Shrubs

Everything you need to grow and care for shrubs: light, water, troubleshooting, and pet & child safety, all in one place.

Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatumAn easygoing native shrub that gives you spring flowers, blue-black berries, and fiery fall color without much fuss at all.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyAsiatic JasmineTrachelospermum asiaticumTough, glossy, and happy in sun or deep shade, Asiatic jasmine carpets the ground and asks for next to nothing.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyAzaleaRhododendronGive it acidic soil, dappled shade, and steady moisture, and the azalea pays you back with a spring that's tough to look away from.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysToxicModerateBeautybushKolkwitzia amabilisAn easygoing, arching shrub that drapes itself in pink, bell-shaped flowers every spring.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyBlack ChokeberryAronia melanocarpaTough as nails, happy in the cold, and edible from its spring flower to its winter berry, chokeberry barely asks a thing.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyBlackberryRubus fruticosusHand it full sun and room to ramble, and a blackberry will load you up with fruit for years.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeEasyBluebeardCaryopteris × clandonensisGive bluebeard a hard cut every spring and you'll get a haze of blue flowers back, right as the rest of the garden's winding down.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyBlueberryVaccinium corymbosumKeep the soil acidic and a buddy bush close by, and you'll be picking blueberries all summer.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateBorder ForsythiaForsythia × intermediaPlant it for the first burst of yellow that opens long before anything else wakes up in spring.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyBoston IvyParthenocissus tricuspidataPlant it for a wall of crimson come fall, just give it masonry to climb instead of your siding.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyBougainvilleaBougainvillea spectabilisGive it plenty of sun, a little thirst, and some benign neglect, and bougainvillea pays you back with wild color.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeModerateBoysenberryRubus ursinus × idaeusGive it full sun, a sturdy trellis, and a yearly prune, and the boysenberry crops with big, wine-dark fruit.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateBurning BushEuonymus alatusPut it in full sun and the autumn leaves blaze a deep scarlet you'll catch from clear across the yard.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyButterfly BushBuddleja davidiiHand it full sun and a bold spring cut, and the butterfly bush fills up with flowers and fluttering wings all summer.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyCalifornia LilacCeanothus thyrsiflorusHand it full sun, sharp drainage, and almost no water, and California lilac gives back a wall of blue every spring.☀️ Full sun · 💧 15–30 daysPet & child safeModerateCamelliaCamellia japonicaHand it acidic soil, dappled shade, and steady water, and the camellia flowers when almost nothing else bothers to.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeModerateCarolina JessamineGelsemium sempervirensGive it full sun and something sturdy to climb, and this evergreen vine spills out fragrant yellow trumpets in late winter.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicEasyChinese Fringe FlowerLoropetalum chinensePop loropetalum into acidic soil with good drainage and you'll get colored leaves and fringy blooms for barely any effort.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyChocolate VineAkebia quinataFragrant chocolate-purple flowers and edible fruit on a climber that grows fast and likes to be kept in line.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyClematisClematisGive it sun on its head and shade on its feet, and clematis climbs into a wall of bloom.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysMildly toxicModerateClimbing HydrangeaHydrangea anomala subsp. petiolarisIt's slow to start, then a wall of fragrant white lacecaps that sticks around for decades.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateClimbing RoseRosaTie it up, train the canes sideways, and a climbing rose will drape a wall in bloom.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateCoffeeCoffea arabicaGive it warmth, bright indirect light, and humid air, and the coffee plant turns into a glossy evergreen that might just hand you its own cherries someday.☀️ Bright indirect · 💧 5–7 daysToxicModerateCommon BoxwoodBuxus sempervirensUnhurried, dependable, and evergreen year-round, boxwood gives a clipped, formal garden its lasting shape.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateCommon JasmineJasminum officinaleHand it warmth, sunshine, and something solid to climb, and this vine pays you back all summer with perfume.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeModerateCommon LilacSyringa vulgarisPop it in full sun with a bit of breathing room, and the common lilac hands you heavy spring scent for decades.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyCommon NinebarkPhysocarpus opulifoliusAn easygoing native shrub with peeling bark and colorful leaves that barely asks for a thing.