When it comes to choosing low maintenance shrubs for the landscape, what do you look for? Many of our favorite shrubs actually need a yearly haircut, though they do not need to be sheared. Plants such as hydrangea, ninebark, rose of Sharon, lilac, and beautyberry need to be pruned to produce better flower displays. But there are many shrubs which hardly ever need to be pruned. Those are low maintenance shrubs.
If they do not need to be pruned yearly, then why bother to shear them at all? I dislike the look of sheared shrubs, and I have to do some of them for maintenance clients. In my own landscape, I let the shrubs do their own thing, except for trimming back hydrangeas and buttonbush. And they look so much happier for not being sheared all the time. If you are looking for low maintenance shrubs, you want some that require little to no pruning, ever.
Low Maintenance Shrubs for Sun
When you begin to pick our your low maintenance shrubs, you must determine where they are going. I cannot stress this enough, because so many people put plants where they do not thrive. Many of our native shrubs grow in understory conditions, with scattered leaf canopies above them. But also, many others will tolerate or thrive in full sun conditions. Often, the ones in full sun grow shorter. And those are the ones you may really want in the landscape.
Saskatoon Serviceberry ‘Regent’
One of the more versatile shrubs in the landscape, ‘Regent’ serviceberry has several good qualities. Besides being low maintenance, it has edible fruit, showy white flowers, and excellent fall color. ‘Regent’ grows 4 to 6 feet tall and wide, making it a great choice for many landscapes. I particularly love the edible fruit, which tastes like a cross between an apple and a blueberry. And they look like blueberries too. You might think something with berries more maintenance, but if you do not eat them, the birds will. So it also attracts birds.
Leadplant
This smaller native shrub is probably one that you have not heard of, unless you are into native plants. It has silvery-gray green leaves and bright purple flowers. Leadplant, Amorpha canescens, grows 2 to 3 feet tall by 3 to 5 feet wide. And it is a legume, so with the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria, it fixes its own nitrogen. Besides that, it is tough as can be, and is very heat and drought tolerant. No pruning required!
Sandcherry ‘Jade Parade’
This newer cultivar of the sandcherry, Prunus pumila, is one of the best low maintenance shrubs I have ever come across. I planted one in 2023 at a client’s house, and then forgot that it was not on the irrigation. It thrived through 6 weeks of summer drought, never dropping a leaf and only having been watered when planted. Now that is drought tolerant! ‘Jade Parade’ has fragrant white flowers in the spring followed by edible plum fruits. The fall color is of reds and oranges. ‘Jade Parade’ grows 2 to 3 feet tall by 4 to 6 feet wide and would be great planted in a grouping of 3 to 5 plants.
Black Chokeberry
Black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, is one of the prettiest low maintenance shrubs for the landscape. It has shiny green leaves that turn brilliant red and orange in the fall, white-pink spring flowers, and blue-black edible fruit. The fruit can be astringent even when ripe, but makes excellent jelly and syrup for pancakes. There are several great varieties available, so size can vary. And there are also now groundcover types which stay under 12 inches tall. Black chokeberry requires no pruning, unless you want to. It does however take more moisture, so if you have a wet spot then plant black chokeberry there.
Southern Bush Honeysuckle
Also called by its Genus name, Diervilla, southern bush honeysuckle is a great low maintenance shrub for full sun. It grows in widening clumps, and gets 3 to 5 feet tall. There are several newer cultivars available which have varying leaf colors. Southern bush honeysuckle can take some part shade, but grows best in full sun. The flowers are tubular and attract hummingbirds, long-tongued bees, and butterflies. And there is no need to prune!
Snowberry
Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus, is a low growing native shrub. It grows 2 to 5 feet tall and spreads slowly out by suckers. It typically grows along the edges of trees or woodland, so it can take some part shade. Coralberry, S. orbiculatus, is a red fruited cousin of snowberry. Both are suckering shrubs which benefit from pruning every couple of years, but do not need it regularly. Snowberry produces white fruits and hybrid cultivars may have pink fruits.
Viburnums
There are several species of viburnums and lots of cultivars. You can find more about them here. If you are willing to try the “no haircut” for shrubs, then you might be surprised by the flower potential of all the different viburnums. They come in every size it seems. There is a viburnum for nearly every spot.
Low Maintenance Shrubs for Shade
Shrubs in general do not grow great in the shade in the Central Great Plains, but there are a variety of them which do. When I think of great shade shrubs, of course evergreens and hydrangeas come to mind. But what about low maintenance deciduous shrubs? Hydrangeas need a lot of care and pruning. Fortunately, there are several great deciduous options for shrubs.
Carolina Sweetshrub
In many parts of the country, Carolina sweetshrub, Calycanthus floridus, grows in full sun. But here in the Central Great Plains it needs some afternoon shade. I planted mine under the shade of a maple tree on the edge of my Sunny Cottage Garden. And it thrives there, growing slowly outward by suckers. Normally a small tree or large shrub, some cultivars stay short. While I do not remember which cultivar I have, I do know it has never gotten taller than 4 feet. The flowers are red or yellow depending on the species and cultivar. Leaves are shiny green and the bark of older plants can be stripped and used as a replacement for allspice.
Fothergilla
One of my favorite shade shrubs, other than hydrangea, Fothergilla is called by its Genus name. It is medium to small sized shrub, with blue-gray green leaves and white bottle-brush flowers in early spring. The flowers are fragrant, making it a good choice for any garden. In autumn, the leaves turn shades or orange, red, and apricot. There are a couple of species, so size is determined by that and the cultivar you may choose. But they can grow 3 to 6 feet tall and wide. I have never pruned these.
Sweetspire
Another fragrant shrub, sweetspire, Itea virginica, grows 3 to 8 feet tall and spreads by rhizomes. There are a lot of cultivars available. The leaves turn red to burgundy in the fall. It can grow in nearly full shade or full sun, or anywhere in between. If you need to prune them, they can be sheared or lightly pruned with ease. But in general, I do not prune them.
Bladdernut
One of the most underused native low maintenance shrubs, bladdernut, Staphylea trifolia, is common in woodlands in much of the eastern half of the US. It is an understory shrub, or small tree, growing 6 to 15 feet tall and wide. It is one of the earliest flowers to bloom in the spring, hanging down and looking like little white bells. After flowering, seedpods which are three-cornered and like little bladders, come onto the plant. Fall color is yellow. They rarely need any pruning.
Conclusion
It is not too hard to find some great low maintenance shrubs for the landscape. Ones which need little to no pruning and are tough and reliable. Choosing which one can be the difficult part. I would suggest picking them all! No, actually, pick whichever ones will work for you n your landscape.
Happy planting!
