Would you like to add a beautiful splash of color and texture to your garden? Look no further than ornamental woody shrubs! These stunning plants are incredibly easy to care for, boasting vibrant flowers during the spring months and providing gorgeous foliage throughout the rest of the year. Use our guides down below to choose the right varieties for your home garden and learn how to plant and care for them.
Highly ornamental as a container plant, ground cover, hedge, screen, or specimen, low-care Chinese fringe flower features spidery pink flowers in early spring with beautiful burgundy/plum foliage all year long. A striking addition to mild-winter gardens, learn how to grow and care for Chinese fringe flower right here.
Hydrangeas are available in an exciting palette of colors. Some vary by soil acidity, and others change color as they mature. Whether you have patio pots or estate acreage, you can enjoy their cottage charm in your outdoor living space. From dwarf to tree-sized, here are our 25 favorite varieties. Read more now.
With gorgeous purple flowers and a sweet perfume, lilacs are a classic in the spring garden and easily cultivated throughout the landscape. New cultivars make it possible to enjoy these beautiful woody shrubs even in areas with mild winters! Read our guide now for all the details on how to grow lilacs.
Perfume your garden, and your neighbors’ gardens, with the glorious scent of Texas mountain laurel. Come springtime, this evergreen shrub displays numerous spectacular clusters of aromatic purple flowers. The lovely plant is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and easy to grow. Get expert tips and advice now.
Azaleas are a mainstay of the spring garden, but the show doesn’t have to end just because the season does. With several summer and fall flowering specimens, you can enjoy their gorgeous floral display right until frosty temperatures arrive. Read all about azalea bloom times and flowering groups for months of flowers.
If you love lilac shrubs but haven’t tried growing a lilac tree before, now’s the time to plant a Japanese tree lilac in your yard. These lovely trees grow tall and produce cream-white flowers every spring. In this guide, you’ll learn how to grow and care for these elegant specimens. Read more now.
Camellia has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years for uses ranging from privacy hedges and winter beauty to oil and tea. These plants can thrive for more than one hundred years with proper care in shrub, hedge, or tree form, bringing beauty to your garden when other plants are dormant, year after year. Read more now.
Evergreen oleander shrubs add tropical flair to the garden, blooming for months in vibrant shades of pink and red or delicate white. These low maintenance beauties thrive in poor soil, drought, high heat, and salt air and are suitable for cultivation in Zones 8-10. Learn how to plant and grow oleander in this guide.
Tea, damask, polyantha, oh my! There are so many kinds of roses that it can all get a bit confusing. If you’re wondering what a shrub rose or a tea rose is, or what separates modern roses from old garden roses, this is the guide for you. We’ll help you sort out all the details and choose the best varieties for your garden.
Are you wondering how to grow mock orange, a shrub loaded with the sweetest white flowers you’ve ever smelled? Philadelphus plants make a beautiful, fragrant addition to any garden, and they are easy to propagate and maintain. Discover how to grow and care for mock orange shrubs in this guide. Read more now.
With elegant drooping branches, appealing blue-green foliage, and spectacular fuzzy blooms that continue all summer long, bottlebrush shrubs are the perfect plants to attract pollinators while adding dazzling color to the garden landscape. Continue on to learn how to grow and care for bottlebrush shrubs.
Panicle hydrangeas are native to cool regions of Japan and China. These heat- and cold-tolerant shrubs produce huge, showy clusters of blooms that are white at first, blushing into pink or red as the season progresses. Learn how to grow and care for Hydrangea paniculata in your landscape with this guide. Read more now.
There are over 150 species of woody flowering viburnum shrubs with clusters of blossoms in shades of cream, pink, and white. Some are evergreen. Others are deciduous, with vibrant autumn foliage and clusters of deep blue to red fruits. Learn how to grow one or more of the many available viburnum species and cultivars.
A temperate climate hibiscus that grows well in cold areas, the stunning, elegant, easy to grow, and adaptable rose of Sharon deserves a place in your garden. Ranging from three to 16 feet tall with white, purple, pink, or red flowers, there’s an ideal cultivar for every situation. Learn how to grow Hibiscus syriacus now.
Rhododendrons are one of the most stunning shrubs out there. If you’ve ever seen one absolutely covered from tip to crown in blossoms, then you know what we mean. But they need a little special care to achieve that glorious display. With the right water, exposure, soil, and care, you can have a picture-perfect rhodie.
