Got a Narrow Front Yard? These 5 Compact Shrubs Give Color & Curb Appeal in Every Season – And Add to Your Property Value

There is a saying in France that every garden is lovely in summer. That’s because almost any flowering shrub or perennial you’ve planted will be bursting with foliage and blooms during the summer months. If you want year-round beauty in the yard, however, you’ll need to look a little farther to find plants that are attractive in all four seasons of the year.

Fortunately, there are more than a few wonderful flowering shrub candidates to fill the job of year-round beauty, even in a small front yard. Compact evergreen shrubs can do the job, because they remain “in leaf” all winter long. But deciduous flowering shrubs with interesting bark also make great small year-round shrubs.

Let's dig in and explore the best shrubs for your narrow front yard or petite gardens!

Best Compact, Four-Season Shrubs for Tight Spaces

Both evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be small, year-round shrubs. Pick dwarf varieties if you have a narrow yard or a limited amount of space. Here are some of our favorites.

1. 'Ruby Slippers' Oakleaf Hydrangea

This oakleaf hydrangea cultivar is an all-year superstar when it comes to small, colorful shrubs. It starts out with deep green leaves and large, angel-white lacecap flowers. But the show is just getting started. The flowers mature into shades of red, pink at first, then the color deepens to red. The blooms keep blooming up to and even after the first frosts, finishing off the growing season a deep ruby red.

The big, oak-like leaves also turn red-purple in fall. They fall from the shrub to reveal peeling, burnt-orange bark. The spent flowerheads also provide visual interest. Find 'Ruby Slippers' oakleaf hydrangea at Walmart.

2. ‘Arctic Fire’ Red Dogwood

Half the size of regular red twig dogwood shrubs, this dwarf cultivar is perfect for smaller gardens. Looking for a four-season shrub to grow in a shady location? ‘Arctic Fire’ is a great choice. Its stunning red stems light up the winter garden, well before the classic dogwood flowers appear in late spring.

Foliage is deep green and provides a lovely contrast to the white berries. This beauty is easy to maintain and even easier to love. Find 'Arctic Fire' dogwood at Walmart.

3. ‘Perfecto Mundo’ Double Dark Pink Azalea

What an azalea! ‘Perfecto Mundo’ is a compact, rounded reblooming azalea shrub that is awash in double dark pink blooms in spring. This isn’t so different from other azaleas, but this superstar takes a breather, then blooms again in mid-summer, continuing to flower through the first frost. The color is so rich it seems unreal.

And since these azaleas are small evergreen shrubs, those dark leaves will be there through winter. Find the gorgeous 'Perfecto Mundo' double dark pink reblooming azalea from Park Seed.

4. Lawson Cypress

A dwarf conifer, ‘Minima Aurea’ is conical and the flat sprays of branches are fiery yellow and look like leaping flames.

Its foliage turns to yellow in the areas where it gets the most sun so each bush will look different depending on where you plant it! It is a low maintenance shrub, too, so you won't have to do much with it.

5. ‘Kaleidoscope’ Abelia

Just like the cultivar name promises, Kaleidoscope is ready to put on a color show in the garden. Its foliage doesn’t believe in sitting still - it starts out bright green in springtime, matures into gold in summer, then blazes a fiery red in fall.

This dense, compact abelia shrub has reddish purple stems and pink flower buds that open into fragrant white blooms in spring and persist into fall. Find the perfect 'Kaleidoscope' abelia at Fast Growing Trees.

Tips for Designing in Narrow Front Yards

Just a little design planning can help you pull together an all-star front yard, even if it’s on the narrow side. Try some of these tips to make the area seem more expansive.

• Use layered levels of shrubs, with small year round shrubs in the foreground and taller, narrower shrubs behind.
• Don’t blaze a straight and narrow pathway through your narrow front yard. Instead, curve that pathway to create the illusion of a wider area. But when it comes to pavers, think small. Large pavers will emphasize the narrowness of the space.
• Use a bright color for the front door to anchor the space.
• Add plants or features that make the eyes look up. These might be vines running up a wall or trellis, or a slender, interesting tree.

Shrub Planting Essentials

• The Ace 'Little Pal' utility shovel from Ace Hardware is the perfect size for digging holes for compact shrubs. And it won't clutter up your garden shed either!
• These cute and durable gardening gloves from Amazon are abrasion resistant to you won't get scratched up while digging or planting your new compact shrubs.
• Water your newly planted shrubs with this sturdy 2-gallon watering can from the Home Depot.