Suppose you live in any major city in the United States and don’t own a real estate property there. Chances are you’re most likely renting a condominium or apartment. These living spaces usually don’t have a lot of space for a garden. You will have to work with what’s available with the property you have.
But suppose you think that the small garden you have will only feature uninteresting lumps of green dotting a landscape. You probably want to reassess your assumption because various compact bushes bloom flowers with assorted colors.
Summary
The best low-maintenance dwarf shrub is Franklin’s Gem Boxwood, which remains low-growing. The best flowering, low-maintenance dwarf shrub is Mountain-laurel.
In this article, we also cover the following and more:
- Blue Star Juniper
- Emerald ‘n’ Gold
- Nightglow Diervilla
Types
There are almost a hundred types as far as botanical science is concerned. For this article, we will only feature 18 to get you acquainted with them. They are as follows:
Best Low-Maintenance Dwarf Shrubs
Small, Evergreen Ones
If you want a small and evergreen option, here’s the list you’ve been looking for.
Winter Heath (Erica carnea)
Many first-time gardening enthusiasts are impressed with its unusual blooming period. The reason why it is called winter heath is (you guessed it) because it blooms in the winter. It is opposite to typical shrubs.
It may even bloom for about 6 months or more under the right climate conditions. It grows to roughly 1 foot and spreads symmetrically with its height, or sometimes twice it. It thrives on slopes and rock gardens.
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia ‘Minuet’)
If you’ve ever walked through the New England woods in summer, then you must have already seen this type. It’s Connecticut’s state flower. The wild laurel bushes in the forest normally grow large with thick foliage.
The minute version will grow to no more than 3 feet in height. This variety has one more advantage than its forest cousins. It boasts more colorful flowers. Prune the bush periodically after each blooming season to keep it looking full and bushy.
Blue Star Juniper (Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’)
This plant gets so big because it grows thick foliage. If you want to have blue spruce trees in your garden but need to adjust to the small places, choose the blue star juniper. This type has a mean growth of 1 – 3 feet tall with an equally dimension spread.
You should plant it next to bushes with golden foliage as its short blue-green needles create a perfect color contrast. You can also create a ground cover if you plant them en masse.
‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ (Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’)
The euonymus is a genus of the evergreen family with unique leaf variegation. For this reason, it is called ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ as it possesses the bicolored feature in its leaves. Two-thirds of its leaves sport the emerald color, while their edges are gold-colored.
This bush is also a dwarf, and its maximum height is 2 feet high with a 2 – 4-foot spread. This plant is resilient and can grow in almost any environment, making it a potentially invasive bush type. But as long as you keep pruning it, you can hold it at bay.
Want to make a nice fence that surrounds those fast-growing, dappled willow shrubs you are planting? Maybe you just want to upgrade your gardening efforts. Check out these articles on rubber trees and electrical cords.
Small, Flowering Bushes
Flare Hydrangea
This compact flowering perennial option is excellent for small places. Their maximum height is just 2 or 3 feet and is equally widespread. The chances of any bud freezing are low because panicle hydrangeas flower on new wood.
The flare hydrangea has a unique cone-shaped flower that initially blooms white but turns bright red-pink when they age. You should preferably plant them in an area where they can get 4 – 6 hours of sunlight daily. It’ll ensure they’ll grow thick foliage and bloom beautifully every season.
Nightglow Diervilla
This tiny compact cultivar belongs in the honeysuckle and is very useful in your garden. The leaves of the Nightglow Diervilla are a deep burgundy and will grow to no more than 3 feet tall and wide. It will save you time to do any pruning. You may notice that the flowers are shaped like a trumpet with a canary-yellow shade.
They bloom throughout the spring and summer as bees and hummingbirds come to get the nectar from these clusters. The nightglow bush requires at least 6 hours of sunlight, and it’s quite resilient during winter. It can survive at temperatures of up to – 30 °F.
Bella Bellissima Potentilla
Its bright pinkish-red colored flowers are one the most attractive features of the Bella Bellissima potentilla. The potentilla option helps espouse all kinds of beneficial insects. Gardeners can help attract good bugs through it without additional paraphernalia. This will grow at a maximum height of 2 – 3 feet tall with similar dimensions to its width.
It will regularly blossom in both the spring and summer seasons. Shearing and deadheading are optional as they can hamper the continuous blooming of the plant. This variety can withstand up to – 50 °F temperatures during winter. There’s no need to worry about it dying throughout the 4 seasons each year.