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyCotoneasterCotoneasterTough as nails and loaded with red berries all winter, cotoneaster pretty much takes care of itself once it's settled.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyCranberryVaccinium macrocarponHand it acidic peat, full sun, and steady moisture, and this low creeping vine pays you back with tart fall berries.☀️ Full sun · 💧 2–4 daysPet & child safeDemandingCreeping JuniperJuniperus horizontalisSet it somewhere sunny with soil that drains fast, and this hardy evergreen carpet mostly fends for itself.☀️ Full sun · 💧 10–21 daysPet & child safeEasyCrossvineBignonia capreolataAn easygoing native climber that puts on a spring show of trumpets and keeps the hummingbirds coming back.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyCurrantRibes rubrumTough, cold-loving, and dripping with tart berries, the currant is a friendly pick for a cool garden.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeEasyDavid Austin RoseRosaOld-rose charm and scent, plus flowers that just keep coming from late spring to frost.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateDipladeniaMandevilla sanderiHand it full sun, warmth, and sharp drainage, and dipladenia keeps the trumpet flowers coming from early summer to fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicModerateDragon FruitHylocereus undatusHand this climbing cactus sun, a sturdy post, and a pollination partner, and you'll get night-blooming flowers and bright pitaya in return.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeModerateDrooping LeucothoeLeucothoe fontanesianaHand it shade, acidic soil, and steady moisture, and this arching evergreen keeps looking good all year.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysToxicModerateDutchman's PipeAristolochia macrophyllaA fast climber that throws up a wall of overlapping leaves and feeds the pipevine swallowtail.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyDwarf FothergillaFothergilla gardeniiHoney-scented spring flowers and knockout fall color on a tough native shrub that hardly asks for anything.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyElderberrySambucus canadensisHand it sun, steady moisture, and a second cultivar close by, and elderberry pays you back with heavy clusters of dark fruit.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicEasyEncore AzaleaRhododendronGive it acidic soil, filtered sun, and steady moisture, and the Encore azalea blooms in spring and comes back into fall.☀️ Partial sun · 💧 3–7 daysToxicModerateEvergreen EuonymusEuonymus japonicusA tough, shade-friendly evergreen that clips into a hedge and barely asks anything of you.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyFloribunda RoseRosaGive it full sun, a bit of breathing room, and water at the base, and you'll get clusters of bloom from spring to fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateFlowering QuinceChaenomeles speciosaIt's one of the first shrubs to flower each spring, lighting up bare branches before the leaves even show up.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyGardeniaGardenia jasminoidesGive it acidic soil, steady moisture, and humid air, and the gardenia pays you back with intensely fragrant white flowers.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicDemandingGlossy AbeliaAbelia × grandifloraHand it sun and soil that drains, and glossy abelia keeps flowering from late spring to frost with hardly any effort on your part.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyGoji BerryLycium barbarumGive it full sun, lean alkaline soil, and room to sprawl, and this tough nightshade pays you back in superfood berries.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyGooseberryRibes uva-crispaAn easygoing, cold-hardy berry bush that just wants cool conditions, an open shape, and steady moisture.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateGrandiflora RoseRosaTall, long-stemmed, and happy to bloom from spring to frost, the grandiflora gives you hybrid-tea flowers on a floribunda frame.☀️ Full sun · 💧 4–7 daysPet & child safeModerateGrapeVitis viniferaGive a grapevine full sun, something strong to climb, and one hard prune a year, and it'll hand you fruit for decades.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicModerateGroundcover RoseRosaGive it full sun and a bit of breathing room, and a groundcover rose carpets the ground in bloom from spring right up to frost.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeEasyHardy KiwiActinidia argutaIt's a frost-tough vine that gives you little grape-sized fruits you eat whole, so why bother peeling?☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateHazelnutCorylus avellanaGive it full sun, a pollen buddy, and room to spread, and the hazel pays you back with nuts every fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeModerateHeavenly BambooNandina domesticaEasygoing, drought-proof, and fiery in winter, nandina pulls its weight, but its berries are poison to wildlife.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicEasyHoneyberryLonicera caeruleaGrow two cultivars side by side and you'll be picking the earliest berry of the year, sweet-tart and frost-tough.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeEasyHoneysuckleLonicera sempervirensGive it full sun and something to climb, and trumpet honeysuckle hands you coral flowers and hummingbirds all season.