Nonflowering Shrubs

Boxwoods are nonflowering shrubs great for borders.

Boxwoods are nonflowering shrubs great for borders.

Gardeners use shrubs for a variety of decorative and practical purposes. Shrubs with no blossoms or insignificant flowers can provide order, shape and structure to a landscape. Some nonflowering shrubs with colorful leaves also provide an ornamental touch to lawns. Many attractive and useful nonflowering shrubs thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 8, 9 or 10.

Colorful Shrubs

While nonflowering shrubs do not produce attractive blooms, some have brilliantly colored foliage that makes them stand out in gardens. The burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is a shrub that produces brilliant red foliage during the fall when its green leaves change colors. Cultivars include “Fire Ball,” “Compactus” and “Rudy Haag.” They grow between 4 to 10 feet tall depending on the cultivar. Cultivars of smokebushes (Cotinus coggygria) with colored foliage include “Golden Spirit,” with gold leaves that turn red and orange during the fall, and “Velvet Cloak,” which has purple foliage. “Golden Spirit” grows up to 10 feet tall in USDA plant hardiness zone 8. “Velvet Cloak” grows up to 15 feet tall in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 and 9.

Container Shrubs

Some gardeners grow shrubs in containers so they can move them around patios or grow them on rooftops. Cultivars of boxwood (Buxus) for USDA plant hardiness zones 8 that grow well in containers maintain their color for most of the year and may bronze during the winter. These cultivars and hybrids include “Glencoe,” which grows up to 3 feet tall, “Green Gem,” which reaches 2 feet, and the “Green Velvet,” which grows up to 4 feet tall in a rounded shape. The variegated tapioca (Manihot esculenta “Variegata”) is a shrub with showy foliage with a yellow stripe down the middle of its palmate leaves. It grows up to 4 feet tall in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 to 11. The blue Pfitzer juniper (Juniperus x pfitzeriana “Glauca”) is a fast-growing small evergreen shrub easily shaped for topiaries. It grows up to 8 feet tall in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 and 9.

Windscreen and Privacy Shrubs

Many shrubs that provide privacy and a barrier to the wind grow in Mediterranean climates. Taller varieties of boxwoods have a long history as decorative hedges and privacy screens because of their dense, green foliage. The common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) grows up to 15 feet tall in USDA plant hardiness zone 8. When planted shoulder-to-shoulder, tall junipers (Cupressaceae) provide privacy. The columnar shape of the shrubs also make a great windscreen. The “Prairie Pillar” grows up to 15 feet tall and fares well in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 and 9. Arborvitae (Thuja) are evergreen shrubs with thick foliage. The dark American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis “Nigra”) grows up to 25 feet tall in USDA plant hardiness zone 8.

Low-growing Shrubs

Gardeners use low-growing, nonflowering shrubs to line paths and driveways. Small cultivars of boxwood like the “Winter Gem” make great borders and are easy to shape for formal gardens. Its intense green color provides great contrast with brightly colored flowers. The Juniperus communis “Compressa” is a dwarf juniper that only grows up to 2 feet tall making it useful for low borders. The spreading Japanese plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia “Prostrata”) is a dark green short shrub that reaches 3 feet tall. It has needle-like foliage.

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