Tiny Low Maintenance Shrubs Ideal For Small Spaces

By Calin Oancea

4/9/20246 min read

Gardeners often look for tiny low-maintenance shrubs that fit in small areas to create a hassle-free and amazing outdoor space.

In this article, we feature a list of 7 small, low-maintenance shrubs that are not just easy to care for, but also offer benefits to your garden space.

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one small and green low maintenance shrub
one small and green low maintenance shrub

Carissa Holly

Carissa Holly is an excellent small and low-maintenance bush growing to a height of 0,9m-1,2m (3ft-4ft) with a comparable spread. This compact low-maintenance shrub has glossy, deep green leaves. Its drought tolerance makes it an easy-care choice for gardeners. Because of its dense growth habit, the bush is a perfect choice for creating low hedges or borders in small spaces.

multiple hassle-free Carissa Holly leaves
multiple hassle-free Carissa Holly leaves
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a relatively tiny Korean Boxwood shrub
a relatively tiny Korean Boxwood shrub

Korean Boxwood

If you are in a region with colder climates, the Korean Boxwood is a good choice. Known for its winter hardiness, it flaunts small evergreen shrub with bright green leaves that render a fine texture, adding elegance to your garden beyond the normal Bxwood variety. Despite it's low-maintenance, it is also great for landscaping with minimal care and adapts well to various soil conditions and sun exposures.

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one small green low maintenance bush
one small green low maintenance bush

Dwarf Yaupon Holly

With its fine-textured foliage and rounded growth habit, Dwarf Yaupon Holly is a noteworthy low-maintenance shrub. It matures at a height of about 0,9m to 1,5m (3-5 ft) and, like the Carissa Holly its drought-tolerance makes it a suitable choice for xeriscaping (gardening without watering the plants). We saw that the white flowers and red berries add a dash of color, providing aesthetic appeal and a food source for local wildlife.

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a tiny boxwood hedge with small green leaves
a tiny boxwood hedge with small green leaves

There are many types of boxwood shrubs but most of them are elegant and easy to cultivate. The shrubs mostly grow between 0,6m and 1,2m (2 and 4 ft), are known for their lush, evergreen foliage and dense, rounded form. It's a classic choice for formal gardens, and its tolerance to pruning makes it a favorite for creating topiary designs and low maintenance lanscaping.

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Boxwood

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green Inkberry Holly leaves
green Inkberry Holly leaves

Inkberry Holly

This small and low maintenance shrub with glossy leaves is a year-round, small evergreen beauty that is also deer resistant. The bush is a friend to wildlife, offering shelter and berries for birds, yet its leathery leaves are a turn-off for deer. It also has small white flowers.

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small low maintenance Spirea bushes
small low maintenance Spirea bushes

Spirea

Spirea is a delightful small shrub, just like the Dwarf Korean Lilac, known for its clusters of pink blossoms that grow in the bush, which attract butterflies and pollinators. Ranging in height from 0,6m-1,8m (2ft-6ft), depending on the variety. It is a robust plant that thrives with minimal care and it is also a great dwarf bush with flowers. The changing foliage color from spring to fall keeps the garden vibrant, and its natural resistance to pests makes maintenance a breeze.

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multiple Blueberard flowers blooming on the bushes steams
multiple Blueberard flowers blooming on the bushes steams

Bluebeard is a deciduous shrub that we found in shades of blue to purple that blooms in late summer to early fall, attracting bees and butterflies. Its compact growth habit and gray-green foliage make it an excellent choice for adding color and pollinator-friendly features to small spaces and borders.

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Bluebeard

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a dwarf Fothergilla shrub with two white flowers
a dwarf Fothergilla shrub with two white flowers

Dwarf Fothergilla

Dwarf Fothergilla is a compact shrub with a bottlebrush-like, fragrant white blooms in spring and striking orange, red, and yellow foliage in fall. It is ideal for small gardens and thrives in partial shade to full sun, offering multi-season interest with minimal care.

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a bush with purple big flowers
a bush with purple big flowers

Dwarf Korean Lilac

An amazing addition to any garden, the Dwarf Korean (Syringa pubescens) Lilac dazzles with its spring bloom of fragrant, pollinator attractive, lavender-hued, pink flowers. This compact shrub, growing to a modest 1,2m to 1,5m (4-5ft), is resilient to common pests and diseases. Its ability to thrive in well-drained soil with minimal watering makes it a low-maintenance choice for busy gardeners.

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Sources

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  1. Bluebeard: How to Plant and Grow Bluebeard (bhg.com)

  2. Carissa Holly: Ilex cornuta 'Carissa' | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

  3. Low maintenance (drought tolerance): Drought Tolerance - Wikipedia

  4. Xeriscaping (Carissa Holly): 12 Xeriscape Ideas for a Modern Low-Maintenance Look - brick&batten (brickandbatten.com)

  5. Dwarf Fothergilla: Fothergilla gardenii | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

  6. Boxwood: Buxus (Box, Boxwood) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

  7. Spirea: Spiraea japonica 'Gold Mound' | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

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Calin Oancea
Calin Oancea
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Calin is in the garden industry for 5 years now and knows a lot about gardening and plants. He owns this website and responsible for most of the content.