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyHybrid Tea RoseRosaGive it full sun, deep water, and a hard spring cut, and your hybrid tea rose keeps handing you long-stemmed blooms from summer to fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–8 daysPet & child safeModerateHydrangeaHydrangea macrophyllaGive it rich, moist soil and afternoon shade, and this shrub hands you armfuls of bloom all summer.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicModerateInkberry HollyIlex glabraAn easygoing native shrub that handles wet ground, hard winters, and shade and stays green all year.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicEasyJapanese BarberryBerberis thunbergiiTough, thorny, and richly colored, but think it through before you plant it where it can spread.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyJapanese HollyIlex crenataSort out the acid soil and quick drainage first, and you've got an evergreen that clips into a neat shape and stays that way.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyJapanese KerriaKerria japonicaGive it dappled shade and soil that drains, and Japanese kerria will light up spring with golden flowers on bright green stems.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyJapanese LaurelAucuba japonicaThe easygoing shade shrub with gold-speckled leaves and bright red winter berries.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyJapanese PierisPieris japonicaHand it acidic soil and a wind-sheltered spot, and andromeda dangles drooping white flowers for you every spring.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysToxicModerateJapanese PittosporumPittosporum tobiraAn easygoing evergreen shrub that handles sun, shade, drought, and hard shearing and still smells like orange blossom in spring.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyJapanese SkimmiaSkimmia japonicaGive it shade and acidic soil, and this evergreen keeps you in fragrant spring flowers and bright winter berries.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateJapanese SpireaSpiraea japonicaTough, quick, and easygoing, Japanese spirea hands you flat pink flower clusters and shifting foliage color from spring to fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyKiwiActinidia deliciosaGive it full sun, a strong trellis, and a male partner, and a kiwi vine pays back your patience with fruit.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateKnock Out RoseRosaGive it full sun and a quick yearly prune, and the Knock Out just keeps blooming from June to frost.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyLingonberryVaccinium vitis-idaeaGet it acidic soil, full sun, and steady moisture, and this low evergreen carpet gives back two crops of tart red berries a year.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–5 daysPet & child safeModerateLoganberryRubus × loganobaccusHand it full sun, rich soil, and a solid trellis, and the loganberry serves up tart-sweet fruit all summer.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateMandevillaMandevilla × amabilisGive it sun and summer warmth, and mandevilla just keeps climbing and throwing trumpet blooms into fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicModerateMiniature RoseRosaGive it full sun, steady water, and good airflow, and a miniature rose blooms from spring right through fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 2–4 daysPet & child safeModerateMock OrangePhiladelphus coronariusGive it sun and a prune at the right moment, and mock orange fills early summer with orange-blossom scent.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyOld Fashioned WeigelaWeigela floridaGive it full sun and a well-timed haircut, and weigela fills the late-spring garden with little tubular blooms.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyOld Garden RoseRosaTough, sweet-smelling, and easygoing on their own roots, old garden roses just keep giving year after year.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateOleanderNerium oleanderA tough, drought-proof shrub that blooms all summer, with one big catch: every part is dangerously poisonous.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicEasyOregon GrapeMahonia aquifoliumGive it shade and a break from winter wind, and Oregon grape hands back yellow spring flowers and blue-black berries.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyPassionflowerPassiflora incarnataGive it full sun and a little room, and the maypop takes off fast, feeds butterflies, and flowers all summer.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyPassionfruitPassiflora edulisGive it full sun, sharp drainage, and a strong trellis, and this fast vine rewards you with fragrant fruit.☀️ Full sun · 💧 2–4 daysMildly toxicModeratePomegranatePunica granatumHand it full sun and even watering, and it'll pay you back with ruby fruit every fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–10 daysMildly toxicEasyPrivetLigustrum vulgareA tough, quick-growing hedge that'll take almost any shape you shear it into, though it slips out of the garden and poisons grazing animals.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyRambling RoseRosaHand it plenty of sun and something sturdy to climb, prune it just after it flowers, and it'll drown a fence in tiny summer blooms.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysPet & child safeModerateRaspberryRubus idaeusGive it full sun, good soil, and a yearly haircut, and you'll be picking raspberries by the handful.