Looking for the best small plants for landscaping? Here are some ideas that will have your yard looking good from the ground up.
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10 Small Plants for Landscaping
Short plants are essential to landscaping in small yards and large estates alike. Outdoor living spaces benefit from variety. Tall and short plants work together to create an interesting landscape design. Short- and medium-sized flora make up some of the best small plants for landscaping. They add color and dimension and offer a way to create separation in certain areas of your yard.
“When buying small plants for landscaping, prioritize those with healthy, green foliage and robust root systems,” says Scott McLeod, the owner of McLeod Landscaping Inc. “Avoid any plants showing signs of disease, such as yellowing leaves or root rot. Native plants like the New England Aster and Bee Balm are ideal for Massachusetts, as they are adapted to the local climate and soil, which minimizes maintenance needs.”
Ready to get started? Ahead, see our guide to the best small plants for landscaping.
Hostas
Hostas are one of the most widely used small landscaping plants due to their unique shape and broad range of colors. Some types of hosta are a bright yellow-green, while some have a rich blue hue and others contrasting variegation.
Growing hostas is really easy; they don’t need much sun or watering. The Bressingham blue hosta sprouts white flowers in late summer.
Height: 28 inches.
Celosia
These small decorative plants add pops of color and texture to your garden. Dragon’s breath celosia (pictured) grows a bit taller than other celosia varieties, but both options are less than three feet high. Their bright flowers grow in unusual spiky plumes.
Height: 15 to 24 inches.
Lily of the Valley
Lily of the valley is a delicate, flowering ground cover plant. This low-growing shade plant sports tiny, bell-shaped flowers with a lovely aroma. It spreads quickly to fill bare patches at the base of tall landscaping plants. Plant them beneath lilac bushes to fill your yard with the scents of spring.
Height: 12 inches.
Sedum
Some of the best small decorative plants are sedum. Lemon coral sedum grows three to 10 inches tall, while dragon’s blood sedum (pictured) is even shorter at just three to four inches. Sedum plants grow in many colors and patterns. These gorgeous small plants for landscaping are among the succulents that provide excellent ground cover.
Height: Three to 10 inches.
Korean Boxwood
Korean boxwood is a compact evergreen shrub and one of the best medium-sized plants for landscaping. This green beauty is easy to prune, so it’s often sheared into a hedge or shaped into spherical mounds. This tough shrub is an ideal choice for driveway landscaping.
Height: Two to three feet.
Daylily
Here’s another medium-sized flowering plant. Daylilies feature lengthy, slender leaves and vibrant, long-stemmed flowers. These Stella de Oro daylilies are a cheerful yellow, but there are varieties in other colors, too. This foot-tall perennial flower is popular all over the U.S. and looks at home in flower beds and borders.
Height: 12 inches.
Coral bells
Dolce wildberry coral bells is a stunning shade of purple. Its glossy, scalloped leaves provide texture and color. Coral bells sprout delicate white flowers in the summer. This is one of the best small plants for landscaping in shaded areas.
Height: 10 to 14 inches.
Blue Rug Juniper
Blue rug juniper features distinctive turquoise foliage that beautifully accents purple and green plants, such as coral bells and hostas. In the fall, it stands out against red and gold foliage. Although blue rug juniper is a shrub, it’s one of the shortest plants on this list. It’s even short enough to work as a ground cover.
Height: Six inches.
Coleus
Coleus has some of the prettiest leaves. Deep burgundies, fiery reds, soft pinks and electric greens all appear in this plant family. The chocolate drop coleus has small green leaves with burgundy centers and veins. This variety of coleus has an attractive trailing pattern that works well in garden beds and containers.
Height: 14 to 18 inches.
Hyacinth
This spring-blooming bulb has large flower heads of small, pink florets. Hyacinth doesn’t bloom for long, but it’s a major crowd-pleaser while it does. These small decorative plants are incredibly fragrant, which makes them an excellent addition to indoor bouquets.
Height: Eight to 12 inches.
What to Look for When Buying Small Plants for Landscaping
When shopping for smaller plants, look for lively, healthy leaves free of wilting, discoloration and pests. “The soil should be moist, but the plant shouldn’t be waterlogged,” explains Matthew Wilson, a gardening expert, pest controller and CEO of handygardeners.com. “The roots should look large and far-reaching, not coiled around the bottom of the container. Also, purchase plants that will do well in your particular growing environment—whether that is indoors, outdoors, in full sun or shady.”
Why You Should Trust Us
Mikayla Borchert is an assistant editor for Family Handyman. She has extensive knowledge covering indoor and outdoor gardening, organization and décor. Outside of work, she likes running, skiing, hiking and tending to her balcony garden.
Scott McLeod owns McLeod Landscaping. For over 30 years, McLeod Landscaping has delivered top-quality, creative, cost-effective and dependable landscaping solutions to residential and commercial clients. Scott and his team are committed to providing their clients the best possible outdoor spaces, offering services such as landscape design, hardscaping and property maintenance. Additionally, McLeod Landscaping provides commercial snow plowing services in the Merrimack Valley, utilizing their extensive experience in snow and ice management.
Matthew Wilson is a gardening expert, pest controller and CEO of handygardeners.com. Wilson has years of experience in creating sustainable and beautiful gardens.
How We Found the Best Small Plants for Landscaping
To find the best small plants for landscaping, our team started with the basics and did our research. We compiled a list of the best small plants that are easy to add to your outdoor space. From there, we spoke with industry experts who shared what makes the best small plants for your yard and also helped educate us on proper care for the plants.
FAQs
What are the best small plants for outdoors?
Experts say to look for dwarf shrubs like boxwood or dwarf Alberta spruce. Also consider dwarf perennials such as dwarf asters, creeping phlox, or dwarf daylilies, groundcovers like creeping thyme, Irish moss or creeping Jenny succulents such as hens and chicks, sedum and sempervivum, and herbs like lavender, rosemary and thyme.
What are the best low maintenance border plants?
Wilson says, “One of the best low-maintenance landscaping bushes is the Dwarf Korean Lilac. A compact deciduous shrub, it has fragrant pale pink flowers in spring and is extremely hardy and disease-resistant, needing very little pruning—just perfect for a fuss-free landscape.”
What is the best low maintenance landscaping bush?
“For low-maintenance border plants, consider Boxwood for its evergreen foliage and minimal upkeep,” McLeod says. “Ornamental grasses like Blue Fescue also add texture and require little care. If you’re looking for a low-maintenance landscaping bush, the Dwarf Alberta Spruce is a reliable choice due to its slow growth and resilient nature.”