Brightly colored with long-lasting flowers, azaleas make a striking statement in the garden. Ideal for borders, beds, and foundation plantings, these shrubs provide months of vibrant blooms, with sweet or spicy fragrance, and pretty fall foliage as well. Learn how to grow and care for azaleas in this guide. Read more now.
The early bird catches the worm, and the early bloom gets all the attention. For an early-flowering shrub with delightful foliage and an interesting growth habit, witch hazel is the plant for you. In this growing guide, we’ll cover propagation methods, cultivation techniques, and plant health care tips. Read more now.
Viburnum is a woody flowering shrub for full sun to partial shade locations in Zones 2 to 8. Most types display fragrant blooms in the spring followed by colorful autumn foliage and drupes at season’s end. Learn more about 25 of the best native and non-native viburnum varieties and choose your favorites. Read more now.
Winter damage can really put a dent in a yew’s evergreen status, often causing the foliage to die and turn brown. In this guide, we’ll cover the various forms winter damage can take in these plants, and provide prevention and treatment strategies for dealing with this unwanted condition. Read more now.
You may not mind mistletoe hanging overhead at a Christmas party, but you’re likely to be peeved if the invasive kind is hanging on your plants in the landscape. In our guide to managing invasive mistletoe we’ll provide a brief primer on these plants and tips to identify, treat, and prevent an infestation. Read more.
Ready for something different? How about gardening in the sky on the branches of trees? Mistletoe is a holiday favorite when we use it to decorate our homes – and maybe get a kiss. But it’s an important plant for wildlife, too. Some butterflies can’t live without it and it provides important winter food for bees.
For a plant as tough as the strongest warrior, check out ‘Spartan,’ a Chinese juniper cultivar with a columnar growth habit. It’s perfect as a windbreak, specimen, or living fence. We’ll explain how to plant, grow, and care for this stately shrub, from finding the right place in the garden to caring for it as it grows.
Chinese junipers come in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, which means they can easily suit many different situations. You can grow these classic shrubs as gorgeous bonsai trees, stately garden specimens, maintenance-free hedges, dense privacy screens, container topiaries, and more. Read our growing guide now.
Rocky Mountain junipers are adapted to the harsh, changing, and rough conditions of the Rockies. They can cling to rocky cliffs, hunker down in sand dunes, or survive a long freeze. That adaptability translates to tough, hardy, versatile shrubs for the home garden. This guide helps you make them thrive in your space.
Yews are gorgeous, versatile, and have a fascinating history of usage in religion, warfare, and medicine. In order to grow them as beautiful plantings in your garden, you’ll need to know the cultivation conditions that they love and loathe – which is where this guide comes in. All of the know-how you need awaits!
Finding the right evergreen shrub for your garden can be a headache, especially if you want something unique. We’ve taken the guesswork out of the project and compiled 13 of the best evergreen shrubs for you to consider. Read on to see our favorite picks for a variety of growing zones in this guide. Read more now.
Winter daphne might be around for a short time compared to other shrubs, but its stunning, fragrant contribution in late winter and early spring means you’ll forgive, forget, and plant more. Learn how to grow and care for this little woody shrub that will permeate your home and garden with its alluring perfume in this guide.
For the fullest display, you must give your rhododendrons the support they need to survive the winter and come fully alive in the spring. This guide shows you how to prepare and protect your rhodies and azaleas for the cold months ahead, whether that’s mulching, pruning, or protecting your plants from heavy snow.
Oleander shrubs withstand heat, drought, and extreme humidity, but they can’t handle harsh winters. These perennial shrubs thrive in Zones 8 to 11 but must come indoors to survive colder winters. In this guide, we’ll cover how to prepare oleander plants for winter, and cold-weather care tips. Read more now.
Yaupon hollies should be more popular than they are. You can make caffeinated tea from the leaves, grow them in a range of environments, and they need little maintenance. The red berries attract wildlife and the evergreen leaves offer year-round interest. Learn how to plant and raise these versatile, hardy shrubs.
Struggling to pick out a Euonymus for your landscape? No worries, we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’ll go over some of the top species and what they have to offer gardeners. From USDA Hardiness Zone recommendations to ornamental descriptions, you’ll learn about 11 of the best picks for the garden. Read more now.
Euonymus plants are versatile, gorgeous specimens that only require a moderate amount of work to keep them looking sharp. Specimens, accents, hedges, vines… these guys can meet many different landscape needs. In this guide, we’ll go over just how to properly care for Euonymus plants, from propagation to cultivation.
Firebush (Hamelia patens) is a drought-tolerant, disease-resistant shrub with flame-colored flowers that attract a variety of pollinators. It’s a tropical beauty and very easy to care for. In this guide, you’ll learn the basics of firebush planting and cultivation, along with how to keep it healthy. Read more now.
Ornamental spring- or summer-flowering shrubs, spirea need an annual pruning to look their best with full foliage and abundant flowers. But with different flowering times, the two types have different maintenance regimes. To keep your shrubs in top form, here are the details on how to prune spirea. Read more.
With a fascinating history of cultivation in China and Japan, heavenly bamboo is a tough-as-nails, yet gorgeous plant that can be grown for year-round visual interest. It’s adaptable to a wide range of exposure conditions and soil types, and possesses significant resistance to pests and pathogens. Read more.
California coffeeberry is the ideal species for wildlife gardens! Birds will appreciate your consideration when you grow this beauty in your landscape, and you’ll be able to watch them from your yard. This fast-growing perennial shrub is a drought-tolerant flowering native plant that’s perfect for spaces big and small.
Spirea are flowering woody shrubs in a variety of shapes and sizes, offering multi-season interest for gardens and landscapes. The pretty pink, red, or white flowers appear in summer or fall, and many have color-changing foliage with fantastic fall hues. Read about 9 different types of spirea shrubs for your garden.
Hydrangeas are low maintenance flowering shrubs popular for their dramatic colorful blooms and bold green foliage. But can you grow them from seed? Depending on the variety, it may be possible. In this guide, we cover how to collect and save the seeds of your favorite hydrangeas for planting. Read more now.
Hydrangeas are woody shrubs or vines with showy clusters of blossoms. They grow best in full sun to part shade, where the soil is consistently moist. There are nearly 80 different species and several bloom styles. Learn more about the lacecap hydrangea, and what makes it unique in this guide. Read more now.
Japanese hollies are essentially maintenance-free and untroubled by pests or disease. Deer and rabbits just hop on by, and your pruners will gather dust in the shed, because they maintain a tidy shape without any work from you – unless you plan to shape them into elaborate topiaries, and that’s great too! Read more.
Juniper has been used herbally for centuries. Even King Tut had some of the berries from the trees in his tomb. Whether you want to make a wound-healing salve or some tea to ease a cold, the needles and berries have the potential to help. Not all species are useful herbally, though. This guide has what to know.
Juniper berries are the unsung heroes of the spice world. They can flavor everything from drinks to savory dishes and even desserts. And they can also be used herbally, to make sourdough, and around the home. Whether you forage or purchase them, our guide will help you to make the most of the pungent fruits. Read more.
Juniper berries can be used herbally, in the kitchen, or around the home. But harvesting them requires knowing the right time and method for plucking the fruits. Additionally, you should know with certainty that the species you are harvesting is suitable for your purposes. Our guide provides the details. Read more.
Yes, juniper berries are edible. Well, most of them. Many species are not just safe to eat, they’re delicious. But some, on the other hand, can be toxic. In this guide, we’ll help you figure out which is which so you can harvest the good ones and leave the ones that are bad (for humans!) for the birds who love them.
Pruning a bonsai well requires equal parts technical skill and artistic vision. You need to know how to prune the plant without damaging it so you can bring the living piece of art that you dream of to life. In this guide, we’ll help you to achieve both goals with a little bit of technical and creative guidance.
Pruning junipers the right way takes a bit of finesse and know-how. If you do it wrong, you can end up with a sad-looking skeleton of a plant, rather than a robust shrub that adds to your garden. You need to know when, how, and which branches to prune if you want to keep your plant healthy and looking good. Read more.
‘Blue Star’ junipers practically glow in the garden with their bright, steely blue foliage. Add to that their dense, mounding growth habit and extremely tough nature, and you have a plant that adds heaps of year-round character to your yard without much fuss. Get to know this happy accident and how to care for it.
With generous panicles of beautiful, fragrant flowers, the allure of lilacs is powerful. If you don’t have the space for a mature, 30-foot specimen, a good option is to grow dwarf varieties in containers – a smart solution for decks, patios, and other small spaces. Learn how to grow lilacs in pots and planters here.
If you’ve never tried growing American holly before, you’re in for something special. With glossy leaves and bright red berries, nothing says winter cheer quite like this plant. But is it hard to grow? How do you encourage the bushes to produce berries? Learn everything you need to know in our guide. Read more now.
Winter jasmine was cultivated in China for hundreds of years before becoming a common landscaping plant in many other parts of the world. Not only does it bloom in the winter when most other plants are dormant, it is very tolerant of neglect, so even inexperienced gardeners find it easy to grow. Read more now.
Inkberry holly is an evergreen shrub with small white flowers in the spring. By autumn, blue-black drupes, or berry-like fruits, make a late-season feast for foraging birds. Inkberry holly is easy to add to the landscape, especially with these tips for successful cultivation. Ready to grow your own? Read more.
Considering dipping your toe into the world of bonsai, or maybe you just picked up your first one at the store? You probably know there’s lots to do to keep your plant healthy, but growing your first bonsai doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You’ll be well on your way to creating a stunning display with these basics.
When you grow oleander in your landscape, beware! All parts of the plant, from roots to stems and blooms, are poisonous if ingested, with a potentially fatal reaction for people and animals. Learn more about oleander poisoning and what precautions to take when you grow and care for these shrubs in your garden. Read more.
Bonsai is where horticulture meets art, and practitioners strive to capture nature in a miniature display. If you’re new to bonsai, you might be curious about where it came from and what it takes to create your own. This guide will fill you in on everything a beginner needs to know to get started. Read more.
Baneberry offers beauty and elegance to a variety of landscapes in Zones 3 through 8. This low-maintenance ornamental can be used as a foundation planting, in a woodland border, or planted as an individual focal piece. Learn how to grow and care for your own perennial baneberry shrubs in this guide. Read more now.
The beloved ornamental camellia has been cultivated globally for ages and bred by experts so some varieties can withstand harsh winter conditions. But camellia types that thrive in warmer climates will need protection prior to the onset of winter temperatures and cold winds, to avoid dieback and damage. Learn more now.
Whether it appears alone, in groups, or as part of an expansive hedge, the burning bush is an autumn sensation. With its scarlet leaves burning brightly under the late season sun, it usually makes a dramatic statement. However, sometimes it isn’t as colorful as we’d like. Read on for seven reasons why this may happen.
Have you noticed that your potted camellia is losing leaves, dropping blooms, or generally looking unhealthy? There are several potential causes, but fortunately, most are easy to address when caught early and dealt with quickly. Learn about the most common problems and how to fix them fast. Read more now.
Hardy, long lasting, and carefree to grow, ornamental grasses are a mainstay in professionally designed landscapes. With a superb diversity of textures, color, shapes, and sizes they can add drama and flair, or subtle softness. Their applications in the garden are many, and they’re one of the best plants to bring out your inner designer. Discover for yourself how readily these plants will work in your garden with our best tips and tricks.
The “rose of winter,” camellias are well known for their winter blooms. But when you lack space in your yard or temperatures in your region dip too low, you might miss out – unless your camellia is in a container that can be moved indoors in cold snaps and pruned to keep it compact, opening up some new possibilities.
Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) is a low maintenance flowering shrub that produces edible berries in the fall. Its fragrant white blooms surrounded by deep purple bracts are a striking addition to the garden. Learn how to plant and grow Himalayan honeysuckle in this guide. Read more now.
Camellias add fall, winter, and spring color to the landscape and shrubs have a variety of blossom forms and growth habits. There are six main methods of propagating these plants at home, including from seed, cuttings, layering, air layering, and grafting. Learn how to propagate camellias in this guide. Read more now.
Butterfly bush is a brightly colored, low maintenance shrub that lives up to its name by attracting a variety of pollinators to the garden. But did you know there are numerous cultivars available in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your backyard? Learn about 17 of the best Buddleia cultivars and choose your favorites.
Centuries after camellias were first brought from the wilds of Asia into the home garden, thousands of cultivars have been selectively bred for stunning blooms, cold hardiness, and specific growth habits. Which one will be a good fit in your garden? Discover 11 of our favorite camellia varieties and choose your favorite.
Forsythia is a low-maintenance shrub that grows in full sun and average, well-draining soil. It’s famous for its bountiful yellow spring blooms. Depending upon the age and condition of yours, it may be beneficial to do a hard pruning. Read on to learn how to decide when this practice is the appropriate action to take.
Forsythia is a deciduous woody shrub with bright yellow flowers that bloom in late winter to early spring. The foliage is lush and green, and for some varieties, the color bronzes in autumn. However, leaf yellowing during the growing season may signal trouble. Read on to find out what may be wrong and what you can do.
