Now that 2025 is here, we need to talk more about Proven Winners shrubby plant picks. Yes, I said shrubby. Proven Winners has been working on their shrub line for a while now, and we love them! It is nice to be able to find plants that work in a host of ways within the landscape. And these shrubby plant picks do just that. Remember that these picks are mine from my experience, so you do not have to be constrained to them. I encourage gardeners to try new things and different things, in their garden, no matter where you live. These picks are for the Central Great Plains Region.
Shrubs serve a variety of purposes in the landscape. If you are looking for a low-maintenance landscape, then plant more shrubs. In general, they need less care than perennials, annuals, or trees. And there are a lot of new shrubs on the market today which fill niches within the landscape. From groundcovers to screens, there is a shrubby plant pick for every spot in the landscape. Even full shade locations can be filled with a shrub, such a ‘Gatsby Gal’ oakleaf hydrangea.
Proven Winners Shrubs – Ready to Go
For the purpose of this article, I have divided shrubby plant picks into 2 categories. Ready to go and Coming Soon. Ready to go shrubs can be bought now at most retail garden centers (Grimm’s Gardens) that sell Proven Winners plants. And there are not as many that sell PW as there should be. I personally have trialed a number of these shrubs in my own gardens. And others have been recommended by Garden Answer or other PW gardeners.
Some of these shrubs get their own category, because there are so many cultivars, such as hydrangeas and spireas. But many of the shrubs have few cultivars which I like for gardens in the Central Great Plains. So let us dive right into what shrubs you need for your landscape now.
- ‘Sweet Emotion’ hardy Abelia – I planted this when it first came out and am very happy with the fragrance and overall growth of the plant.
- ‘Miss Molly’ butterfly bush – in general, Buddleia is short lived in our area, and not a great plant for pollinators. But ‘Miss Molly’ is a nice plant with great flowers.
- ‘Sugar Shack’ buttonbush – is a great shrubs for attracting butterflies and bees. It is hardy and drought or wet tolerant.
- ‘Arctic Fire Red’ dogwood – has great winter interest on a low growing plant. It is tough and drought tolerant.
- ‘Winecraft Black’ Smokebush – produces great color in the garden. Its purple-black leaves really highlight the smoky flowers in summer.
- ‘Berry Heavy’ winterberry holly – has great red berries which cluster along the stems in winter. Use it is variety of full-sun locations.
- ‘Fizzy Mizzy’ sweetspire – produces upright and dangling, fragrant flower stems. It can grow in full sun or part shade.
- ‘Illuminati Tower’ mockorange – produces early spring and summer fragrant flowers on upright stems.
- ‘Fine Line Improved’ buckthorn – is an improved version of the widely popular ‘Fine Line’ which is great for screening and stature.
- ‘At Last’ shrub rose – is a unique color with great fragrance for the garden.

Chokeberry – Aronia species
The chokeberry has become one of the most reliable shrubs for the landscape. There already were several one the market in large shrub form, which make for nice hedgerows. And they are great plants for pollinators with early season flowers. But the new Proven Winners cultivars are great for a variety of reasons.
- ‘Ground Hug’ has become on of our best selling plants. It is versatile and low growing, making it an easy replacement for perennial groundcovers. Ground Hug will grow in full sun to part shade and spreads slowly into a mas roughly 5 feet square. It has bright white/pink flowers in early spring and the loeaves turn a rich red-orange in autumn.
- ‘Low Scape Mound’ is a newer cultivar which I believe will replace a lot of the larger cultivars in the garden. Only growing 3 feet tall and wide, it has the smaller stature than many homeowners are looking for in their shrubby plant picks. Just like other chokeberries, it has glossy green leaves, pretty flowers, and edible though astringent fruit. And the fall color is amazing.
Bush Honeysuckle – Diervilla species
Also known as just Diervilla, these shrubby groundcover plants are perfect for the full sun native garden. They are cultivars of the native Diervilla lonicera, native to the Upper Midwest and New England states. Recent breeding programs have given use several cultivars with dark leaves. The flowers are tubular and yellow, slightly fragrant, and attractive to butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.
- ‘Kodiak Black’ is my favorite of the series, with glossy purple-red, almost black leaves in summer which turn mahogany red in autumn. They grow around 3 to 4 feet tall, slightly spreading outward, to 3 to 6 feet wide.
- ‘Kodiak Orange’ is another great plant, similar in size, which has orange-red tinted leaves in summer and bright red fall color.
Fothergilla species
Sometimes I wish we could come up with a better common name for this plant. It has been called bottlebrush, for its flowers, but there are other plants with the same common name (Callistemon and Aesculus). So we will continue to call it Fothergilla. Either way, these plants are great for part shade to shade areas, and can even take full sun when settled in. They have fragrant white spring flowers and blue-green foliage which turns reddish orange in autumn.
- ‘Legend of the Fall’ has sturdy stems and beautiful flowers on a 5 foot tall and wide plant. The fall colors are outstanding, with shades of pink, red, orange, and apricot!
- ‘Legend of the Small’ is a smaller version, reaching only 2.5 feet tall by 3 feet wide. It is perfect in a number of locations, even as a border plant in a bigger bed. Just like the above cultivar, its fall colors are the best in the business.
Hydrangea
I think it was the hydrangea breeding programs that really made Proven Winners. If you look at how many cultivars they have under their branding, you begin to see the whole picture. And why not? There are hydrangeas for nearly every spot. Here in the Central Great Plains, Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) do not perform very well, but there are lots of other cultivars which do. Both oakleaf and smooth hydrangeas will grow alongside black walnuts, though bigleaf and panicle will not.

Smooth Hydrangeas
- ‘Incrediball’ has been one of my favorites for awhile now. This smooth hydrangea boasts strong stems and huge, pure white flowers that are storm proof even with tornadoes (personal experience). And it makes great cut flowers!
- ‘Invincibelle Lace’ is a uniquely flowering hydrangea with lacy purple-pink flowers above dark green flowers. It grows 4 to 5 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Invincibelle Mini Mauvette’ has bright reddish pink flower heads on plants which are dwarf, growing only 3 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Invincibelle Wee White’ is another dwarfing variety of smooth hydrangea. The bright white flowers are borne on 2.5 feet tall and wide plants.
- ‘Invincibelle Ruby’ is the larger version of ‘Mini Mauvette’ but also with darker flowers, nearly red. It grows 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide.
Panicle Hydrangeas
- ‘Firelight Tidbit’ is not only a good seller, but a great plant in the landscape. The flowers start white and age to bright pink and dusky red on 3 feet tall and wide plants.
- ‘Limelight’ was one of the very first hydrangeas in the Proven Winners catalog. This outstanding variety has white flowers which age to greenish-white, then tan. The plants can grow 12 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Little Lime Punch’ replaces ‘Little Lime’ with white to pink to reddish flowers and a sturdier growth habit. It grows 5 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Little Quick Fire’ is the first to bloom in the summer, on a tidy habit. It grows 5 feet tall and wide, but often stays around 4 feet.
- ‘Pinky Winky’ was one of my Mother-in-Law’s favorite cultivars, because of the pollinators it attracts. The plants can get large, up to 12 feet tall and wide. Flowers on this cultivar start white and age to pinkish-red.
Spirea
While I have not been a huge fan of spirea over the years, I realize there is a need for them. They are tough, durable, drought and heat tolerant, and easy to maintain. But many cultivars, such as ‘Goldmound’ or ‘Magic Carpet’ have been way overused in the landscape. In my own garden however, I only have Bridal Wreath, and old-fashioned variety with snowy white flowers. Proven Winners’ Double Play series is an improvement on older varieties.
- ‘Big Bang’ would be my shrubby plant pick to replace ‘Magic Carpet’ in the landscape. With better colors and heat tolerance, it stays around 3 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Doozie’ is one of the most popular of the newer spireas. It abounds with reddish flowers and dark green leaves, growing on 3 foot tall and wide stems.
- ‘Candy Corn’ is a smaller cultivar, growing only 2.5 feet tall by 2 feet wide, with yellowish leaves that have orange highlights, and reddish flowers.

