Dwarf Shade Shrubs
- Dwarf shrubs add visual interest and curb appeal to yards.Phillip Spears/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Gardeners must be careful to adhere to the planting recommendations of horticulturists. Although a shrub is a dwarf when purchased at the nursery, it can quickly grow significantly larger after planting, and this can modify or ruin a landscape design. There are many shrubs, though, that don't exceed 4 feet tall, making them ideal for foundation landscaping. Although some dwarf shrubs can serve as a specimen plant, most look best planted in groups. - Green velvet boxwood (Buxus 'Green Velvet') is a shade-loving dwarf shrub reaching only 2 feet tall, and spreading up to 3 feet wide. Thriving in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4 to 8, this evergreen exhibits a slow growth rate. It enjoys shade but is tolerant of sun or partial shade with moist, well-drained soil. Forming a compact, rounded shape, green velvet boxwood displays inconspicuous pale-green flowers that attract bees. The dark-green foliage consists of small leaves that sometimes turn bronze in the fall.
- Gardeners propagate bog rosemary by seed.rosemary image by hazel proudlove from Fotolia.com
Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) is a dwarf subshrub growing only 2 feet tall and up to 2 feet wide. This shrub is a native of northern North America, Europe and Asia. Although hardy up to zone 2, bog rosemary doesn't tolerate heat or humidity and suffers in zones south of zone 6. In its natural habitat, this shrub grows in peaty, sandy bogs. This creeping evergreen has few side branches, and simple evergreen leaves in dark blue or green. Foliage doesn't change in autumn. In May, urn-shaped white flowers appear, with hints of pink. Bog rosemary prefers acidic, moist, well-drained soil and light shade. This landscaping shrub enjoys cool summers and moist conditions, and it doesn't tolerate drought. The 'Blue Ice' cultivar exhibits intense, slate-blue leaves and is popular among gardeners for this reason. - The lace shrub (Stephanandra incisa 'Crispa') is a dwarf shrub that prefers light to medium shade. At maturity, the lace shrub reaches only 1 foot tall but can spread up to 3 feet wide. Tiny, star-shaped, creamy-white flowers cover the bush in late spring, and a brown fruit appears after the flowers die. This shrub's lacy, slender, arching branches are brown and shiny, and overlap to form a mound. Gardeners choose the lace shrub for its attractive form and foliage. Best planted in zones 4 to 7, the lace shrub thrives in acidic, moist, nutrient-rich soil. Bright-green leaves turn golden yellow, orange, deep purple or red in autumn. The leaves resemble miniature maple leaves.
