ADAPTABILITY AND HARDINESS
Which plants are best suited for your landscape? This will depend on whether the shrubs will be planted on a farmstead or in a city lot. It will also depend on whether your yard is exposed to direct southwest winds, or whether you have some protection.
Plant adaptability has been considered for each shrub listed in this bulletin. You may plant any shrub that is listed as ‘Hardy’ in an open, fully exposed location and expect it to survive. Those shrubs that have an ‘X’ will most likely not survive if planted where they will receive direct exposure to the hot winds of late summer. If you live in a town or city, you may have enough wind protection to use these shrubs. This is most important for homeowners living in the western counties of Kansas.
Protection from southwest summer winds may be provided by a windbreak, trees in the city, by planting on the east or north side of the house, or behind a screen fence. If you have this protection you might be able to use plants that are not listed for your area. However, if your yard is exposed to hot summer winds, you had better use only the plant listed for your section of Kansas.
You will sometimes find plants growing in your area that are not listed for your particular section of Kansas. It is possible to grow some plants outside their recommended region, provided these plants receive adequate protection and care. These shrubs will usually not grow as large or as tall as they would further south or east. If you are rather certain that your yard will provide enough protection for these plants, you might try growing a few.
