How to Choose the Best Shrubs for Your Landscape

Key Takeaways

• Shrubs provide essential structure, privacy, and visual appeal to landscapes.
• Drought-tolerant shrubs are best for low-maintenance landscaping.
• When learning how to choose shrubs for the front of your house, your landscaping goals, sunlight conditions, soil type, and hardiness zone are important considerations.

Choosing the best shrubs for landscaping is about more than choosing the most attractive plants at the garden center. Select the wrong ‘pretty’ ones, and you could end up with root rot and overcrowding. But select the right plants for you, and achieve year-round structure and interest, from spring blooms to fall foliage. 

So, how do you choose small shrubs for the front of the house? It’s all about matching the plant to your garden or landscape conditions.

How to Choose Shrubs for the Front of Your House 

A thoughtfully planned landscape begins with garden shrubs that match your local climate, soil, and sunlight conditions. 

Determine Your Landscaping Goals

Your neighbor’s best shrubs may not be yours. Determining your unique goals will lead you to the best shrubs for your landscaping design.

• Do you want privacy and screening? Unlike deciduous plants that drop their leaves in winter, evergreen shrubs keep their dense leaves all year round, perfect for privacy.
• Do you want foundation framing? Classic boxwood shrubs and compact holly shrubs are perfect for softening the corners and base of your home.
• Do you want seasonal color and visual interest? Garden Design notes that hydrangeas, lilacs, and azaleas are among the best flowering shrubs for adding vibrant color to your landscape. Some types, like bigleaf hydrangeas, even have color-changing abilities!

Match Your Shrubs to Your Hardiness Zone

Whether large or small, shrubs for the front of your house should match your USDA Hardiness Zone. This ensures they’ll survive the winter cold and provide long-term growth. 

You can check your zone by entering your ZIP Code into our Hardiness Zone Map.

Evaluate Your Sunlight Conditions

Your best shrubs for landscaping are the ones that align with the hours of sun your planting area gets. Note which areas get full sun (6+ hours of direct light), part shade (3-6 hours of sun), or full shade (under 3 hours of sun).

The right light placement ensures strong growth and vibrant blooms. Keep in mind flowering shrubs often need intense sun exposure to set buds and produce those colorful blooms gardeners love.

Soil Type Tells You Which Shrubs Will Thrive in Your Landscape

When learning how to choose shrubs for the front of the house, many gardeners forget about soil type. We get it. It probably seems less important compared to, say, sunlight conditions or aesthetics. But just like sunlight, it’s one of the main factors that determines whether your shrubs will succeed or struggle.

Generally:

• Sandy soil is grainy and dries fast. Butterfly bush thrives in this fast-draining soil while attracting pollinators.
• Loam soil is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay. It drains well while holding moisture. Most shrubs work well in loam soil, from dogwood to spirea.
• Clay soil features tiny particles, is sticky and smooth when wet, and holds water like a sponge. Aronia is one of the best shrubs for landscaping in clay soil, as it can handle both sopping wet clay and baked clay. 
• Diervilla, Dogwood, Elderberry, Quince, Rose of Sharon, and Smooth hydrangea can also be good options, depending on the site’s drainage and moisture conditions.

How to Determine Your Soil Type

You can figure out your soil with a simple at-home test. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the soil type test involves taking a handful of moist soil and squeezing it firmly in your hand. 

If it holds its shape but crumbles with a light poke → loamy soil

If it falls apart when you open your hand → sandy soil

If it holds its shape and doesn’t respond to being poked → clay soil

Choose a Shrub Based on its Mature Size

Pay attention to shrubs’ mature size, especially if you’re shopping in person at a garden center like Garden Crossings. Because that small shrub you bought for the front of your house? It could grow to be over 6 feet wide or tall! 

Check the full-grown height and width to make sure your shrubs won’t outgrow their area or block your windows. 

• Tall shrubs like arborvitae shrubs are best for privacy landscaping and borders.
• Medium shrubs like hydrangeas and boxwoods work best as middle layers of foundational plantings and defining screens.
• Compact varieties like Pugster Pico Punch™ butterfly bush are great around home foundations.

Consider Maintenance Before Planting

Not big on upkeep? Low-care, drought-tolerant shrubs are best for low-maintenance landscaping. They allow you to enjoy the beauty of these plants while spending less time watering and shearing your shrubs.

Butterfly bushes are drought-tolerant once established. They handle dry weather well and only need more water during long, hot dry spells.

Create Your Perfect Landscape

You know how to choose shrubs for the front of your house. Now, it’s time to apply that knowledge to your landscape! Consider your goals and growing conditions to select your perfect plant. 

And of course, you can’t forget about color and style. While there aren’t any rules, we suggest paying attention to the foliage, flowers, and fall/winter color to create a thoughtful, cohesive landscape design. 

Need more help selecting the best shrubs for your landscaping goals? Learn more from our gardening experts.

FAQs

How to choose shrubs for landscaping?

The best shrubs for landscaping match your planting area’s sun exposure, your growing zone, and your soil conditions. These factors ensure growth and resilience during winter. You should also choose shrubs based on your landscaping needs, whether it’s more privacy or seasonal color.

What shrubs should I plant in front of my house?

Hydrangeas and azaleas are top picks for front-yard curb appeal, thanks to their eye-catching blooms and color. Weigela and compact butterfly bush are other flowering options to consider. For year-round structure, evergreen shrubs like boxwood, Gem Box®, and compact Thuja offer great backbone, privacy, and consistent color even in winter. Pair a flowering variety with an evergreen for the best of both.

How to choose shrubs for your garden?

Start by measuring your shrub's mature size so it won't overcrowd nearby plants as it grows. From there, assess your maintenance level: some shrubs need regular pruning and feeding, while others are largely hands-off once established. Match the shrub's needs to how much time you actually want to spend on upkeep.