Low-Maintenance Shrubs – Foolproof Landscaping Ideas For Busy Gardeners

Shrubs are essential in any yard or garden. They fill in spaces between trees and beds. They act as focal points. They provide privacy and boundary hedges. Many flower and attract pollinators. But, some shrubs can be hard work. To get all the benefits and features of shrubs and bushes without all the work, try some low-maintenance options.

These easy shrubs give you all the benefits of gardening with bushes with less effort and cost. Planting bushes in your yard, especially low-maintenance shrubs, adds to curb appeal. Low-maintenance evergreen shrubs provide year-round green and winter interest to your garden. Those with spring flowers attract and feed pollinators. Shrubs that grow densely can be used to screen areas of the garden and provide privacy.

Of course, you can get all these benefits with many different types of shrubs. What makes low-maintenance shrubs better is that they take much less effort, time, and cost to maintain. They’re great for beginner gardeners who don’t yet have the skills to maintain fussy plants. But experienced gardeners can still benefit from spending less time on shrubs and more on other areas of the garden.

Low-Maintenance Evergreen Shrubs

Choose low-maintenance evergreen shrubs for areas where you want to see green in winter. Those that produce berries provide additional winter interest.

• Ilex glabra - Inkberry is a holly native to North America and easy to grow. It tolerates some conditions other shrubs won’t, like drought. It can also adapt to wet areas. Unlike other hollies, the leaves are smooth, not spiky, but it is toxic, so be careful.
• Buxus spp. - Boxwood shrubs are easy to grow and maintain and make nice low hedges. They take to trimming very well and can be used as topiaries, but they also look nice when trimmed only minimally. They grow well in a variety of conditions and are deer-tolerant.
• Kalmia latifolia - Mountain laurel is both evergreen (in USDA zones 4 through 9) and flowering. It is a broadleaf evergreen that grows best in partial shade and has moderate water needs. It needs minimal or no trimming.

Low-Maintenance Flowering Shrubs

When it comes to flowering shrubs, low maintenance means you can attract beneficial pollinators and enjoy beautiful, often fragrant blooms without much effort.

• Abelia x grandiflora - Abelias are flowering shrubs related to honeysuckles. You can find several varieties (try ‘Rose Creek’ for a good option), which flower most of the summer. They grow in an attractive mounded form with minimal pruning to maintain them.
• Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ - Hibiscus and rose of Sharon shrubs are generally low-maintenance, but ‘Midnight Marvel’ was bred to be both easy and spectacular. The only thing you need to do is cut it back in spring and it will reward you with dense growth and abundant, bright flowers.
• Hydrangea quercifolia - Choose any variety of native oakleaf hydrangea for a show-stopping, easy, flowering shrub. It doesn’t need much pruning and will give you color-changing flowers, fall color, and winter interest.

Low-Maintenance Privacy Shrubs

Low-maintenance privacy shrubs allow you to screen your yard or certain areas of it without much effort. Choose evergreen species for year-round privacy.

• Thuja spp. - Arborvitae includes both native and non-native species. Most importantly, they are easy to grow. Without much trimming, they grow naturally in dense, tall, pyramid shapes that make excellent hedges and privacy screens. As evergreens, they maintain privacy year-round.
• Dwarf Golden False Cypress - Look to this dwarf variety for the benefits of cypress on a smaller scale for an easy privacy hedge. Dwarf false cypress grows readily without much care and has attractive, feathery, and evergreen foliage.

Low-Maintenance Native Shrubs

As a rule, native shrub species will be easier to grow than many non-native species because they are adapted to your area. Here are some particularly easy shrubs to grow.

• Viburnum spp. - You can find several native viburnum species, like American cranberrybush or mapleleaf viburnum, that are easy to grow. They generally include spring flowers and berries that feed native birds.
• Ilex verticillata - Winterberry holly is a native holly with the characteristic red berries that feed native wildlife. They are easy to grow, but keep in mind that you’ll need at least one male and one female plant to get fruit.
• Rhododendron spp. - Both native azaleas and rhododendrons fall under this genus, and you can find many species that are native. All are easy to grow and are particularly suited to those difficult shady areas of the garden. They have spring flowers and some are evergreen.

Frequently Asked Questions

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