Shrubs rated low for maintenance, for anyone who wants a tidy garden but has little time for it.
70 plants from our verified database, by name. A plant is only listed when the data this list relies on is not in doubt. How our data is made
Yucca filamentosa 1.8 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
It forms a stemless evergreen rosette of sword-shaped leaves edged with white threads, and in early summer sends up a head-high stalk carrying…
Callicarpa bodinieri 2 m × 1.7 m after 10 years
Beautyberry is grown not for its small lilac summer flowers but for the clusters of glossy violet berries that appear in autumn and stay on the bare…
Kolkwitzia amabilis 3 m × 3 m after 10 years
A large deciduous shrub with arching branches that are smothered in pale pink, yellow-throated bell flowers in late spring. It is very undemanding:…
Juniperus scopulorum 'Blue Arrow' 3.5 m × 60 cm after 10 years
A very narrow, steel-blue column that takes up little ground yet draws a vertical line you can see from across the garden. It wants full sun and…
Caryopteris × clandonensis 90 cm × 1 m after 10 years
A low, mounded deciduous shrub with aromatic grey-green leaves that covers itself in a haze of blue flowers in late summer and early autumn, when…
Viburnum × bodnantense 2.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
An upright deciduous shrub 2 to 3 m tall that carries strongly scented pink flowers on bare branches from late autumn to early spring, when little…
Spiraea × vanhouttei 2 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
An old, proven flowering shrub: in May its arching branches are covered along their whole length with small white flower clusters, as if dusted with…
Viburnum × burkwoodii 1.8 m × 1.8 m after 10 years
A dense, semi-evergreen shrub whose white flower clusters open from pink buds in April and carry a sweet scent a long way, so plant it near a terrace,…
Amelanchier canadensis 3 m × 2 m after 10 years
An upright, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub or small tree that is covered in white flower clusters in April before the leaves open, ripens edible,…
Calycanthus floridus 1.8 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
An unusual, dense shrub whose maroon, strap-petalled flowers open from late May into early summer and smell of strawberry and pineapple; the bark…
Chaenomeles speciosa 2 m × 2 m after 10 years
A dense, spiny shrub that reaches head height and flowers in early spring before the leaves: depending on the cultivar the white, pink or red blooms…
Juniperus chinensis 2 m × 1 m after 10 years
A tough evergreen that takes full sun and fairly dry soil, sold in gardens as cultivars: slim cones, loose upright shrubs and wide spreading forms…
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Columnaris' 3.5 m × 1 m after 10 years
A false cypress that forms a slim, dense column branched to the ground, with steely blue-green scale-like foliage and stiffly upright branches. In ten…
Juniperus communis 2.5 m × 80 cm after 10 years
A native, slow-growing evergreen with prickly needles and blue-black berry-like cones, planted in gardens mostly as its slender columnar cultivars for…
Symphoricarpos × doorenbosii 1.5 m × 1.8 m after 10 years
This hybrid snowberry is an almost indestructible, dense shrub with arching branches: its tiny, inconspicuous flowers are popular with bees and are…
Thuja occidentalis 'Danica' 40 cm × 50 cm after 10 years
A dwarf arborvitae that forms a regular, dense, slightly flattened globe without any clipping, with bright emerald green sprays held vertically. It…
Viburnum davidii 80 cm × 1.3 m after 10 years
A low evergreen shrub that forms a wide mound, grown mainly for its leathery dark green leaves with three deep veins. White flowers open in spring,…
Leucothoe fontanesiana 1 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A low evergreen shrub with arching stems and glossy pointed leaves that turn bronze-red and burgundy in autumn and winter, with small white bell…
Hypericum × dummeri 70 cm × 1 m after 10 years
A low, spreading, semi-evergreen shrub with reddish stems and blue-green leaves that bears large golden yellow cup-shaped flowers from early summer…
Juniperus virginiana 2 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
A very undemanding, tough evergreen: it takes drought, limy and poor soil, city air and hard frost, asking only for full sun and a spot free of…
Viburnum farreri 2.2 m × 1.7 m after 10 years
An upright, open-branched shrub that flowers on bare wood before the leaves: clusters of white, almond and vanilla scented flowers opening from pink…
Juniperus squamata 50 cm × 1 m after 10 years
Flaky juniper is sold as dwarf, steel-blue garden forms: Blue Star is a slow, dense dome, Blue Carpet a flat, wide-spreading ground cover, and…
Ribes sanguineum 2.2 m × 1.8 m after 10 years
A fast-growing, upright then arching, thornless ornamental shrub that is covered in April, as the leaves emerge, with hanging clusters of crimson,…
