We live on 2 acres with lots of oak trees. I would like to grow tall bushes. Which are the fasted growing?

I would like flowering bushes along with non flowering. We have dry spells and our summers can get pretty hot. 90-100. And because of the oaks there aren't many sunny spots. I don't want to cut all my oaks. They provide shade for those hot days.

We live on 2 acres with lots of oak trees. I would like to grow tall bushes. Which are the fasted growing?
Crepe myrtle will grow in part sun/shade; too much shade and they just get tall and spindly. But where you have mostly sun, they will do great, love heat and dry conditions, and will flower all summer. Difficult to beat it. Another hardy bush that blooms in the summer is althea, or rose of sharon. Also very tolerant of hot dry weather, both do well in Oklahoma, where we bake in the summer over 100 degrees and litlle moisture. For shadier areas, some of the hollies will make tall bushes, and do well. I have about 100 oaks also on my 2 acres, and all of the above do fine.
Reply:For sunny areas, try escallonia, viburnum 'spring bouquet' and california lilac. They are evergreen, they flower and they grow rapidly. You could also try forsythia, mock orange and honesuckle (deciduous). For shadier areas, try rhododendron, viburnum 'shoshoni', aucuba japonica, red osier dogwood, burning bush, leucothoe, forsythia and honeysuckle. (Remember, if some of these plants are not available at your nursery, then you probably can't grow them where you live.)

I wouldn't plant bamboo anywhere in MY yard! It is very invasive. If you DO like bamboo, you can plant it anywhere in the yard...IN A POT!
Reply:Rose of Sharon bushes you can get in a few different color of flowers, and they are vigorous, fast, hedge-sized...(darnright "weedy", really - they should tolerate the hot and dry once they're established.) Put them in the sunny spots. Actually, your local nursery could probably show you at least a dozen different flowering shrubs that grow 6' or more, and do well in your area.



You'll have to restrict yourself to shade-tolerant shrubs in the shadier spots. And I don't know of any that flower significantly in the shade. OR that grow "fast". Boxwood (Green Mountain would be the best for potential height - the rest of them tend to stay pretty short), and some Hollies will do shade. Hollies can grow to 15' given enough time...



You also might look into bamboo if you just want height. There are may speicies that tolerate shade. Pick carefully, though - you want oone that tolerates your climate, but doesn't "run" and eat your neighbors' houses in a few years. Pick "clumping" varieties.
Reply:Flowering - Lilac, snowball, mockorange, honeysuckle and peashrub. It would be best to have a knowledgable nursery professional to assist you as many of these plants have cultivated varieties that are dwarf or not considered large shrubs.



Not so flowering - Sumac, serviceberry, ginnala maple, Vibernum, buffaloberry. Once again, speak with a professional as there are different varieties that may not give you what you are looking for. They all flower, it's just that they are not as showy.