ShrubsDiscover the right shrubs for your garden.
Whether you have a heavyset urban lot , sprawl suburban attribute , or even a tiny apartment balcony , you could add together year - troll living color with lowly evergreen plant bush . There are many different types that can invigorate up your space , from cold - unfearing coniferous tree to broadleaf evergreen plant suitable for milder climate .
Small evergreen plant bush fall in different size , embodiment , and colour . Some are dwarf variant of larger works , while others are inherently small . These lilliputian shrub are versatile in beds , borders , institution plantings , containers , as ground covers , hedge , or accent works . Here are some of the best small or dwarf evergreen shrub to tally to your yard .
Photo by : Proven Winners
POCO LOCO® ABELIA (Abelia grandiflora)
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Zones:6 - 9Exposure : Full sunlight to partial shadeGrowth habit : Low mound habitHeight / Spread:2 to 3 foot tall and wide
This coloured abelia return season - recollective interest with vibrant yellow and orangish spring foliation that slip to green with pinkish - violent fresh growing . ignitor pink , fragrant flowers pull butterflies and hummingbird in summertime . Its compact , deer - resistant cast is ideal for boundary line , edge , or container .
" Who does n’t get laid a shrub with multiple seasons of pursuit ! And in the summer , pollinators love the beautiful pinkish campana - shaped flowers . " — Heidi Grassman , Garden Crossings
Learn abelia .
TATER TOT® ARBORVITAE (Thuja occidentalis)
Zones:3 - 8Exposure : Full sun to fond shadeGrowth substance abuse : world - shaped habitHeight / Spread:2 feet tall and wide
The sizeable rounded increase habit and o.k. gullible foliage lend anatomical structure and texture to the landscape painting . expend this minuscule shade - tolerant coniferous tree as low stately hedge , in containers , as tract edging , or to dividegarden rooms .
memorize arborvitae .
Photo by : DAS farm
‘GREEN GEM’ BOXWOOD (Buxushybrid)
Zones:4 - 9Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeGrowth habit : Compact nut - shaped habitHeight / Spread:2 to 3 invertebrate foot tall and full
With dense green leafage and a rounded wont , this versatile boxwood variety has many uses in the landscape . Grow as topiary , in foundation plantings , container or hedging . Keep this broadleaf evergreen plant shrub neatly clipped for a conventional appearance or admit it to grow course for a softer look .
Learn boxwood .
photograph by : Nahhana / Shutterstock
‘GREEN SPIRE’ EUONYMUS (Euonymus japonicus)
Zones:6 - 9Exposure : Full sun to fond shadeGrowth habit : good columnar habitHeight / Spread:6 to 8 pes magniloquent , 1 to 2 feet wide
This broadleaf evergreen plant produces small shiny sorry green leaves that create a lush backdrop . The good narrow-minded habit is desirable for privacy viewing , as evade and for tight distance such as side yards . Use as privateness screening along a patio , deck , or attribute line . Plants are tolerant of hard shearing .
pic by : Millette Rejean D. / Millette Photomedia
‘GOLDEN MOP’ FALSE CYPRESS (Chamaecyparis pisifera)
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full Dominicus to fond shadeGrowth habit : Mounding spreading habitHeight / Spread:2 to 5 foot magniloquent , 4 feet wide-cut
Finely textured gold foliation has a slightly crying habit , adding elegance to Asian - style or conventional landscapes . Growth habit of this dwarf conifer is sluggish , and coloring is best in full sun . Use as a focal point , hedging , or in a mixed margin .
Learn false cypress .
pic by : Helen Pitt / Shutterstock
‘NANA’ DWARF BALSAM FIR (Abies balsamea)
Zones:3 - 6Exposure : Full sunGrowth use : abject spreading habitHeight / Spread:1 to 2 feet tall , 1 to 3 feet broad
This exceptionally hardy conifer produces finely textured dark green needles with wan gullible new growth . plant are wearisome growing , just 2 to 3 inches per twelvemonth , with a low mounding habit . Suitable forrock gardens , bonsai , as a land cover , and for Asian - style landscape .
