Showy shrubs: where to buy summer-flowering shrubs.(Buyers Guide)

Shrubs are the backbone of the garden, whether providing structure in a flower border, serving as a focal point in an expanse of lawn, or lining up to screen an unsightly view. To find the best sources for healthy, fast-growing shrubs, we visited a variety of merchants, bought three popular types of shrubs, planted them, and tended them over the summer.

Our own gardening experts weren't the only participants in this project. To see how the shrubs from the selected suppliers would fare in other climate zones and under other gardeners' care, we enlisted 31 expert growers from around the U.S., who bought the same types and grew them locally. Together, we planted 226 shrubs--65 at our Yonkers, N.Y., testing center, 161 in our master gardeners' plots.

We bought shrubs that flower from midsummer until the first frost:

Butterfly bush, or buddleia, an old-fashioned shrub that's experiencing a renaissance.

Hibiscus, usually thought of as a warm-climate plant. In our Yonkers garden, we tested winter-hardy varieties.

Hydrangea, which you may recall as the "snowball" in grandma's garden. Drying them for indoor display, a la Martha Stewart, has become so popular that, according to at least one newspaper report, ne'er-do-wells steal blossoms from front yards to sell. For more about each shrub, see "Our Three Shrubs: Care and Feeding," page 38.

SHOPPING FOR SHRUBS