The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Small, low-growing evergreen shrubs are ideal in any landscape.
What is considered a dwarf in one species may be much taller in another.
Mountain laurel grows quite large; for small spaces, consider the dwarf variety ‘Minuet’.
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
It grows slowly and may take up to 10 years to reach two feet in height.
This is a low-maintenance plant that seldom needs pruning to maintain its mophead shape.
The small size makes it an excellent choice for a patio planting or low hedge.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
These evergreen azaleas are compact and known for their hardiness as well as their small, magenta flowers.
Popular in the United Kingdom, these azaleas may be difficult to find in the United States.
It is a slow grower, though, adding only about two to four inches per year.
The Spruce / K. Dave
It maintains its conical shape as it grows and prefers well-drained, neutral soils in full sun.
Best suited for cold winters, cooler summers, and low humidity.
The easy-to-transplant evergreen prefers clay soils, making it perfect for urban environments.
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‘Compacta’ works well in mass plantings, borders, and foundation beds.
It is attractive to bees who pollinate the plant.
It is a broadleaf evergreen with greenish bark, leathery green leaves, fragrant flowers, and red berries.
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One of the few shrubs that love shade, it works well for foundation plantings and borders.
It blooms in the winter and its flowers last up to six months.
Emerald ‘n’ Gold Wintercreeper
Emerald ‘n’ Gold wintercreeper has bi-colored gold and green leaves.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The gold color gets brighter with sun exposure, but this shrub does well in partial shade.
It spreads well and works as a groundcover, low hedge, and will even climb on a trellis.
Moonshadow Wintercreeper
The ‘Moonshadow’ wintercreeper also has a green-and-goldpattern of variegation.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
‘Moonshadow’ grows well as a container plant, since its spreading stems create a lush, cascading effect.
Emerald Gaiety Wintercreeper
‘Emerald Gaiety’ wintercreeper is a slow-growing bushy shrub.
It has small leaves, inconspicuous, greenish-white flowers, red berries, and good fall color.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
If grown in partial shade, the leaves will be significantly variegated.
The plant also can be trained to grow as a vine.
Provide support, such as a trellis or mailbox post, and the branches will wind their way up.
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Its tall panicle of white bell-shaped flowers blooms in late spring to early summer.
The plant is useful for a dry area of the garden where other plants might not grow.
If you like golden foliage, chose ‘Garlands Gold’ or ‘Golden Sword.’
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Most dwarf evergreen shrubs top out around three to four feet with a similar spread.
Most dwarf evergreen trees only reach a height of about six feet.
Since every growing location is different, there is no single “best” choice for alow-maintenance shrub.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
However, boxwoods, azaleas, laurels, and euonymus are all very reliable options.
Many low-maintenance dwarf shrubs require little care and tolerate less-than-ideal conditions.
Boxwoods, azaleas, yew, and compact hollies are all evergreen shrubs with shallow root systems.
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