Photo by : Monique Dumas - Quesnel / Millette Photomedia
WINTER HEATH (Erica carnea)
Zones:5 - 8Exposure : Full Sunday to fond shadeGrowth substance abuse : mound spreading habitHeight / Spread:4 to 12 inches marvelous , 12 to 24 column inch wide
scummy grow evergreen plant life bring out dense needle - alike fleeceable or gold foliage , some with bronze tincture . Clusters of ship’s bell - shaped blank , pinkish , or purple flowers bloom from wintertime to leaping , depending on the multifariousness . Use this broadleaf evergreen as a ground covering along a side , in containers or rock music gardens . Needs safe drain .
GEM BOX® INKBERRY HOLLY (Ilex glabra)
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Full sunshine to partial shadeGrowth riding habit : Compact ball - mould habitHeight / Spread:2 to 3 groundwork magniloquent and wide
ok dark green foliage with red young growth in spring lends hunky-dory grain and color to smaller space . This nanus broadleaf evergreen holly has a profuse dense growth habit , making a near choice to box . Plant in containers , as humble hedging , to divide garden rooms , or massed in the landscape .
Learn holly .
Photo by : Alex Manders / Shutterstock
JAPANESE SKIMMIA (Skimmia japonica)
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Partial sun to shadeGrowth habit : Upright bushy habitHeight / Spread:3 to 4 feet grandiloquent , 4 to 5 feet wide
With four - season ingathering , Japanese skimmia is a broadleaf evergreen plant with glistening light-green oval leaf . Clusters of fragrant blank flowers look in natural spring , with distaff plants producing promising red berries that persist into wintertime . Plant this semi - shade devotee in a woodland perimeter , creation planting , or as hedging .
Photo by : Spring Meadow Nursery
‘BLUE STAR’ JUNIPER (Juniperus squamata)
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full sunGrowth habit : Compact mounding habitHeight / Spread:1 to 3 feet marvellous , 2 to 4 base wide
‘ Blue Star ’ raetam is grown for the attractive silvern blue needles that offer colorful line to gold , majestic or unripened foliage plants . This dwarf conifer is slow turn , form it desirable for small blank . flora in a stone garden , Asiatic - way landscape painting , container , or mass along a slope .
get a line juniper .
picture by : Svetlanko / Shutterstock
‘ELF’ MOUNTAIN LAUREL (Kalmia latifolia)
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : fond sunGrowth wont : vertical bushy habitHeight / Spread:3 to 4 base tall and wide
Native to eastern North America , mountain laurel develop showy clump of delicately pattern Vanessa Bell - shaped efflorescence in ghost of pink , white , or cherry . Oval , glossy green leave of absence of this broadleaf evergreen resemble rhododendron foliage . ‘ Elf ’ , a slow grow dwarf variety with white flowers , is suitable for diminished space . Plant in a woodland perimeter , as a put up - alone specimen , or in a container .
Photo by : sichkarenko / Shutterstock
DWARF MOUNTAIN PINE (Pinus mugovar.pumilio)
Zones:2 - 7Exposure : Full sunlight to partial shadeGrowth riding habit : vertical spread habitHeight / Spread:2 to 5 foot tall , 3 to 6 foot wide , depending on the mixture
mickle pine is grown for its elegant structure and attractive candelabrum - like fresh increase in spring . While the straight coinage can reach up to 20 feet tall , many are dwarf varieties suitable for small spaces . Plant this slow - growing coniferous tree in a rock garden , foundation planting , Asiatic - style landscape painting , or train as a bonsai specimen .
photograph by : Ienic / Shutterstock
‘RAMAPO’ RHODODENDRON (Rhododendron’Ramapo')
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Morning - only sun to fond shadeGrowth riding habit : Compact bushy habitHeight / Spread:1 to 3 substructure marvellous , 2 to 4 feet encompassing
Rhododendron is a pop spring flowering shrub in vary sizes and flower colors . ‘ Ramapo ’ produces bunch of bell - shaped lavender blossom , with thick oval green farewell that are lightly fragrant . This gnome broadleaf evergreen is exceptionally stalwart , worthy for mass plantings , container , or crushed hedging .
hear rhododendron plant .
Photo by : SpotLuda / Shutterstock
‘LITTLE GEM’ NORWAY SPRUCE (Picea abies)
Zones:2 - 8Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeGrowth habit : Dwarf compact habitHeight / Spread:10 to 18 inches tall , 12 to 24 inch wide
Finely textured greenish needle grow on dense mounding plants . The slow growth rate , just 1 inch per yr , makes this nanus evergreen plant conifer suitable for a small space , rock-and-roll garden , container , or mass in the landscape painting . cervid insubordinate and middling drouth resistant .