Rainbow Fizz Spirea
The botanist that gave this guy its name, rainbow fizz. It is spot on when describing this plant’s copper, yellow, and red foliage mixture. Although it is taller than the others in this article, it’s still the smallest in the spirea family. You’ll see clusters of pinkish-red colored flower buds bloom to a faint pink hue during summer.
Peach Lemonade Rose
The multi-colored light range of the flowers of the peach lemonade rose will captivate anyone who loves gardening in an instant! They bear a bright yellow color at the beginning of the blooming season.
Then they turn light pink once they age. If you’ve planted these, you should get a breathtaking view. It will accentuate the entire landscaping of the area. This variety will grow shy short of 3 feet tall, perfect for your miniature garden.
Best low-growing dwarf shrubs
Here’s a list of the best low-growing dwarf shrubs.
Franklin’s Gem Boxwood
Boxwood ones are known as the most favored evergreen due to the following reasons. They’re low-maintenance and deer-resistant. They’re also insect resistant and will accentuate your garden with colors all year round.
Trim them to form different shapes and sizes. One of the best examples of boxwood bush is Franklin’s Gem. It’s essentially a dwarf shrub that grows to a maximum height of 2 feet and is typically rounded. If you occasionally prune it, it elevates any landscape to a fresh and sophisticated look.
Magic Carpet Spirea
As the name suggests, it enhances your garden with pink flowers and lime green leaves. Freshly grown foliage also has a red hue but turns into vibrant gold at maturity. Planting them in soil with black mulch makes their growth unhampered.
You’ll have two perfectly good reasons why you need to include this on your list. Its vibrant gold leaves and pretty pink flowers. Its max growth height reaches about 1.5 – 2 feet. If planted in rows, you’ll have your own personal enchanted garden.
Dwarf Norway Spruce
The famous professional landscaping 3D designer Tony Gullo is fond of using the dwarf Norway spruce in his designs. He stated that he likes them because they’re limited to growing up to 3 feet in height. They have a nice rounded shape and are resilient. This should be on your list of itineraries as it adds superb beauty to the surroundings all year round.
Pink Elf French Hydrangea
Planting this elf French hydrangea in shady places in your garden would be a sensible choice. At only 1 and 1/2 feet max height and compact size, this will make the landscape appear very neat.
The pink elf French hydrangea’s flowers are shaped like a mophead and have a vibrant rose-pink color. It lasts a long time after it blooms. Gardeners love this option because it’s low maintenance and is excellent when used as cut flowers.
Make sure to check out our extensive guides on SAE to metric conversion and lawn tractors. We also have resources on extension cords and engine-driven welders. It will make you capable of handling all those DIY projects you may have!
Low-Maintenance Options
Here is a summary of these low-maintenance options.
| Plant | Characteristic |
| English Lavender | One of the most beautiful blooming purpe flowers |
| Butterfly Bush | They attract all types of butterflies |
| Fringe Tree | Can withstand air pollution and has no pests |
| Coral Bells | They look similar to coral reefs |
English Lavender
Four out of five photographers choose to do photoshoots with their models with a field full of English lavender in the background. Sometimes, they take photos of the field itself.
This Mediterranean herb has one of the most beautiful blooming purple flowers and a sweet scent to make perfumes. Not only will you add beauty, but you can also make them as a fragrant hedge. Impress people who walk past it.
Butterfly Bush
If you prune the butterfly bush by late August, it should have enough time to grow new branches and bloom by fall. It will ensure they do not die off in winter.
Once their roots take hold in your garden, they maintain themselves freeing up your schedule for other tasks. You’ll love this choice because they attract all types of butterflies when they bloom. It adds beautiful colors to your already impressive collection of other plants.
Fringe Tree
You’ll appreciate the beauty of this bush during late spring to early summer. It blooms with white, fringe-like flowers. Then it bears bluish-black fruits that birds love. They’re even lovelier during fall, with their leaves shifting from bright shades of green to golden yellow.
This tree can withstand air pollution and has no pests. It’s great as it requires no pruning. The only downside to this tree is that it grows from 12 – 20 feet. You may need to choose a specific location in your garden to plant it.
Coral Bells
When they mature, they look strikingly similar to coral reefs in the sea. That’s where they get the name from. These plants are amenable, whether in full sunlight or shady parts of your garden.
They bring a multitude of colors to beautify the landscape. You can get creative with your photographs. Use them as a background or invite guests over and impress them with your collection. Coral bells are deer-resistant and require low to zero maintenance.
