Fast-Growing Shrubs

18

to Plant This Fall

This forgiving variety grows like a shrub and takes the guesswork out of rose care.

1. Knock Out Roses  (Rosa hybrida)

Laurel can be grown as a single landscaping accent or in a group to form a thick fast-growing hedge. It can also be pruned into a beautiful topiary.

2. Laurel (Laurus nobilis)

It quickly grows to heights of 10 to 15 feet, and blooms with white fragrant flowers from late spring to late summer.

3. Privet (Ligustrum lucidum)

It’s quite low maintenance, but you should be on the lookout for spider mites which sometimes appear on stressed plants.

4. Burning Bush  (Euonymus alatus)

Its dense vegetation is well suited as a privacy hedge—the shrub fills out quickly, growing up to 2 feet per year.

5. Firethorn  (Pyracantha koidzumii)

This hardy drought-tolerant shrub attracts small mammals and pollinators, and it’s highly resistant to tampering from deer.

6. Red Twig Dogwood  (Cornus sericea)

During the winter to early spring, you’ll enjoy a colorful display of pale pink buds, which bloom into fragrant white flower clusters until the end of spring.

7. Laurustine (Viburnum tinus)

This low-maintenance shrub is equally attractive as a colorful landscape accent or, given that it can reach a height of 10 feet, when grown as a hedge.

8. Forsythia (Forsythia)

Although their showstopping blooms might look high maintenance, Snowball hydrangeas are relatively easy to grow and resistant to pests and diseases.

9. Snowball Hydrangea  (Hydrangea macrophylla)

They’re an artificial hybrid shrub that’s a cross between Spirea trilobata and Spirea cantoniensis.

10. Spirea Renaissance  (Spiraea x vanhouttei)

These shrubs thrive in moist soils, so they’re an asset in yards with poor drainage.

11. Pussy Willow  (Salix discolor)

Hummingbirds and butterflies often flock to this fast-growing shrub’s blooms.

12. Elderberry  (Sambucus canadensis)

When in full bloom in the spring and summer, the plant displays showy white flowers that smell heavenly, making it ideal for planting along patios and other areas where you can regularly enjoy its fragrance.

13. Mock orange  (Philadelphus coronarius)

The fast-growing evergreen shrub boasts beautiful flowers that come in lavender, cream, magenta, and white, making for a stunning outdoor accent.

14. Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

These berries are beautiful and edible, and while they don’t have a very strong flavor, some gardeners make jam out of the berries.

15. Beautyberry  (Callicarpa americana)

The flowers are highly fragrant, with an attractive aroma that will travel throughout the yard while attracting bumblebees.

16. Honeyberry  (Lonicera caerulea)

The showy flowers also come in cream, purple, and burgundy hues.

17. Pink Mulhy Grass  (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Ninebark is a spreading, fast-growing shrub, which makes it ideal for ground cover, borders and informal hedges.

18. Ninebark  (Physocarpus opulifolius)

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