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateRhododendronRhododendronNail the acidic soil and dappled shade and this shrub keeps blooming spring after spring, pretty much forever.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysToxicModerateRose of SharonHibiscus syriacusHand it full sun and a bit of elbow room, and this easy shrub keeps the color coming from midsummer right into fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyRugosa RoseRosa rugosaThis is the rose that laughs off salt spray and brutal cold, blooms all summer, and then loads up on red hips.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyScarlet FirethornPyracantha coccineaIt's tough, it's fast, and it's got thorns, but firethorn pays you back with clouds of white spring flowers and orange-red winter berries.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyShrub RoseRosaGive it plenty of sun and a little breathing room, and a shrub rose keeps the flowers coming from late spring until frost.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyShrubby CinquefoilPotentilla fruticosaIt's tough, it's easygoing, and it stays loaded with blooms all summer while asking for almost nothing back.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyShrubby St. John's WortHypericum frondosumIt's tough, it laughs off drought, and it's covered in bright yellow summer flowers, all from a native shrub that hardly asks for a thing.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasySilver Lace VineFallopia baldschuanicaWant a bare fence covered fast? This vine will do it, and it barely asks for anything beyond a good prune.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasySky Pencil HollyIlex crenataIt is basically a green pillar for spots too tight for anything else, and all it really asks for is acidic soil and a bit of winter care.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateSlender DeutziaDeutzia gracilisAn easygoing, pet-safe shrub that buries itself in white spring flowers and barely asks for a thing.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasySmoke BushCotinus coggygriaHand it full sun and sharp drainage, and you'll get summer haze plus knockout fall color.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasySnowball BushViburnum opulusGive it full sun and room to stretch, and the snowball bush will pile on white spring globes like clockwork.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoidesGive it a fence to climb, and star jasmine hands back clouds of sweet white flowers.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasySummersweetClethra alnifoliaGive it steady moisture and a bit of shade, and summersweet pays you back with fragrant spikes long after the other shrubs have packed it in.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeEasySweet Autumn ClematisClematis ternifloraLate summer, and suddenly there's a wall of fragrant white flowers where a plain old fence used to be.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyTeaCamellia sinensisGive it acidic soil, dappled shade, and steady moisture, and this easygoing evergreen shrub grows the leaves that end up in your teapot.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateTea PlantCamellia sinensisHand it acidic soil, part shade, and steady moisture, and Camellia sinensis grows the leaves behind every cup of tea.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateTrumpet VineCampsis radicansHand it full sun and something sturdy to climb, and the trumpet vine will pull in hummingbirds all summer long.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyViburnumViburnumGive it sun, elbow room, and a steady drink while it's young, and viburnum hands back spring scent and fall berries for decades.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyVirginia CreeperParthenocissus quinquefoliaA tough native vine that hands you knockout fall color as long as you keep it trimmed back.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyVirginia SweetspireItea virginicaAn easygoing native that hands you fragrant spring flowers and knockout fall color without much fuss.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeEasyWinter DaphneDaphne odoraHardly any shrub perfumes a winter garden the way daphne does, but every part of it is poisonous.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysToxicDemandingWinterberry HollyIlex verticillataSet a male near your females and winterberry gives you bare stems lit up with red berries all winter.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicEasyWintergreenGaultheria procumbensHand it acidic soil and cool shade, and wintergreen turns into a glossy evergreen mat dotted with red berries.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 4–7 daysMildly toxicModerateWisteriaWisteria sinensisGive it full sun, a heavy support, and two hard prunings a year, and wisteria drips with flowers each spring.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateWitch HazelHamamelis virginianaGive it moist, acidic soil and a bit of room, and witch hazel hands you ribbon-like flowers right when the rest of the garden has called it a year.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeEasyYaupon HollyIlex vomitoriaEvergreen, tough, and the one North American holly you can brew, yaupon takes drought, salt, and shade right in stride.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasy