Landscaping With Shrubs – 15 Easy Ideas For Your Home

You’re missing out if you don’t have shrubs around your home. Shrubs can add color, fragrance, and even protection from unwanted attention. Here are 15 ideas for landscaping with shrubs to boost your curb appeal

Shrubs can create interesting patterns and designs that please the eye. Picking the right spot for the right shrub can make or break your curb appeal.

There are two varieties of shrubs:

• angiosperms are flowering shrubs
• gymnosperms are non-flowering shrubs

While flowering shrubs can wow you with the color of their blooms and sometimes with a beautiful scent, non-flowering shrubs also have a lot of beauty.

With foliage ranging in color from pale to dark green, striped, sporting pinks, blues, and purples, landscaping shrubs allow you to create a work of art in your front yard (backyard, too!)

Ideas For Landscaping With Shrubs

1. Bursting Heart Burning Bush (Euonymus americanus)

Also called strawberry bush, this shrub grows up to 6 feet tall and blooms yellow-green flowers that form a warty-looking capsule with red seeds. Its foliage color is green and turns into bright red in the fall.

2. Forsythia (Forsythia spp.)

Forsythias love full sun and burst into bloom in early spring. Such a breath of fresh air and color after the dreary months of winter!

3. Knockout Roses (Rosa radrazz)

These roses are low maintenance, disease resistant, and bloom all season. They come in multiple colors, from light pink to coral, bright red, and more.

What I love the most about these roses is that they are self-cleaning, so you don’t need to deadhead them to maintain bloom.

4. Lilac (Syringa)

One of the most carefree spring-flowering shrubs, lilacs provide a sweet, delightful fragrance, too! I love that you can choose from different colored blooms (light or dark purple, red-violet or white) and you can also get a single or double bloom.

5. Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Black chokeberry grows up to 6 feet, has white flowers, and its foliage is usually green, turning into an orange-purple in the autumn.

6. Compacta Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’)

A beautiful deciduous shrub that grows between 8 and 10 ft. tall, it blooms red flowers. Its foliage is usually green but turns crimson red in the fall, hence its name of the burning bush.

7. Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Witch hazel grows between 8 -12 ft., blooms yellow flowers, and its foliage is green-golden yellow in autumn.

8. Redleaf Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea)

A smaller shrub with gorgeous red foliage that turns purple-red in autumn. It blooms small yellow flowers in April.

9. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

Rosemary grows about 5 ft., has green foliage, and white, pink, or pale blue flowers. It’s a Mediterranean plant.

10. Butterfly Bush (Buddleja)

This plant can reach up to 6ft in height. It’s a tropical plant and blooms in shades of violet.

11. Variegated Yucca (Yucca gloriosa ‘Variegata’)

This yucca plant grows up to 3 feet tall and has creamy white bell-shaped blooms. It’s also deer and rabbit-resistant.

12. Azalea (Rhododendron)

Azalea is a small, showy bush that blooms in white, pink, and red shades. Occasionally, you can also see a yellow-blooming azalea.

13. Western Arborvitae (Thuja)

One of the most popular non-flowering shrubs, thuja, is easy to maintain. It’s mainly used to create edging.

14. Hortensia (Hydrangea)

Hydrangeas are a homeowner’s favorite, featuring big, showy flowers in a variety of colors, from pink to blue, purple, white, and light greens, depending on the variety you planted.

If you’d like to learn more about growing hydrangeas on your property, take a look at these quick guides:

• how to grow Annabelle hydrangeas
• the 6 most popular hydrangeas
• what to plant with hydrangeas

15. Japanese Spindle (Euonymus Japonicus)

The drought-tolerant, beautiful multicolored leaves make this shrub a great choice for a hedge or border.

How to Care for Your Landscaping Shrubs

As with any other new plant, you need to give them extra attention after planting your shrubs. Ensure you water them regularly, fertilize them as needed, and trim them before they grow weirdly.

Occasionally, you might need to part with one of your shrubs. Don’t delay if you see disease cropping up, or you’ll lose more than one sick shrub. If you keep a good eye on your shrubs, you might be able to see and act on insect infestation. If possible, use natural insecticides and fertilizers.

Shrubs should have enough space between them. Every plant requires a minimum specified area. When arranged in rows like hedgerows, shrubs give a good impression.

Check the soil before planting shrubs to ensure you have the right soil for your shrub. You don’t want an acidic soil for a non-acidic plant.

More Landscaping Ideas To Try

Landscaping With Lavender

Lavender is an easy-to-care perennial that will flower in your yard and attract bees and butterflies for many years. Here are some ideas for landscaping with lavender.

Landscaping With Hibiscus For A Tropical Garden Vibe

These lush tropical flowers come in various colors and grow tall, providing shade and privacy. They also attract plenty of pollinators to the garden.

Here’s how to use hibiscus in your landscape.

Landscaping With Hydrangeas in Front of the House

There’s nothing more impressive than a large hydrangea shrub with colorful flower globes.

Here’s how to landscape with hydrangeas in front of the house.

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