Two Remarkably Reliable Plants for Arkansas

By Lucinda Reynolds

With the plethora of plant choices available, deciding on the right plants certainly can be mind boggling. As have most gardeners, I have wasted money on plants that were dismal failures. However, at the top of my “so glad I planted these” list, I put the easy-to-grow and beautiful oakleaf hydrangea and ‘Carefree Beauty’ shrub rose.

The oakleaf hydrangea’s (Hydrangea quercifolia) leaves, large flower panicles, and defoliating bark add changing color and beauty throughout the seasons. Although not an native Arkansas plant, it is native to our southeastern neighboring states. Oakleaf hydrangeas require afternoon shade, two to three inches of wood or pine needle mulch, and well-drained soil. They cannot tolerate “wet feet.” Where an upright shrub was needed, I planted the six-foot cultivar, ‘Snow Queen.’

The four-to-five-foot ‘Pee Wee’ is a good choice for limited space. ‘Alice’ fills a 12-by-12-foot space and displays 12-inch white flower panicles. If pruning is necessary, prune when the spring blooms decline. Oakleaf hydrangeas have white to pinkish flowers, never blue.

‘Carefree Beauty’ is an extremely low maintenance, five-foot-by-five-foot shrub rose with gorgeous large, blousy, lightly fragrant, bright pink flowers and large orange hips. It has successive bloom flushes from spring to frost, pausing only during the hottest days of summer. I have found that removing the spent blossoms encourages more blooming. ‘Carefree Beauty’ was one of the seed parents of the original ‘Knock Out’ rose.

Living up to its name, ‘Carefree Beauty’ was named 2006 Earth Kind Rose of the Year due to its ease of care. Do not use fungicides or insecticides on this shrub rose. It requires at least six hours of sun, two to three inches of mulch, and occasional deep watering. I fertilize with a slow release fertilizer in the early spring and again in early July. I water the day before fertilizing. At the beginning of the growing season, I also work one-fourth cup of alfalfa meal (do not use more) into the soil around my ‘Carefree Beauty’. M! April/May 2014