Small Sun Shrubs Continued

Most grow as wide as they do tall and flower at some time during the growing season. Useful as foundation plantings, small hedges, or as specimen plants in small gardens. Groundcover to 3-4 feet tall are considered ‘small’.

Quince

Jet Trail Quince

Chaenomeles x superba ‘Jet Trail’

Height: 3-4′

Spread: 3-4′

A spreading, yet compact, deciduous shrub excellent for mass plantings and borders. A beautiful early blooming white flower that can be use for cutting or to attract butterflies. Small quince fruit attracts birds.

Texas Scarlet Quince

Chaenomeles japonica ‘Texas Scarlet’

Height: 3′

Spread: 5′

Beautiful spreading shrub with fiery red, apple-blossom-like flowers that precede leaves each spring. Produces greenish-yellow fruit. Best used in shrub borders and as background plant. Deciduous.

Rose

Drift Groundcover Rose

Drift Groundcover roses grow 18″ tall and 30″ wide

  • Pink Rosa ‘Meijocos’
  • Red Rosa ‘Meigalpio’
  • White Rosa x ‘Meizorland’

Flower Carpet Rose

Flower Carpet roses grow 2.5” tall and 3′ wide

  • Amber Rosa x ‘NOA97400A’
  • Appleblossom Rosa x ‘Noamel’
  • Scarlet Rosa x ‘NOA83100B’
  • White Rosa x ‘Noaschnee’
  • Yellow Rosa x ‘Noalesa’ 
  • Pink Supreme Rosa x ‘NOA168098F’
  • Coral Rosa x ‘Noala’
  • Red Rosa x ‘Noare’

Spiraea

Anthony Waterer Spirea

Spiraea x bumalda ‘Anthony Waterer’

Height: 3-5′

Spread: 3-5′

Flat-topped heads of rosy pink flowers cover this low, spreading shrub. New spring foliage is an attractive reddish purple. This more compact form requires little pruning to maintain a neat size, making it ideal in the foreground of shrub borders.

Daphne Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘Alpina’

Height: 2′

Spread: 5′

Dwarf, spreading mounds display masses of showy pink flower clusters on a bed of blue-green foliage. Excellent in mass plantings and low hedges, or as a border accent or single specimen. Good cut flowers for arrangements.

Dolchica Spirea

Spiraea x bumalda ‘Dolchica’

Height: 3′

Spread: 4′

Graceful, dwarf mounds hold showy purplish pink flower clusters, which are great for cut flowers. New growth has intriguing bronze coloring. Excellent in mass plantings or as a single specimen

Double Play series Spiraea

Known for beautiful emerging spring foliage and long-lasting blooms. Doesn’t go to seed but keeps on blooming. Little maintenance. Deer resistant. Height: 3′ Spread: 3′

  • Double Play Artisan
  • Double Play Big Bang
  • Double Play Candy Corn
  • Double Play Doozie
  • Double Play Gold
  • Double Play Red
  • Double Play Painted Lady

Goldflame Spirea

Spiraea x bumalda ‘Goldflame’

Height: 3-4′

Spread: 4-5′

A dense, upright mounded shrub with attractive bronze-tinged new growth in spring, that matures to a soft yellow-green and develops into a brilliant coppery orange in the fall. Panicles of rosy red flowers rise above the foliage in summer, creating a dynamic contrast. Excellent for brightening shrub borders. Good heat tolerance.

Lemon Princess Spirea

Spiraea x bumalda ‘Lemon Princess’

Height: 2-3′

Spread: 2-3′

Gorgeous yellow foliage and flat clusters of pretty pink summer flowers on a compact, easy-to-care-for shrub. The bright leaves hold their color longer than most, and turn pinkish red in fall color. Flowers will provide winter interest if left to age. Its knee-high size is ideal for borders and perennial beds.

