4'H or Less Small Shrubs

Flattened clusters of dainty white flowers sit atop a backdrop of deep blue-green leather foliage on this compact rounded evergreen shrub in mid to late spring. Moonlit® Lace Viburnum is considered to be a hybrid of V. davidii x V. tinus and offers excellent heat tolerance unlike Viburnum davidii which seems to melt in the heat and humidity of the southeastern US. Use this evergreen as part of the garden and landscape as an informal hedge, backdrop, or specimen. Item# 11563 

A 2016 Louisiana Super Plant selection! The dense neat mound of deep green glossy foliage and red tinged stems is topped by clusters of white flowers in spring which make way to red berries ripening through purple and finally black. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators and the fruit attract songbirds and smaller fructivores. Mrs. Schiller's Delight Viburnum is a selection of the southeastern native Walter's Viburnum, Viburnum obovatum, and its dense mounding habit lends it to use anywhere a small compact shrub is desired in the landscape. It is generally evergreen into zone 8A and tends to be deciduous to semi-evergreen in zones 6 and 7. Use this tough little native shrub in place of Dwarf Yaupon, Indian Hawthorne, or anywhere a small, disease resistant, low maintenance shrub is desired. Provide a full sun to part shade site in an average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor. Images shown are an example of what to expect with this cultivar but are of the common Walter's Viburnum, Viburnum obovatum. Item# 12728

The tiny dark green leaves are heavily edged in creamy white. 1/2" blooms are produced throughout spring and summer. Use as a low hedge, bonsai, or in containers. Item # 2409.

Double white flowers with a boss of yellow stamens adorn this easy to grow shrub in spring. The O Yashima Flowering Quince is a nicely compact selection with excellent flower power. Flowering Quince are easy to grow and long-lived deciduous shrubs with good drought tolerance once established. Cut stems of quince with well developed flower buds that are showing color can be brought indoors as cut flowers. Prune after flowering as Quince flower on old wood. Great for bonsai. Item# 10443.

The bright deep pink flushes of holly-like new foliage and stems slowly matures to pastel pink, yellow, and ultimately a dark green. Party Lights™ Holly Leaf Tea Olive is one of the hardiest selections of Osmanthus and produces small white fragrant flowers in fall but it is mainly grown for its outstanding foliage color in the garden and landscape and has a nice dense well-branching habit that is sure to make a statement. This is a hardy evergreen shrub that will have the densest habit and brightest colors in full to mostly sunny conditions. Provide Party Lights™ Osmanthus with an average to well-drained, fertile soil. Images courtesy of Star Roses and Plants, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12706

Small clusters of sweetly fragrant white flowers are borne in the leaf axils in fall on this tiny delicate looking evergreen shrub. Kaori Hime Holly Leaf Tea Olive ( or recently appropriately named Party Princess™ Holly Leaf Tea Olive ) is delicate looking but should be a tough and easy to grow evergreen shrub with fine textured dark green holly-like foliage that maxes out at about 1/2" long and according to Ted Stephens, who found this Japanese cultivar and introduced it to the US, should have the best cold hardiness of all of the Osmanthus species, most likely zone 6 hardy like its larger leaved parent, Osmanthus heterophyllus. This is an obvious bonsai candidate but it can also be grown as a container plant as well as in the garden in landscape as a hedge or specimen plant. Expect this very dwarf Holly Leaf Tea Olive to have a naturally upright to vase shaped habit but it can be pruned into a low hedge if so desired. Provide a well-drained average moist soil for optimum health and flowering although it is fairly adaptable to soil types. Item# 11646

Penny Mac is a 2012 Louisiana Super Plant! This repeat blooming Hydrangea produces large Mopheads of pink or blue beginning in late spring and will continue to bloom on new growth into the summer and fall. Repeat flowering varieties, like Penny Mac, will flower even after extreme cold has frozen the buds of once flowering varieties making them more suitable choices for northern regions. item# 10046.

What a surprise to any newcomer who encounters the unexpected delicious fragrance of this peppermint scented vine! Sure to be a conversation piece and a great addition to the fragrance garden. Item # 3037.

