Chemical control may be necessary if you have a large population of these shrubs. American Arborvitaes are evergreen shrubs or trees which are native to the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. As such, you should always grow trees as far away as possible from your plumbing systems. Along with their scientific names, the list of plants below includes descriptions and pictures of these compact shrubs to help you choose the best ones for your garden. As the roots drain away moisture from the foundation soil, soil pressure drastically reduces, causing the foundation to crack. During spring and mid-summer, new leaves emerge and are vibrant red in color, making this shrub a great ornamental plant. Discover the most amazing dwarf evergreen shrubs. Thanks to their open, bushy habit, elegant Camellia sasanqua shrubs work well in the landscape with other shrubs. Here is a list of small and dwarf evergreen shrubs that are suitable for all yards. 'Rainbow' (shown) is a variegated variety that grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, while 'Scarletta' is a spectacular red-leaved shrub that's up to 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. The shrubs growth is characterized by bright, blue-green needles densely growing on arching branches that spread over the ground. As a privacy hedge, its jagged foliage helps keep out intruders. It also tolerates poor growing conditions, making it an excellent all-around landscape shrub. The showy clusters of white flowers measure 3 (7.5 cm) long, its lance-shaped leaves grow 5 long, and it keeps its foliage all year long in zones 5 through 8. The attractive leaves make cherry laurel shrubs a versatile front or back yard shrub. Meanwhile, if you have any leaks within your plumbing pipes due to wear, tree roots may penetrate the pipes and block your water and sewerage systems. However, since English holly is dioecious, flowering only occurs in female plants. These are typically slow-growing plants that perform best in full sun. These plants are deciduous shrubs or woody perennials that die back each winter. Tn Nursery Reviews: My Goat's beard plants have done exceptionally well this year. One of my friends had some staghorn sumac shrubs that were overtaking his garden. Rhododendrons produce some of the showiest flowers on any shrub, and there are plenty of dwarf varieties for your garden. Shrubs with dense foliage can be clipped into ornamental shapes or formal boxed hedgerows. The flower color is affected by the soil's pH level, with alkaline soil producing pink flowers and acid soil producing blue flowers. Remember that invasive tree roots arent always the primary cause of foundation damage, though, and may simply exacerbate existing structural damage to your foundation. Rounded oblong, smooth leaves create dense evergreen foliage. The low-growing, fuss-free shrub grows 1 to 1.5 ft. (0.3 0.5 m) tall and spreads via trailing stems up to 1.4 ft. (0.45 m) wide. While the foliage of this small shrub is evergreen, the new leaf growth is reddish-bronze, mature foliage is green in the summer and turns purple-burgundy during fall and winter. What Are Some Varieties of Boxwood Hedges? It produces colorful red-orange leaves during fall, making it a great ornamental plant. Arborvitae shrubs and small trees are some of the most common hedging plants used as privacy screens or windbreaks. The leaves are sharp and spiny. These evergreen shrubs have shallow fibrous roots which prevent them from becoming invasive or causing problems underground. Camellia sasanqua are beautiful flowering evergreen shrubs with various cultivars including dwarf shrubs. California Lilac roots are also not known to travel upwards to ground level, so they dont create problems with cracking concrete or uneven ground. The leaf shape resembles holly plantshence the name false holly. The easy-care shrub produces white fragrant flowers in winter before producing blue-black berry fruits. However, since porous concrete slab foundations have a lot of moisture below them, some roots may grow downwards to reachthis moisture. The small shrub grows 3 5 feet (90 150 cm) tall and wide after 10 years. This Photonia species is a shrub with red leaves that doesnt shed foliage in winter. Many varieties have thorns, though some have been produced that are thornless. Choisya, or Mexican orange blossom, is an attractive, low maintenance evergreen shrub. As a small shrub, rosemary can grow as an informal hedge, border plant, or in containers. It takes many years to reach 4 ft. (1.2 m) in height. The colorful foliage of small evergreen Euonymus shrubs adds ornamental element to any garden. They prefer full sun but will tolerate shade. Evergreen shrubs are perfect for privacy in a backyard and creating decorative garden features in a front yard. Majestic Beauty grows best in full sun and tolerates drought, is not fussy about soil and grows well planted in clay, loam or sand. Did you know: They can easily escape cultivation to . The densely-growing bush has a dome shape and a spread of up to 5 ft. (1.5 m). Grow the dwarf hardy low-maintenance shrub as a ground cover or in rock gardens in zones 6 9. While some nonnative species certainly earn their place in the evergreen hedge - namely camellias and fragrant tea olives - it's a great opportunity to incorporate natives into our landscapes. Dwarf rhododendron bushes (Rhododendron) Flowering evergreen shrubs that can act as a natural privacy screen in your backyard. The bright orange colors add a happy note to the garden and hummingbirds love to zip around the flowers. The roots of smaller American Arborvitae will rarely extend deeper than 8 inches below the surface of the soil and will not exceed the dripline of the plant. The stumpy shrub wont grow over 1 ft. (30 cm) tall. The attractive flat-topped flower clusters consist of tiny star-shaped spring blossoms growing as cymes. There are varieties available with purple leaves, which can help add color. However, in the hotter zones, it needs regular watering during summer. Thriving in full sun or partial shade, the spreading shrub grows 0.5 to 1 ft. (15 30 cm) tall and 3 ft. (1 m) wide. While birds love the fruit of mulberry treesa phenomenon that will also cause unwanted messes in your yardwe must admit that we do not. Most conifers have taproots or a combination of a taproot and fibrous-root system. Fortunately, there are a number of evergreen shrubs that do not have invasive roots, which we will reveal here. Some popular shallow-rooted shrubs include: Azalea shrubs Native to Australia, Azaleas are popular in gardens as they are very attractive with beautiful flowers and bright spring blooms. This compact small evergreen shrubby conifer is an ideal landscaping shrub for small gardens. Signs that there are roots in your sewer line pipes or drains include frequent clogs in sinks, showers, and toilets or slow drainage. Hazel. These trees generally have shallow roots that don't cause issues underground. One reason that it is so hard to control is because the seeds can lie dormant for many years, making it very difficult to eradicate completely. The slow-growing dwarf evergreen will eventually reach about 3 or 4 ft. (1 1.2 m) tall. It does best in sun but tolerates shade if it's in a sheltered spot. This means that you need to always make sure that the top layers of Boxwoods soil have enough moisture to keep it thriving. Some compact landscaping arborvitae shrubs have a rounded growth habit, whereas others have a pyramidal shape. 35 Best Drought-Tolerant Shrubs for Warmer Zones, 20 Types of Boxwood Shrubs for Landscaping, 14 Best Evergreen Shrubs for Lovely Landscaping, 30 Shrubs That Are Native to North Carolina, 10 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs for Landscaping, 30 Flowering Trees to Add to Your Landscape, 25 Popular Japanese Maple Varieties With Great Foliage. This shrub grows well in any kind of well-draining soil. These plants thrive in most soil types and can adapt to clay, sandy, loamy, or rocky soils. The shrubs are ideal for adding bright color to a landscape as a foundation planting, accent shrub, full-sun ground cover, or a specimen plant. They grow well in hardiness zones 9-11. The ornamental small winter heath shrub is grown for its evergreen foliage and purple flowers. And, there are no leaves to clear up in the fall. Their delicate needle-like foliage can be emerald green or bluish-green, depending on the cultivar. The English holly (Ilex aquifolium Big Bull) thrives in USDA zones 7 through 9, reaching 35 to 40 feet tall and 25 feet wide at maturity. The Spreading Star Pacific silver fir is an evergreen shrub with spreading growth habit that can be grown in both sun and shade. In some areas, this shrub has been nicknamed "kudzu of the coast" or "beach kudzu" for its habit of spreading rapidly and being pretty much indestructible. These tree varieties will retain the color of their foliage even during cold winter. Attractive, bright green needles create dense foliage on this dwarf conifer. Although some types of trees are short, shrubs are usually small- to medium-sized bushy perennial plants. These elegant landscaping shrubs are also popular in topiarymaking shapes out of bushes. The European privet will be semi-evergreen in the warmer zones and deciduous otherwise. Its tolerant of heat, humidity, and drought. These dwarf Mahonia shrubs produce clusters of yellow flowers in the shape of spikes that contrast with shiny green foliage. Invasive roots are those which grow rapidly and vigorously to seek out sources of moisture. The shrubby plant grows into a mound of dense foliage about 3 ft. (1 m) tall. While it can get out of hand, I think the Cape honeysuckle can still be worth it. Once established, plants require only occasional watering and are drought tolerant . This bramble is considered to be either a shrub or subshrub and bears its fruit on canes that are covered with sharp thorns. The next time I went there, they had sprung back with a vengeance. A graduate of East Carolina University, Kilpatrick writes for national and regional publications. One key feature is the high oil levels in this plant, making is especially susceptible to fire. This imported spiraea tends to take over and can endanger native spiraeas. According to the Leafy Place website, some of the best choices for planting next to foundations are low-growing