Because hybrid cultivars don’t grow true from seed, three smart ways to increase and enjoy beautiful azaleas in your yard or garden is to multiply them vegetatively through cuttings or by stem or air layering. Learn how to propagate azaleas for gorgeous new shrubs in this step by step guide. Read more now.
Mountain laurel is a low maintenance shrub with spectacular clusters of blooms each spring and attractive evergreen foliage. It can be incorporated into any landscape and is a perfect choice for woodland gardens, hedges, or foundation plantings. Learn how to grow and care for mountain laurel in this guide. Read more now.
The bright yellow blossoms of arching and upright forsythia varieties are springtime favorites. To keep yours in top form, it’s important to know when and how to prune them. Read on to discover 5 tips that will help you hone your skills and have bushes that are healthier and more attractive than you thought possible.
Red tip photinia is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with vibrant red and dark green foliage. Tough and vigorous, these ornamentals are easy to grow, and provide year round interest and functionality in the landscape as a hedge or privacy screen. Learn how to plant and grow red tip photinia in this guide. Read more now.
Oleanders are drought-resistant shrubs with colorful blooms in shades of pink, red, or white. These robust plants thrive in poor soil and warm weather conditions. There are a number of different types available – from dwarf shrubs to large trees and hedges. Learn about 9 of the best oleander varieties for your landscape.
Forsythia is a spring-blooming shrub that is best known for its profusion of bright yellow blossoms. While they are generally quite healthy, this sturdy and fast-growing shrub sometimes develops knobby bumps along its stems. Read on to find out what these unattractive growths are and why you shouldn’t ignore them.
Butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a colorful, low-maintenance perennial that attracts butterflies and other pollinators. Ideal for cottage gardens, beds, and borders, the cheerful, vibrant blooms grace the garden all summer long. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for butterfly bush in this guide. Read more now.
Oak Leaf holly is a hybrid cultivar with unique, shapely leaves and bright berries, that provides year-round interest to the garden. This stately, pyramid-shaped evergreen shrub is ideal as a specimen planting and can be pruned into a formal hedge or privacy screen. Learn how to grow Oak Leaf holly in this guide.
Nothing says winter cheer quite like the bright red berries of a winterberry holly, so why not try growing your own at home? Learn everything you need to know to add this beautiful woody shrub to your yard or garden, including some of the best uses for the deciduous perennial. Hint: holiday decor is top of the list.
Poinsettias are colorful tropical plants that add vibrant color to your holiday decor. But how cold-hardy are they? Whether you want to grow these winter-blooming plants indoors or out, you’ll need to know their cold limits. Learn more about poinsettia cold hardiness and in what areas you can grow them outdoors.
Want to grow your own poinsettias at home? Start with a live poinsettia plant and then follow seven steps for a brand new batch of beautiful, baby Christmas flowers. By taking cuttings from your established plant, you can grow others just like it. Learn how to propagate poinsettias from cuttings in this guide. Read more.
Poinsettias have a reputation for being toxic, but are they really? These holiday plants are no longer considered poisonous, but they come with some serious safety concerns. Learn more about how to keep yourself, your kids, and your pets safe when these potentially irritating plants are in your home in this guide.
Do you mourn the loss of color when summer ends? Well, instead of living in the gray zone for six months, add some bold, vibrant color to the late season garden. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best ornamental plants that will add interest and vibrant hues to your fall garden. Join us now for a closer look.
Now, on Gardener’s Path, learn how to grow the lovely shrub American beautyberry, native to the southeast US. You’ll love the fall and winter interest provided by the plant’s long, arching branches laden with clusters of bright purple berries, which attract many bird species, and are edible for humans, too.
Pretty flowers aren’t just for areas with acidic soil, moderate temperatures, and bucketsful of rain. Now at Gardener’s Path, learn how evergreen desert dazzler turpentine bush contributes resplendent, deep-green needle-like leaves and showy, brilliant yellow blossoms to sophisticated Southwest landscapes.
Learn from Gardener’s Path how you can add a dose of prehistoric drama to your landscape, home, or patio with sago, an ancient plant from Japan that looks like a palm but is actually related to conifer trees.
Before you begin your next landscaping project, read this book review. Essential Native Trees and Shrubs of the Eastern United States is an expert compilation of top performers that provide much-needed habitat for wildlife. Discover this go-to gardening guide now, as recommended by your friends at Gardener’s Path.
If you are a gardener in the Midwest, this book is for you. It’s Adelman and Schwartz’s Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species. Read our review on Gardener’s Path now to learn why this illustrated guide is a must-have horticultural resource.