Beauties in the Garden: Growing Ornamental Trees and Bushes

18 April 2011

Dogwood blossoms in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, Tennessee

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Trees and plants are called ornamentals if their main job is to add beauty and interest to a garden. Dogwood trees, for example, are a popular ornamental in some areas because of their white or pink blooms in the spring. Cherry and plum trees can also add beauty to landscaping even if they never produce fruit.

Ornamental trees and bushes or shrubs can serve other useful purposes besides just looking good. Some also smell good and can be used to make scented oils -- for example, lavender and lilac.

Ornamentals can be used to mark the border of a property or to provide privacy from neighbors. They can be used to hide trash cans and storage sheds.

Most ornamentals have the same needs as other plants -- water, mulch, pruning for shape and inspection for pests. But master gardener Bob Orazi says, "Most of them take care of themselves after the first six months."

Bob Orazi is a horticultural adviser in Howard County, Maryland. Years of experience have shown him that people often decide to plant an ornamental bush when they see one in bloom. They might see the yellow blooms on a forsythia bush -- one of the first signs of spring -- and decide to plant one. But he says most ornamentals are better to plant just before their leaves open.