shrubs with non-invasive roots. In spring, small flowers appear on the Common Juniper, and these develop into small cones which visually resemble blueberries. Many conifers and broad-leafed shrubs are excellent choices for single specimen plants for a landscaped front yard. Azaleas (Rhododendron spp. In this picture: Mahonia japonica bush with decorative reddish-purple foliage in winter. The Common Juniper is an evergreen coniferous shrub which can also be grown as a small tree. Also called the Himalayan cedar, this low-growing, spreading conifer is the lowest type of cedar plant. It bears pretty, pale blue-purple flowers from April to September. The dense foliage consists of oval or oblong, deep-green leaves that have a glossy texture. This holly-like plant is an evergreen shrub that is related to olive plants. Do not be fooled by the pretty fragrant flowers and attractive red fruit. The dripline refers to the furthest point that the canopy of the plant reaches. Its yellow and green summer colors contrast with the blue berries in late summer. Yew shrubs are common hedging plants as they can be trimmed to create box-shaped formal hedges. Japanese Skimmia are small evergreen flowering bushes that produce an abundance of scented flower clusters that turn into ornamental red berries. The foliage of this fastigiate shrub is soft with scale-like leaves and bright, golden-yellow and green colors. However, all arborvitae shrubs have a few characteristicssoft green foliage, a dense compact nature, and they are excellent low maintenance plants for hedges. This image shows Rhaphiolepis indica cv. Hebe Silver Queen is an eye-catching evergreen shrub with creamy-white and green variegated leaves and stunning purple flower spikes. Picea pungens Glauca GlobosaPictures of this miniature spruce show a globe-shaped, blue-needled shrub. Perfect for small yards, this sun-loving small evergreen shrub grows naturally in a globular shape. Or, strategically planting several shrubs can improve the aesthetic appeal of your front yard. They are prolific bloomers, with flowers seemingly cloaking the entire bush in a burst of blue. Elderflowers in the spring and elderberries in the autumn makes an elder bush a brilliant addition to an edible privacy screen. Like other raspberry species, it can form new plants wherever the cane touches the ground. Growing in USDA zones 9 through 11, the tree provides moderate shade, reaching 25 to 35 feet tall and 20 feet wide at maturity. Grow in containers, as a specimen shrub or as informal hedge in full sun for best leaf coloration or part shade. Ilex vomitoria NanaPictures of this dwarf holly shrub show it growing as a globular, compact plant. Large glossy foliage and showy globular flowerheads grace this shrub in mid- to late-winter. The shrubs retain their foliage and color throughout the year. The sun-loving shrub forms a carpet of dark green, heart-shaped leaves that contrast with the crimson-red flowers. Winter Daphne is an evergreen flowering shrub with pinkish-white flowers that bloom in winter. In addition, you can plant the mat-forming evergreen shrub as a foundation planting or grow it in a planter to brighten up a container garden. These are native to much of North America, and are known for producing dainty clusters of blue flowers. This compact shrub will look great in a rock garden or in front of other taller shrubs. Azaleas are hugely popular for their bright and beautiful flowers, which come in a wide range of colors. The blooming period will depend on the species of the shrub, but these will typically flower in late spring or early summer. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Laurustinus ( Viburnum tinus) - Flowering Evergreen Shrub Laurustinus is an ornamental flowering evergreen bush that is great for planting in the front or backyard Many Viburnum species are medium to tall flowering shrubs with glossy, dark green leaves and dense evergreen foliage. Small or dwarf evergreen shrubs are perfect for enhancing any type of garden landscape. Broad-leaved evergreen shrubs are somewhat more tender than conifers, thriving best where winters are mild. Stunning red foliage appears in spring that gradually turns to dark green. The striking broad-leaf, evergreen foliage ensures protection in your garden from wind and noise. California lilac is a small sun-loving evergreen shrub with beautiful pale purple flower clusters. These plants work well as single specimens, and they can also be used in rows to form hedging. Holly evergreen shrubs include various cultivars, some with variegated leaves. Planted in full sun, the soft needled leaves are bright yellowish-green. While tree limbs grow tall, their roots grow wide. She says it had gone wild, turned more into a vine and covered a whole hillside. Here is a list of evergreen azalea shrubs: Juniper Blue Star is a low growing and hardy evergreen shrub. Fraser photinia thrives in hardiness zones 7-9. Evergreen compact Japanese holly can grow in partial shade and has an attractive rounded shape. Shrubs generally have multiple woody stems that grow from the ground, whereas trees typically have a single trunk. 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