Chaenomeles × superba 1.2 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A low, spreading, thorny deciduous shrub that covers itself in large, waxy, mostly red flowers in early spring before the leaves, when little else…
Prunus incisa 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
In nurseries you will find almost only the dwarf 'Kojo-no-mai': a slow, compact shrub with zigzag twigs that is covered in white, pink-centred blossom…
Acer shirasawanum 2 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A slow-growing, bushy Japanese maple with round, fan-like leaves of 9 to 13 lobes; its best-known cultivar, 'Aureum', opens golden yellow in spring,…
Abelia × grandiflora 1.2 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
A semi-evergreen shrub with arching branches and glossy leaves that carries small, white, pink-flushed, scented bell flowers from early summer until…
Hypericum patulum 1.2 m × 1.3 m after 10 years
A dense, rounded, semi-evergreen shrub that carries large, golden-yellow, cup-shaped flowers from early summer into autumn, in sun or part shade. It…
Spiraea × cinerea 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A dense, rounded bush with thin, arching shoots that are covered along their whole length with tiny snow-white flowers in April, before the leaves…
Nandina domestica 1.5 m × 1 m after 10 years
An upright, cane-forming evergreen shrub that looks a little like bamboo, with finely divided leaves that flush red in spring and again from autumn…
Chamaecyparis obtusa 1.5 m × 80 cm after 10 years
A slow-growing, dark green evergreen whose flat, shell-like twisting fans of foliage build a sculptural, irregular shape. The wild species is a forest…
Osmanthus heterophyllus 2 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
An evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green, spiny leaves that look like holly, bearing tiny white flowers in autumn whose scent carries a long way…
Deutzia × hybrida 1.8 m × 1.8 m after 10 years
Hybrid deutzia covers its arching branches with masses of pink, star-shaped flowers in late spring and early summer; it is mostly sold as 'Mont Rose',…
Juniperus communis 'Hibernica' 2 m × 50 cm after 10 years
A dense, blue-green needled column that grows slowly, so it stays in proportion for years even in a small garden or rock garden. It is happiest in sun…
Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata' 3 m × 90 cm after 10 years
A dark green, strictly upright column that copes with full sun and deep shade alike, so it gives a vertical accent even where other evergreens would…
Berberis thunbergii 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A dense, spiny, undemanding deciduous shrub grown mainly for its green, burgundy, yellow or variegated foliage, vivid autumn colour and red berries…
Chaenomeles japonica 1 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
Japanese quince is a knee to waist high, wide-spreading thorny shrub that covers itself in orange-red flowers in early spring before the leaves, a…
Viburnum plicatum 2.5 m × 3 m after 10 years
A broad, spreading deciduous shrub with horizontal, tiered branches that are lined with two rows of white flowers in late spring: the lacecap forms…
Spiraea japonica 1 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
A low, dense, mounded deciduous shrub that carries flat pink flower heads for weeks in summer and is popular with butterflies. It is undemanding and…
Viburnum carlesii 1.3 m × 1.3 m after 10 years
A slow-growing, dense, rounded shrub that carries snowball-like clusters of white flowers opening from pink buds in April, into early May; their…
Viburnum tinus 2 m × 2 m after 10 years
A Mediterranean evergreen viburnum with dark, glossy foliage that flowers from late autumn in mild winters, otherwise from late winter into spring:…
Viburnum rhytidophyllum 2.5 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
A large evergreen shrub with long, deeply wrinkled dark green leaves that screens all year, so it is excellent as a tall, loosely kept screen or…
Syringa patula 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A dense, slow-growing, compact lilac that flowers after the common lilac, in late spring to early summer: purple buds open to pale lavender,…
Syringa meyeri 1.2 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A slow-growing, dense, rounded dwarf lilac with small leaves that is covered in strongly scented, pale lilac-pink flower clusters in late spring. It…
Philadelphus coronarius 2.5 m × 2 m after 10 years
A large, upright then arching deciduous shrub grown for its white, intensely sweet-scented flowers in late May and June: plant it near a patio or seat…
Pinus mugo 90 cm × 1.2 m after 10 years
A dense, cushion-shaped or spreading, multi-stemmed evergreen pine; gardens mostly get its slow-growing dwarf forms. It suits rock gardens, slopes,…
Physocarpus opulifolius 2.5 m × 2 m after 10 years
