Zone 2 Shrubs & Bushes

Types

• Deciduous bushes that are suitable for USDA zone 2 include the lead plant, Siberian pea tree, alder-leaved serviceberry, ninebark, alpine currant, false spirea, sweet fern, tatarian dogwood, American cranberry bush, coralberry bush, nannyberry viburnum and the arrowood viburnum. Needled shrubs include the shrub cultivars of evergreen species such as Norway spruce, Colorado spruce, red cedar, American arborvitae, jack pine, mugo pine, Austrian pine, Scotch pine and the dwarf mountain pine.

Size

• The shrubs and bushes that grow well in zone 2 include a wide assortment of sizes. The smaller options among those that shed leaves are alpine currant and lead plant, which both grow between 24 and 36 inches. Needled evergreens of small physique include Paul's Dwarf and Aurea, a duo of mugo pines growing to 36 inches. Common juniper's Effusa cultivar is just 18 inches high, at most. Large shrubs for zone 2 include bushes such as Siberian pine tree, nannyberry viburnum and certain arborvitae cultivars; all develop to mature heights in the 15- to 20-foot range.

Features

• The flowering ability of deciduous shrubs such as false spirea, viburnum, lead plant and ninebark make them candidates for USDA zone 2 landscapes. Some of these cold-tolerant shrubs generate fruit, which in turn attracts wildlife. These include viburnums such as nannyberry. The dark shaded berries are edible, but also stay on the bush through winter to give it some color. The bark of ninebark peels away in different shades of brown, while the fall foliage on shrubs such as the American cranberry bush becomes red-purple during autumn. The needled evergreens give even the snowiest zone 2 landscapes some contrast with their permanent green color.

Uses

• Plant some of the larger zone 2 bushes along the borders of surrounding woodlands or form privacy screens and hedges with them; nannyberry shrubs are ideal for such tasks. The flowering and fruiting bushes work in the open as specimen plants. Coralberry spreads through root suckering, helping control erosion on hillsides. The smaller evergreen bushes, including Effusa, are good candidates for ground cover. The taller ones are viable hedge and screen plants, while medium-sized species such as Kellerman's Blue Cameo, a Norway spruce cultivar, thrive in rock gardens and as a foundation plant.