Loads of 1-1/2" wide, starry, hose in hose flowers are light pink blushed white and have a slightly darker pink blotch and flecks in early to midspring and nearly hide the dark green foliage in peak flowering. Pink Pearl Azalea, originally named Azuma Kagami in Japan and imported and renamed by E.H. Wilson as part of the 'Wilson's Fifty', is a moderately vigorous, medium sized, heirloom, Kurume evergreen azalea with a mounding habit to about 4-5'H. Its moderately vigorous habit lend this large growing evergreen azalea to use as an informal medium-sized hedge, specimen plant, and as a spring flowering backdrop for mixed perennial gardens as well as in the landscape. Azaleas do best in average moist, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter but have good to excellent drainage and should be top dressed with an organic mulch such as pine straw and pine bark. We recommend using a slow-release, non-burning fertilizer that is labeled for acidic loving plants. Azalea flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Item# 12804

Spikes of soft golden-orange upward facing funnel-shaped flowers are produced non-stop from mid to late spring to fall atop the medium green foliage attracting hummingbirds, occasional butterflies, and long-tongued bees. Pumpkin Pie Hummingbird Bush, a selection of Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii and potentially the same as the cultivar 'Bennie's Gold', is a small decidous native shrub from South Texas with excellent flower power. This easy and reliable heirloom has an upright to spreading busny habit rarely exceeding 3-4' in height (3'x3' is fairly typical in our zone 8B gardens) and it revels in the heat and sun of summer and is undaunted by the high humidity and high rainfall of the southeastern US. In the northernmost portion of its hardiness range, zones 7A-8A, the Hummingbird Bush may freeze back to near groundlevel in the hardest winters but readily returns to flowering by mid to late spring. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Small enough for containers but makes a no-maintenance addition the garden and landscape. Catepillar host for Crimson Patch. Item# 9671

2-3" perfect rose form red, purplish-red, to purple blossoms emerge in profusion in mid fall and flowering may continue well into January. Cool weather helps to produce the purple tones. Purple Haze has a tidy compact growth habit making it a good choice where space is an issue. Use this compact evergreen shrub as a low hedge or accent. Another excellent Bobby Green and Green's Nurseries introduction! Item# 10192

Extra large, reportedly to nearly 1/2" in diameter, brilliant red berries literally cover up this dwarf and compact deciduous shrub throughout much of winter and may last into spring. Red Sprite Dwarf Winterberry Holly, a.k.a 'Nana', 'Compacta, and 'Macrocarpa', is a USDA release that won the 2010 Holly of the Year Award from the Holly Society of America. This adaptable native shrub drops its foliage early to better show of its display of colorful berries. It can be used en masse to great effect, as a low informal hedge, or as a specimen plant near the front of the garden or landscape. Red Sprite is even small enough to enjoy as a medium-sized container plant. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moist acidic soil. Needs a male holly, of any species, for pollination that flowers at the same time. 'Southern Gentleman' and 'Apollo' are two males that are recommended. Item# 11887

Dense bottlebrush-like flowers composed of fragrant frilly white to cream colored flowers are produced atop the tips of the bare stems in late winter or early spring. Redneck Nation Fothergilla or Witch Alder is a moderately dense growing small to medium sized deciduous suckering native shrub with showy gray-green and bronze new growth that matures to blue-green in summer and produces fall color in shades of red, orange, and yellow. This species is new to science as of 2020! The the cultivar name is in honor of its original discovery by botanist and naturalist Fred Nation in Baldwin County, Alabama and the species name honors Dr. Ron Miller. Provide an average moist, well-drained, acidic soil in full to partly sunny location for optimum vigor and flowering. Redneck Nation Fothergilla can be used as a low growing and low maintenance informal hedge or as a specimen plant in the garden and landscape as well as in naturalistic settings. Flowers will be similar to those shown although this is an image of Mt. Airy Fothergilla. Item# 12165

Yes it fruits but it's fine textured evergreen foliage is fantastic! The bright pink new growth of spring matures to a dusty blue-green with hints of pink in summer, followed by deep purplish-blue in fall which deepens through winter. Clusters of 3/8" edible blue fruit that ripen in May-June, follow the light pink bell-shaped flowers of early spring. Rosa's Blush is grown mainly for its compact habit and beautifully colored, fine textured, ever-changing foliage as the berries ripen a few at the time over a long period. Pick the blue-black fruit once fully soft for the best flavor and like most blueberries a cross pollinator is required for the best fruit set. Item# 9206.

