Shrubs are valuable in a large garden bed, especially because they offer a variation in shapes which adds visual drama to your garden.  Recently I have been experimenting with shrubs that can be trained to grow in different forms or shapes.

The most common form of a weigela is the rounded, shrub form…

 

This weigela was purchased as a standard, which some call a “ball on a stick.”  This shape variation makes a great accent in a small garden or in a tight corner of a larger garden as it is here …

 

 

This weigela was purchased and planted in a shrub form.  Upon maturity, it was an overgrown, unpruned shrub that was crowded into a corner of an entrance to a backyard.  I removed most of the lower branches, so it now looks more like a tree and suits the location much better…

 

These are great examples of a weigela shrub grown in three different forms to add variation in the plant shapes in your gardens.  I love the tree-like shapes because you can add some low growing at the base for additional color and texture.

Hopefully, I have inspired you to experiment with your own shrubs.