An undemanding, fast-growing deciduous shrub with arching branches, rounded clusters of white or pinkish flowers in May and June and reddish, inflated…
Spiraea nipponica 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A dense, tough shrub with arching branches that are covered along their whole length with clusters of tiny white flowers in late spring and early…
Hydrangea quercifolia 1.5 m × 1.8 m after 10 years
A shrub for all four seasons: big cone-shaped white flower heads in summer that slowly turn pink, large oak-like leaves that colour burgundy and…
Mahonia aquifolium 1.2 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
A slow-growing evergreen shrub with glossy, holly-like, spiny-edged leaves that copes with shade and part shade under trees, where few other shrubs…
Cornus alternifolia 2.5 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
The smaller cousin of the wedding cake tree: a multi-stemmed large shrub or small tree with horizontal, tiered branches, fragrant creamy white…
Viburnum × pragense 2.5 m × 2.2 m after 10 years
A fast-growing, dense evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green, veined leaves; in late May it carries flat heads of creamy white, lightly scented…
Syringa × prestoniae 2.5 m × 2 m after 10 years
A large, upright then rounded lilac that flowers a week or two after common lilac, in late May and June, with big conical panicles in pink, purplish…
Aronia arbutifolia 2 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
An upright, slender shrub grown for its flaming red autumn foliage and for the glossy red berries that stay on the stems well into winter; white,…
Juniperus scopulorum 4 m × 60 cm after 10 years
Rocky Mountain juniper is sold as narrow, columnar, blue-green or silver-blue forms (Blue Arrow, Skyrocket): in ten years they reach roughly four…
Salix rosmarinifolia 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A fine-textured, airy willow shrub with narrow, rosemary-like grey-green leaves that are silvery and downy beneath, and small catkins in spring that…
Hibiscus syriacus 2.5 m × 2 m after 10 years
An upright, vase-shaped deciduous shrub that carries large, hollyhock-like flowers from midsummer into autumn, when most shrubs have finished. It…
Potentilla fruticosa 1.2 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
A dense, rounded little deciduous shrub that flowers almost without a break from late spring until the first frosts. It is undemanding and copes…
Caragana arborescens 3.5 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
An extremely cold-hardy and drought-tolerant upright large shrub or small tree that copes where others give up: on poor, sandy or limy soil in…
Deutzia gracilis 1 m × 1.2 m after 10 years
A low, tidy deciduous shrub with arching stems that is almost hidden under pure white, lightly scented flower clusters in late spring. It suits the…
Cotinus coggygria 3 m × 3 m after 10 years
A large, spreading deciduous shrub known for the smoke-like, pinkish, fluffy plumes it carries in summer and for its yellow, orange and purple-red…
Hydrangea arborescens 1.3 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A rounded deciduous hydrangea that carries big globe-shaped flower heads from early summer on the current year's shoots, so it blooms reliably even…
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' 1.3 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A rounded deciduous hydrangea that carries huge snow-white flower globes, 20 to 30 cm across, from early summer, and because it blooms on the…
Diervilla sessilifolia 1.2 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A low, tough deciduous shrub that spreads slowly by suckers and grows in almost any soil, taking drought and even dry shade under trees, so it is…
Euonymus europaeus 3 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
An undemanding large shrub or small tree with green twigs whose main season is autumn: the leaves turn red and purple, and the pink capsules split…
Aucuba japonica 1.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A shade-tolerant evergreen shrub with large, glossy, leathery leaves; gardens mostly grow the yellow-spotted forms. It suits the spots where other…
Yucca flaccida 1.4 m × 1.1 m after 10 years
A stemless evergreen yucca whose sword-shaped leaves are thinner and softer than those of Adam's needle: the outer leaves bend down in the middle,…
Weigela florida 2.5 m × 2.5 m after 10 years
An easy, dependable deciduous shrub that is covered in funnel-shaped pink, red or white flowers in late spring and early summer, often with a…
Euonymus alatus 2 m × 2 m after 10 years
A slow-growing, broad deciduous shrub with tiered branching, planted for its autumn foliage: for a few weeks the leaves turn a blazing scarlet, and in…
Mahonia × media 2 m × 1.5 m after 10 years
A sculptural, upright evergreen with long, fern-like spiny leaves that carries sprays of fragrant yellow flowers from late autumn to the end of…
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