Shrubs of any size provide valuable resources for nature, and they beautify your yard. Check out our list of small, medium, and large shrubs.
Small, Medium and Large Shrubs for Every Landscape
Updated on Jul. 31, 2024
Few landscape additions are more versatile than shrubs. A wide-ranging list of plants are on the market, including compact varieties ideal for borders and container gardens, medium-size specimens with a profusion of blooms and large shrub species that offer shade or serve as windbreaks.
But it’s not just the diversity of sizes that makes shrubs garden standouts. They can also provide habitat for wildlife, prevent erosion, add fragrance and complement an edible landscape—not to mention create a pleasing aesthetic.
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Best Small Shrubs
Annabelle Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens, Zones 3 to 9
Hailed as one of the most popular landscape plants, this ornamental shrub grows 3 to 5 feet tall. A type of smooth hydrangea, Annabelle is best known for its massive round balls of white flowers that are profuse in summer and can even last into fall.
Creeping Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis, Zones 3 to 9
With a mature height of 18 inches or less, the small evergreen plant forms dense mats that are ideal for rock gardens and slopes. The needles transition from green to purple tones in the winter.
Kalm’s St. John’s Wort
Hypericum kalmianum, Zones 4 to 7
In the summer, the shrub’s golden yellow flowers add a welcome pop of color to the garden, and bees love them. The plant features bluish green leaves and grows 2 to 3 feet tall.
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus, Zones 3 to 9
This plant’s leaves were used for tea during the American Revolution, and it’s a host plant for spring and summer azure butterflies. It reaches a mature height of 2 to 3 feet and produces small white flowers starting in late spring.
White Snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus, Zones 2 to 7
Named for the clusters of white berries that emerge in fall and remain on the stems all winter long, this native shrub grows up to 4 feet tall. It serves as a larval plant for several types of hummingbird moths and provides a source of winter food for wildlife.
Best Medium Shrubs
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis, Zones 4 to 8
The dark purple fruits that appear in late summer are edible, and wildlife love to snack on them too. This shrub grows 6 to 12 feet tall, is tolerant of wetter soils and is also popular with animals for habitat.
Carolina Allspice
Calycanthus floridus, Zones 4 to 9
In sun or shade, the native shrub grows 6 to 10 feet tall. The hallmark maroon to reddish brown flowers have a sweet fruity fragrance.
Inkberry
Ilex glabra, Zones 4 to 9
Green-white flowers bloom in summer, and jet-black berries appear on female plants in winter if fertilized. This member of the holly family tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers acidic, and grows 5 to 10 feet tall.
Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia, Zones 3 to 9
Pollinators love the nectar from the spiky white or pink summer-blooming flowers. The shrub, native to the eastern United States, grows 3 to 5 feet tall on average but may reach up to 10 feet.
Virginia Rose
Rosa virginiana, Zones 3 to 8
A low-maintenance shrub with a lovely scent, Virginia rose grows up to 6 feet tall and is popular with songbirds and native bees. It’s covered with pretty pink flowers all summer long, and the rose hips are edible.
Best Large Shrubs
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis, Zones 5 to 11
Thanks to a tolerance for wet soil and flood conditions, this native buttonbush makes an ideal addition to rain gardens. It can grow 12 feet tall, and pollinators are attracted to the pincushion-like flower heads that bloom in midsummer.
Common Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius, Zones 2 to 8
This native plant’s bark peels off in strips, revealing layers beneath. It’s known as a winter interest shrub, but clusters of white or pinkish flowers in summer and bright yellow leaves in autumn give the 10-foot-tall ninebark shrub year-round appeal.
Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum, Zones 3 to 8
This native blueberry species is found in bogs and swamps and grows well in moist, acidic soil. Some shrubs can grow up to 12 feet tall while producing delicious blueberries that can be eaten fresh or used in pies, jams and jellies.
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia, Zones 4 to 9
The shade-tolerant plant grows 12 to 20 feet tall and is sometimes considered a small tree. Look for evergreen leaves and gorgeous clusters of hexagonal white to pink flowers with rose-colored spots on the inside. It is attractive to hummingbirds and pollinators and offers shelter for wildlife, but it should be noted that all parts are very poisonous to humans if consumed.
Red Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea, Zones 2 to 7
The shrub, also called red osier, got its name for the red leaves and twigs that brighten up fall and winter landscapes. With a height of up to 10 feet and a tendency to form thickets, this dogwood is a great choice for a privacy screen.
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