As the saying goes, backyard guests are always best, and your landscape should welcome them back time and time again. Low-maintenance shrubs in the backyard are the perfect way to show off your landscaping expertise. Friends and family will never have guessed that your backyard shrubs are so easy to keep and maintain. Choosing the right low-maintenance shrubs for your outdoor landscaping requires some research and evaluation. A brief overview of several backyard shrubs will help you create an outdoor environment that is alive and well.
As you choose low-maintenance shrubs for your outdoor design, it is important to consider a few critical factors like the direction your house faces, your climate zone, and your annual rainfall. It is imperative that you choose backyard shrubs that are suitable to the specific details and features of your landscaping design.
#1 Forsythia Shrub
If you are looking for a backyard shrub that blooms early in the season, then Forsythia is the one for you. With its vast array of bright yellow blooms, you will notice that most of this shrub’s branches are covered in color. As a low-maintenance backyard addition, you will find Forsythia to be fast growing and hearty. The Forsythia backyard shrub thrives in full sun and partial shade, and is extremely tolerant of most soil conditions. Due to the Forsythia shrub’s previous season growth, it is important to prune the bush shortly after blooming occurs. For a stunning backyard addition to your landscape, keep Forsythia as a strong possibility.
#2 Lilac Shrub
When you first consider adding low-maintenance Lilac to your backyard design, remember that it comes in more colors that light purple. Lilacs come in a wide variety of colors including pink, yellow, white, red, blue, and of course several shades of purple. Due to its easy upkeep, Lilacs tend to enjoy full sun mixed with a slight bit of shade. For the best results with the Lilac shrub, well-drained soil tends to be a key element. Additionally, they thrive in moderate weather conditions and only require minimal pruning after the flowering season is over. Severe frost during the winter months even allows Lilacs to thrive thus making it one of the heartiest and most weather tolerant varieties.
Due to the small stature of the Evergreen Bonsai Dwarf, you can plant it in pots or containers and place it directly in your garden or on your patio. If you prefer to plant it in the ground, it is also a wonderful low-maintenance backyard shrub. Its small size and flowering branches make it a stunning backyard landscaping addition. This particular evergreen shrub variation has been cultivated to mature at around two to three feet in height, so you don’t have to worry about excess growth. In addition, the Evergreen Bonsai Dwarf tends to do best in outdoor areas that get some shade, but a bit of direct sunlight is necessary for health and minimal growth. Its well-rounded personality makes it a good choice for a backyard landscape design.
#4 Blue Nest Spruce
The Blue Nest Spruce is a slow growing, dwarf size evergreen shrub that has blue and green foliage. If you have a backyard rock garden that facilitates your landscape design, a Blue Nest Spruce will thrive in those surroundings. Due to its magnificent color, hearty design, and low-maintenance qualities, the Blue Nest Spruce will add an eye-popping element to your landscape. This dwarf variety hosts an attractive globe of richly colored needles and requires minimal watering, fertilizing, and pruning. Due to its backyard versatility, it is also a fantastic addition to a shrub border. The Blue Nest Spruce shrub enjoys a sunny habitat with well-drained soil for maximum growth.
As you research low-maintenance backyard shrubs, don’t forget the famous Butterfly Bush. Its grand fragrant flowers are well known for attracting both hummingbirds and butterflies alike. These gorgeous blossoms come in a variety of colors including red, purple, white and pink and host a vivid orange colored center. With their low-maintenance qualities, the Butterfly Bush begins to bloom midsummer and continues to blossom all the way into the midst of fall. This beautiful shrub requires full sun exposure but is not particular when it comes to soil and moisture conditions. A small amount of pruning is beneficial and helps increase the growth cycle and the appearance of new blooms. For a low-maintenance backyard charmer, the Butterfly Bush is a good pick.
If you love a backyard shrub that produces fruit, then you’ll love the Dwarf Key Lime variety. Its compact size makes it a great addition to just about any outdoor landscaping design. The Dwarf Key Lime shrub can be planted directly into the soil, or it can be planted in a pot depending on your specific needs. The glossy leaves and fragrant white flowers make it a sight for sore eyes. The dwarf variety reaches around eight feet in height and looks a bit like a typical topiary. Lime fruit is produced shortly after the white blooms fall off the tree. Due to its low-maintenance qualities, the Dwarf Key Lime shrub does well in most backyard landscaping designs. It is a bit sensitive to extremely cold temperatures, but fares well in most climate zones.
#7 Rose of Sharon Hibiscus
The Rose of Sharon has one of the longest bloom periods of all the low-maintenance shrubs. Its blooming season runs from early summer until late in the fall. Once again, this shrub offers a plentiful variety of colors including blue, pink, white, and red. Although the Rose of Sharon does typically benefit from some moderate pruning, it certainly does not require it. That makes this shrub one of the lowest maintenance backyard shrub options available. With its versatility and flexibility, you can plant it in full sun or in partially shaded areas. Unsurprisingly, the Rose of Sharon is extremely tolerant of heat, sun exposure, and humidity, so soil factors and moisture variations are not a major concern.
In summary, low-maintenance backyard shrubs provide gorgeous visual appeal for any landscaping design. Their hearty characteristics combined with their versatile attributes make these shrubs a winner for the backyard. Since your backyard guests are the best, you want to create an environment that is healthy, attractive, and ethereal. The natural beauty of backyard shrubs makes this a real possibility.