Limemound Spirea

Spiraea x bumalda ‘Monhub’

Height: 3′

Spread: 4′

Bright lemon yellow foliage matures to a vivid lime green on a compact mounding form. Produces lovely panicles of soft pink blooms in summer. Brilliant fall color is provided by the orange-red foliage on red stems. Works well as a filler with green-leaved plants or for mass plantings. 

Lil’ Flirt Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘SMSJMLA’ 

Height: 2.5′

Spread: 2.5′

An exceptionally tough and compact variety with rich burgundy new foliage that offsets deep pink flowers that appear in spring, and again in summer. Tolerates full sun without burning, and adapts to urban settings with poor soils – even compacted clay. Perfect for low borders, or en masse for dramatic effect.

Little Princess Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’

Height: 3′

Spread: 6′

Dainty clusters of rose pink blooms create a pleasing contrast with the low-growing, mint green foliage. Naturally develops a tidy, compact, rounded form that fits nicely in shrub borders

Magic Carpet Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘Walbuma’

Height: 18-24″

Spread: 24″

A neat, compact, mounded shrub with vibrant red new leaves. Clusters of small pink flowers contrast with bright gold mature foliage that turns rich russet red in fall. This extraordinary combination of colors will brighten and enhance any landscape.

Mount Fuji Spirea

Spiraea thunbergii ‘Mt. Fuji’

Height: 4-5′

Spread: 4-5′

A soft looking mound of a shrub, feathery narrow leaves are strongly striped in white and suffused with hints of pink…they are preceded by frothy clusters of white flowers in spring. Easy to grow in sun to light shade in average garden conditions. Deciduous; deer resistant.

Neon Flash Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘Neon Flash’

Height: 3′

Spread: 3′

Bright neon red flowers appear over a long period and are offset by a neat mound of rich green foliage that becomes dark burgundy in fall. Creates a colorful low hedge or mass planting

Shirobana Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘Shirobana’

Height: 2-3′

Spread: 2-3′

A small deciduous shrub with bright green leaves on slender stems that are blanketed with white, pink, and red bloom clusters in the summer. The dwarf mounded form is wonderful for use as a foundation plant and in low borders.

Solar Flare Spirea

Spiraea x ‘Zelda’

Height: 2-3′

Spread: 2-3′

New leaves are orange-red, age to bright yellow with orange tips. Big clusters of pink blooms arrive in summer, repeating if spent flowers are clipped. The fall flower heads add nice winter interest if left intact. Easy care shrub for borders or perennial beds.

Tor Birchleaf Spiraea

Spiraea betulifolia ‘Tor’

Height: 3-4′ Spread: 3-4′

 Dense, compact, rounded mound. Tiny white flowers in small flattened clusters cover the foliage in late spring. Birch-like, dark green leaves are oval and sharply toothed. Foliage turns shades of orange, red and purple in autumn. Flowers are attractive to butterflies.

Yeti Spirea

Spiraea japonica ‘Conspiyet’

Height: 2-3′

Spread: 3′

This compact deciduous shrub produces a profusion of showy flower clusters densely packed with small white blooms. A self-cleaning, repeat bloomer that naturally maintains a tidy appearance throughout the season, needing only a light trim midseason to promote rebloom. The smaller, mounded form is perfect for low borders or massing in the landscape.

Viburnum

Dwarf Cranberry Bush Viburnum

Viburnum opulus ‘Nanum’

Height: 2- 2.5′

Spread: 2.5- 3′

A dwarf deciduous shrub grown for its dense mounding habit and small size. The many branches are covered with small glossy tri-lobed leaves that have a red-tinge when they emerge. A handsome hedge or filler plant with outstanding red fall foliage.

Wabi Sabi Viburnum

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘SMVPTFD’

Height: 2-3′

Spread: 3-4′

This unique version of the popular doublefile viburnum grows low and wide, making it perfect for the front of beds, planting atop walls, or lining walkways. Every branch bears large, pure white lacecap flowers, giving the whole plant a strong horizontal presence that adds elegant structure to your plantings. Like all viburnums, it is shade tolerant and deer resistant.