spirea and Halward's Silver Nippon spirea. In the warmer zones 4 and 5, Bronx forsythia and fragrant viburnum also do well. If you live in the Midwest and prefer flowering shrubs, consider planting hardy hybrid shrub roses, Japanese fleece flower, meadow rose, Scotch rose, smooth hydrangea and varieties of rhododendron that can withstand cold winters.

Vines

• Vines have weak stems and grow by climbing, creeping and wrapping around nearby surfaces for support. Some vines have small tendrils that grasp to surfaces. Vines are often quite hardy and can cover a space in a relatively short period of time. If you live in the Midwest, consider planting nonflowering vines like Boston ivy, wintercreeper Euonymus, and Engelman's ivy, also known as Virginia creeper. Clematis, climbing hydrangea, Kentucky wisteria and trumpet creeper are beautiful options if you prefer a flowering vine. Vines often quickly take over any area where they have been planted, so make sure you plant them in a space that can easily accommodate them. Otherwise, you will have to trim them regularly.

Ground Cover

• Ground cover includes small plants that grow low to the ground and often require little sunlight. Ground cover works well in areas where grass won't grow or as a transition between a grass lawn and landscape beds. Among the many good choices for ground cover suited to the Midwest's climate are bugleweed, crown vetch, European ginger, Japanese pachysandra, periwinkle and sweet woodruff. English ivy and purple wintercreeper Euonymus can also function as ground cover. Although English ivy is technically a type of ivy, it tends to spread like ground cover, unlike Boston ivy, which is prone to climb upward. Similarly, purple wintercreeper Euonymus is better suited for horizontal growth than the vertical growth associated with its counterpart, wintercreeper Euonymus.