The unpredictability of midwest weather can cause a lot of frustration. One minute it is sunny, and it could be storming the next. There can be snow in the springtime and warm winter days. However, when the weather messes with your landscape, it can be discouraging. After all, homeowners usually put a lot of time, effort and money into the landscaping to ensure that it is always looking splendid.
To stop this frustrating dilemma from affecting your landscape, here is a list of trees, flowers, and shrubbery that will survive year-round in Ohio:
Best Trees for Ohio Landscaping
Red Oak Tree
The sturdy and heavy Red Oak wood has a reddish-orange color that adds vibrant color to the landscape and is an excellent source of shade.
Japanese Tree Lilac
The Japanese Tree Lilac is perfect for those who are looking for an exceptional accent plant with beautiful and fragrant spring blooms. A big part of the popularity of this tree is that it is low-maintenance and resistant to diseases. Also, it prefers moist, well-drained soil, thrives in direct sunlight and requires very little pruning. Among the most favorite selections of the tree are Summer Snow and Ivory Silk.
Witch Hazel Tree
This tree is a remarkable option for broad and open areas in your landscape. The tree favors partial shade or direct sunlight and soil that is moist and well-drained. Its orange and yellow foliage creates a spectacular display during the fall months. Even when there is snow on the ground, the Witch Hazel tree will flower. The spicy fragrance and twisting branches of the tree are particularly unique and form a part of its grand appeal. 
Crabapple Tree
Easy to grow and stunningly beautiful, crab apple trees produce incredible flower shows during the spring. It is necessary for these trees to be planted in well-drained loamy soil because fruit trees will not flourish in wet soils. Crabapple trees require good air circulation and full sun exposure to ensure the leaves stay dry. It is essential to keep these leaves dry because wet leaves on fruit trees tend to cause diseases. When the apples fall, disease resistant varieties will not create a mess.
American Hornbeam Tree
American Hornbeam trees are a fantastic option for naturalized or woody landscapes. This magnificent tree thrives in shade or partial sunlight and favors soil that is wet and well drained. The American Hornbeam is native to the northeast and produces outstanding red and yellow foliage during the months of fall.
Pagoda Dogwood Tree
The Pagoda Dogwood tree is a well sought after the native of the Midwest and hails, more specifically, from the state of Minnesota. This tree favors full sun exposure or partial shade and thrives well in these conditions. The foliage of this tree is a beautiful purple that shows out during the fall. It produces a pleasing aroma and creamy white blossoms during the spring. The Pagoda Dogwood tree can be significantly affected by city pollution, and as such, your Pagoda Dogwood should not be planted near to the roadside. Argentina and Venus are popular types of the Pagoda Dogwood tree, and its unique horizontal branching is one of its most remarkable features.
Japanese Maple Tree
This spectacular tree produces beautiful spring and fall colors. During the fall, its textured foliage changes to a hue that ranges from deep red to purple. White and pink blooms show up in the spring and last into the months of summer. To maintain its form, it requires pruning, or it will reduce into a shrub. It favors minimal sunlight and light shade and thrives best in average, well-drained soil. While this tree is typically hardy in Ohio, it is best to check with a local nursery to determine the variety that will thrive best in your region. 
Asimina Triloba (Pawpaw)
This deciduous, conical tree grows between 12 and 20 feet tall. It has tropical-looking leaves that turn yellow in autumn and become as big as 12 inches. Dark-brown, velvety flower buds produce upside-down, maroon flowers as big as 2 inches across that bud for approximately six weeks early in the springtime. The Asimina Triloba produces the largest native edible fruit in America, and its flavor is similar to both banana and mango. Once established, this tree can tolerate full sun exposure, and young trees favor filtered sun.
Stewartia Pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia)
This deciduous, slow-growing tree is shaped like a pyramid and extends between 20 and 30 feet in height and 8 and 25 feet in width. It can be single trunk or multi-stem, prefers partial shade, favors well-drained soil and has no tolerance for drought. In July, its cup-shaped, white flowers emerge, and its fall foliage has incredible shades of burgundy and reddish-orange. It reddish-brown bark provides interest and fantastic winter color. It can be used near the patio or as a specimen plant in the yard.
Best Shrubs for Ohio Landscaping
Buxus “Winter Gem”
This trouble-free, dependable evergreen is not a deer favorite. It is most effective when used to create a hedge, and it produces glossy, medium-textured foliage. The leaves will hold their color even throughout long and brutal winters. This shrub’s growth becomes a refreshing light green color in the Spring. It can be used to bring evergreen structure to the landscape, which is mainly essential during the winter when there is very little green left. It is a low-maintenance plant as it only requires pruning once or twice a year.
Clethra Alnifolia (Summersweet)
This native shrub is delightfully fragrant, attracts beautiful butterflies and blooms in mid to late summer. The elegant foliage and form of taller varieties make them great accents for anyt landscape. They typically reach between 5 and 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Shorter cultivars like the ‘Hummingbird’ work well for repetition and massing, staying approximately 2½ to 3 feet tall.
If you need more information about types of plants for Ohio landscaping or need help with a design, contact us!