Lilac
In recent years, lilacs have lost some of their popularity, mainly due to disease pressure and size. But with the recent introductions of reblooming varieties which also stay shorter, they are making a comeback. The Bloomerang Series of Korean Lilacs are becoming very popular in the landscaping trade.
- ‘Dark Purple’ is one of my favorites of the reblooming lilacs. The flowers are bright to nearly purple, darker than pink, and very fragrant. If you must have a lilac I would recommend this cultivar. It grows 4 to 6 feet tall and wide and can be pruned in mid summer with no worries about heat damage.
- ‘Purpink’ is the latest variety, with clear pink flowers on sturdy stems. The highly fragrant flowers grow on plants 5 feet tall by 3 feet wide, a more upright variety.
Arborvitae
I hesitated on putting evergreen shrubby plant picks into this post. But I decided there were not enough evergreens overall for a separate post. Arborvitae is also often called by its Genus name, Thuja. These shrubs to upright trees have a lot of purposes in the landscape, from borders to screening. While they do sometimes get bagworms and spider mites, they are less likely to than most other evergreens.
- ‘Anna’s Magic Ball’ is a small, rounded form with chartreuse yellow leaves. It performs best in part shade, but can take full sun as well. It grows 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide.
- ‘Fluffy’ is an upright, pyramidal variety with yellow leaves. It grows 10 feet tall by 6 feet wide and prefers part sun. This cultivar makes a great screen by a pool, deck, or patio.
- ‘North Pole’ has become a popular cultivar, with its upright, screening habit. It grows 15 feet tall by 5 feet wide with dark green leaves.
- ‘Spring Grove’ makes a perfect windbreak tree, which is more cold hardy than ‘Green Giant’. A fast growing tree, reaching 30 to 40 feet tall by 10 to 15 feet wide.
- ‘Tater Tot’ is a truly unique character, reaching 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide, with dark green leaves.

Viburnum
Viburnums to me are the gardener’s must have plant. These shrubs should be on everyone’s list to have. I prefer the native species for their impact on wildlife, but I am not opposed to some of the nonnatives, as long as they are not invasive. Korean spice viburnums have long been my favorites for fragrance.
- ‘Blue Muffin’ is one of the original Proven Winners shrubby plant picks, and the best of the arrowwood viburnums. It grows 5 to 7 feet tall and wide. I have watched the birds gobble up the berries on these plants for years now in my garden. And the fall color is outstanding in shades of red and orange.
- ‘Brandywine’ is a favorite for the fruit more than anything else. The berries can be pink or blue at the same time, while the plants grow 5 to 6 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Spice Baby’ came out and I purchased it before we started selling them at the nursery. I have been very happy with my purchase as the plant continues to fill out and the fragrance is amazing. It grows 5 feet tall and wide and has orange-red fall color.

Weigela
These are one of the few landscape shrubs which I have had trouble growing at my own place, though not for customers. I must have just the wrong microclimate for them. But in the landscape (not mine) they prefer full sun to part shade and attract hummingbirds with their tubular flowers. The leaves are shiny green or purplish-black. They are trouble free plants with no major pests or diseases.
- ‘Midnight Sun’ has some of the most interesting leaves. With superior color tones, it would be hard to pick any other weigela. And so one of my designers does just that, putting this variety above all else. It grows only 18 inches tall and wide with pink flowers, but the leaf colors of bronze, apricot, pink, burgundy, and green are the reason to have it.
- ‘Midnight Wine Shine’ has dark burgundy-black leaves with fuschia pink flowers. Like its cousin above, it is small, growing only 18 inches tall and 30 inches wide.
- Sonic Bloom Series – any of the colors you pick in this series with shine, and rebloom very well. The leaf color is dark green, but the flowers could be white, pink, dark pink, red, or pale purple. They all grow around 4 feet tall and wide.

Proven Winners Shrubs – Coming Soon!
The following are shrubs which I have not yet tried or had at the nursery, but hope to in the near future. There are some special plants in these, and I hope they will be big deals in the nursery and landscape!
- ‘Cesky Gold’ dwarf birch is a shrubby birch instead of a tree. It grow only 4 feet tall by 3 feet wide with chartreuse yellow leaves with turn brighter yellow in autumn.
- ‘Sgt. Pepper’ dogwood I saw at the FarWest Show in Oregon in August. This dogwood reminds me of the tricolor beech with its pink/green variegated leaves. It grows 6 to 8 feet tall and likely prefers part sun or shade for best results.
- ‘Fire Ball Seedless’ burning bush should take care of the invasive plant issues I have with Euonymus alata. But it will probably continue to be overplanted. Anyways, you would still get the dark green summer color and bright red fall color on plants growing 7 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Jolene Jolene’ beautybush will usher in an old favorite, without the invasive tendencies. Beautybush is one of my favorite old fashioned flower, with incredible fragrance and durability. This new cultivar grows only 6 feet tall and wide.

Conclusion
Shrubby plant picks for Proven Winners is not easy, because they have so many to choose from. And new ones are coming each season. But if we gardeners can grow what we want to in our own microclimates, then we can surely pick the best of the Proven Winners line.
Happy planting!
