Nina Bassuk, director of the Urban Horticulture Institute, on using shrubs in perennial borders in Chronogram Magazine:
“In the perennial border, you can use shrubs to cheat. For instance, a Goldmound spirea fills space with bright foliage all season yet doesn’t require as much attention as the perennials needed to fill the same space. A burgundy-leaf Diablo ninebark has a pleasing vase shape and provides a beautiful foliage backdrop for herbaceous plants. When either shrub comes into bloom (pink flowers on the Goldmound, white flowers on the Diablo), it’s a bonus.”