A compact hydrangea sporting large flower heads of rich purple to shades of magenta florets depending on soil ph. Royal Purple Big Leaf Hydrangea is still considered to be one of the darkest colored varieties around. It's compact habit lends it to confined spaces, smaller gardens and even container culture. Provide a humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil and grow it where it gets mid-day shade. Item# 629

The dense medium-sized rounded mopheads to nearly 8" across are composed of rosy pink (in alkaline soils), purple (neutral soils), to deep blue (acidic soils) double sterile florets are produced beginning in late spring to early summer and continuing into fall. Ruby Blossom Bigleaf Hydrangea is a breakthrough in breeding resulting in this double, repeat flowering mophead Hydrangea with exceptional flower power! This deciduous shrub has a naturally compact rounded habit with deep green glossy foliage. The ability to flower on new wood versus old wood ensures that even in the hardest winters this new Hydrangea will still flower in the garden and landscape whereas some of the older Hydrangeas may freeze to the ground and not flower. This is a compact and densly branching deciduous shrub that grows to about as wide as high. As with other Bigleaf Hydrangeas provide a moist, well-drained soil in an area that receives morning sun and shade during the hottest portion of the day. Images courtesy of Star® Roses and Plants, all rights reserved. Item# 12454

A 2020 Missouri Botanic Gardens Plant of Merit selection! A US National Arboretum introduction, Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea is designed to have a compact rounded form but with plenty of flower power producing loads of large, uniform elongated clusters of flowers that start out white, change to pink, and ultimately to a deep rosy pink. The beautiful velvety Oak-leaf like foliage is a rich medium green but deepens to purples and reds in fall. Images courtesy of the US National Arboretum website. Item# 10528.

Spikes of deep red upward facing funnel-shaped flowers are produced non-stop from mid to late spring to fall atop the rich glossy deep green foliage attracting hummingbirds, occasional butterflies, and long-tongued bees. San Antonio Red Hummingbird Bush, a selection of Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, is a small decidous native shrub from South Texas with excellent flower power. This easy and reliable heirloom has an upright to spreading busny habit rarely exceeding 3-4' in height (3'x3' is fairly typical in our zone 8B gardens) and it revels in the heat and sun of summer and is undaunted by the high humidity and high rainfall of the southeastern US. In the northernmost portion of its hardiness range, zones 7A-8A, the Hummingbird Bush may freeze back to near groundlevel in the hardest winters but readily returns to flowering by mid to late spring. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Small and tough enough for container culture but it also makes a low-maintenance addition the garden and landscape. Caterpillar host: Crimson Patch Item# 10034

Just when you thought you had seen it all and then you encounter this rare form of Confederate Jasmine with its decidedly pink flowers and wonderful fragrance are produced over an extended period in spring! The rich dark green glossy foliage provides the perfect foil for the flowers and its evergreen too! A popular, and durable vine with a twining habit that is able to climb our southern pine species without any assistance. Requires minimal care once established. Item# 3038

Large deep red bottlebrush-like flowers are produced at the ends of the arching stems in spring and sporadically through summer on large established plants. Semmes' Hardy Bottlebrush was selected as much for its cold hardiness (large well-established plants have increased cold hardiness over young tender plants) as for its habit and flowering potential. Bronze tinged new growth follows the flush of spring flowers that are sure to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other garden beneficials. Semmes' Hardy Bottlebrush has a naturally compact and rounded 4-5' x 4-5' habit with somewhat arching evergreen branches. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11886

In spring, tiny greenish-white flowers are produced in the leaf axils attracting a variety of bees and those that are pollinated will produce large 3/8" diameter shiny black berries. Beyond its value to wildlife, the Shamrock Dwarf Inkberry Holly, a selection of Ilex glabra, was selected for its compact 3-4' size, its adaptability to a variety of soil and sun conditions, and for the fact that it suckers less than the species. Its main requirement is acidic soils ranging from average moist to wet. Inkberry Holly is native to all states along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moist soil for optimum vigor and the densest growth habit. Caterpillar host: Holly Blue. Item# 13287