When you think about gardens, do you tend to think ground-level? Although groundcovers, mounded flowers, and petite plantings certainly have their place, there's also lots of potential in your yard's vertical space. Envision shrubs and small trees that add height and texture to your landscape, while also blocking less desirable views and creating privacy. Sounds like a worthwhile ambition, right?
This corner garden plan features several shrubs and trees that look beautiful through all four seasons. For example, the 'Pink Spires' crabapple trees flaunt rosy pink flowers in spring, followed by tiny ornamental fruits in fall that last into winter. And while the trio of dwarf dogwoods produces small white blossoms, these compact shrubs are perhaps most beloved for the fiery color their bright red stems bring to a winter garden. Best of all, this garden requires very little pruning or other care to thrive, other than keeping the plants well-watered during their first year.
Plants for Creating the Corner of Shrubs Garden Plan
- 3 Flowering crabapple (Malus 'Pink Spires'): Zones 2-8
- 3 Dwarf dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi'): Zones 3-7
- 1 Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii 'Blue Mist'): Zones 5-8
- 1 Bird's nest spruce (Picea abies 'Nidiformis'): Zones 3-7
- 5 Periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Ralph Shugert'): Zones 4-9
If you aren't able to find the exact cultivars listed above, substitute with others that have similar colors, shapes, and sizes. And because some plants can become overly aggressive and spread unchecked in certain climates, always check which species are considered invasive in your area before planting.
Download the Free Corner of Shrubs Garden Plan
The garden plan for this design includes an illustrated version of the planted garden, a detailed diagram of the layout, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. Free, one-time registration allows unlimited access to all garden plans, available as printable PDFs.