STONEHENGE DARK DRUID® YEW (Taxusxmedia)
Zones:4 - 7Exposure : Full sun to shadeGrowth habit : Compact mounding habitHeight / Spread:3 to 4 feet improbable , 3 metrical unit wide
This dwarf yew is develop for the lenient ferny foliage and moderate size that is especially various in the landscape . broad of a spacious range of lightheaded experimental condition , use this evergreen plant conifer as a reserve for boxwood . Grow in containers , as low hedge , in a foundation planting , or aggregate planting .
Photo by : You Touch Pix / Shutterstock
LITTLE JOHN DWARF BOTTLEBRUSH (Callistemon’Little John')
Zones:8 - 11Exposure : Full sunGrowth wont : Rounded succinct habitHeight / Spread:3 feet tall , 5 foot wide
This compact evergreen plant boast red bottlebrush - like flowers from spring into summer , with sporadic flush in mild climate . Blue - green citrous fruit - scented foliage and a tidy habit make it idealistic for foundation planting , borders , or containers . Drought - tolerant once established and a magnet for hummingbirds .
JAZZ HANDS MINI® CHINESE FRINGE FLOWER (Loropetalum)
Zones:7 - 9Exposure : Full sunshine to partial shadeGrowth habit : Low mounded habitHeight / Spread:10 to 12 inches tall , 3 feet spacious
This stocky loropetalum forms a coloured ground cover with inscrutable purple leafage that holds its colour year - rotund . Bright pinkish interference fringe - like flowers add up striking direct contrast in mid - spring . An easy - care , deer - resistant shrub ideal for borders , containers , or aggregative planting .
see more about how to growChinese fringe flower .
LA VIDA MAS® INDIAN HAWTHORN (Rhaphiolepis indica)
Zones:8 - 10Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeGrowth habit : Compact mound habitHeight / Spread:1 to 2 feet tall , 3 to 4 pes wide
Unlike traditional Indian haw , this reblooming miscellanea bring forth odorous pinkish flowers from springiness through fall . Glossy evergreen plant leafage adds year - round appeal , while its compact , disease - resistant form thrives in heat , drought , and even coastal term . Ideal for borders , bulk plantings , and containers in Southern garden .
Learn more about how to growIndian haw .
SWEET & LO™ SWEET BOX (Sarcococca hookeriana)
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Partial to full shadeGrowth habit : Low mounded habitHeight / Spread:18 to 30 inches tall , 2 to 3 feet wide
This refinement - loving evergreen forms a dense , glossy green groundcover with fragrant , two - toned ashen and pinkish blooms in previous wintertime to early spring . Its jasmine - scented flush attract early pollinators , while violet stems add subtle pursuit . idealistic for louche borders , underplantings , or mass in woodland - style gardens .
GLOW POP® JAPANESE HOLLY (Ilex crenata)
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Full Sunday to partial shadeGrowth habit : Compact rounded habitHeight / Spread:2 to 3 feet tall and wide
With vivid lime - gold foliage that holds its people of color in full sun , this tidy dwarf holly adds a bright pop to borders , edging , or containers . Fast - rise and scummy maintenance , it offers yr - round interest and act upon beautifully as a small-scale hedge or foundation accent . distaff plants may bring about dim berries if a male is nearby .
Read more onhow to grow holly bushes .
PAISLEY PUP® DOGHOBBLE (Leucothoe fontanesiana)
Zones:5 - 8Exposure : Partial shadeGrowth habit : vertical curve habitHeight / Spread:3 to 4 feet improbable , 4 to 5 feet wide
This aboriginal broadleaf evergreen plant stands out with its striking variegated foliage in shade of green , pink , cream , and bronze . Fragrant lily-white bell shape - shaped flower appear in spring , attracting pollinator . Deer - resistant and tad - tolerant , it ’s a charming solution for delimitation , slopes , or woodland garden .
" Perfect for transforming hard fleck into a lush , colorful canvas that needs nearly no maintenance . “—Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Loughrey is a seasoned garden author and photographer with over 25 years of experience , contribute to major publications like Garden Design , Better Homes and Gardens , and Sunset . A former Master Gardener , she wreak paw - on expertise from gardening in a wide image of climates , from upstate New York to the Pacific Northwest .
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