The Shrubs to Complement a Serpentine Blue Atlas Cedar

Orange-Flowering Shrubs

• On the flower color wheel, orange and red-orange tones are located directly across from powder blue and blue green, making them complementary colors. Shrubs that bloom with orange or red-orange blossoms make good companions for the blue Atlas cedar. These include the Orange Supreme tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans "Orange Supreme"), which blooms with showy, aromatic, bright-orange flowers. This evergreen is hardy in zones 7 to 9 and grows well in sun and well-draining, fertile soil. It grows to 20 feet tall in a dense, upright form and has dark, glossy foliage. The Orange Delight flowering quince (Chaenomelea speciosa "Orange Delight") produces clusters of bright-orange blossoms. It grows to 10 feet tall and has lustrous, dark, deciduous foliage. Flowering quince shrubs are hardy in zones 4 to 8 and tolerate a range of site conditions.

Orange-Red Fruits

• Some shrubs produce orange or orange-red fruits that complement a blue Atlas cedar. These include the scarlet firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea). Hardy in zones 6 to 9, this semievergreen grows to 15 feet tall and prefers sun to partial shade and well-draining soil. It blooms with white spring flowers followed by orange-red berries that last from fall through winter. For shady sites near your cedar, plant a strawberry bush (Euonymus americanus). This deciduous shrub grows slowly to 6 feet tall and produces orange berries in red capsules. This drought-tolerant native shrub is hardy in zones 6 to 9.

Orange-Red Fall Foliage

• Several shrubs turn complementary shades of orange to red in autumn, creating an attractive contrast the blue Atlas cedar's foliage. The lace shrub (Stephanandra incise) is hardy in zones 4 to 7 and grows to 7 feet tall. It has coppery-red, new growth that turns red-orange in fall. Lace shrubs grow well in sun to partial shade and well-draining soil. The dward fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) also turns orange and red in fall. Hardy in zones 5 to 8, this slow-growing shrub reaches heights of 5 feet and grows well in sun and well-draining soil.

Blue-Green Foliage

• Other shrubs with blue to blue-green foliage complement serpentine blue Atlas cedar shrubs. These include the blue mist shrub (Caryopteris x clandonensis), a deciduous species hardy in zones 6 to 9. They grow to 3 feet tall and have aromatic, blue-green foliage. Blue mist shrubs prefer full sun and well-drained soil. The blue moss cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera "Boulevard") has awl-shaped, silver-blue foliage. This symmetrical evergreen grows to 10 feet tall and is hardy in zones 4 to 8. It prefers sun and well-draining soil and tolerates heat.