Shopping for a new home or sprucing up the one you have? Take a closer look at those older homes in established neighborhoods. Notice anything? Many have big, overgrown shrubs and tired-looking plants that make them look dated.
Updating an older landscape is one of the fastest ways to give your home a facelift. Just like fashion or interior design, landscaping trends evolve, too. The "foundation shrub wall" look of decades past has been replaced with colorful, layered designs filled with ornamental grasses, flowering shrubs, and long-blooming perennials. If pruning cannot fix those old shrubs, it might be time to start fresh with smaller, modern plants that keep their shape naturally.
- Why Small Plants Make a Big Impact
- Modern Shrubs That Steal the Show
- Compact Perennials, Grasses, and Edibles
- Refresh What You Already Have
- Design Smarter, Not Harder
Why Small Plants Make a Big Impact
Today’s plant breeders focus on creating dwarf, compact, and reblooming plants that pack all the beauty of larger varieties without the constant trimming. These new selections stay tidy, add color from spring through fall, and require less maintenance, perfect for busy gardeners or anyone paying for professional landscape care.
- Less pruning: Smaller plants naturally stay in scale with your house.
- Longer bloom times: Many new cultivars rebloom throughout the season.
- Lower maintenance costs: Fewer trims mean more savings.
- Smarter design options: Mix flowering shrubs with perennials and ornamental grasses for dynamic texture and color.
Modern Shrubs That Steal the Show
Hydrangeas are leading the charge with extended and reblooming varieties. Favorites like Invincibelle Wee White and Invincibelle Limetta burst with flowers all season long. Try compact Hydrangeas from the Let’s Dance®, Tuff Stuff®, Endless Summer®, or Forever & Ever® series, all designed for vibrant, continuous color that even adds winter appeal, perfect for winter gardens.
Azaleas have gotten a serious upgrade, too. The Bloom-A-Thon® and Encore® series deliver wave after wave of blooms from spring through fall, all in manageable, landscape-friendly sizes. These reblooming Rhododendrons light up the garden with color that just keeps coming!
And don’t forget Weigela, one of the best reblooming shrubs for summer color. Newer dwarf selections like My Monet® and Spilled Wine® combine showy flowers with dramatic foliage, adding both texture and flair from late spring through fall. Smaller size, longer bloom, and better leaf color? That’s a win all around.
Compact Perennials, Grasses, and Edibles
Modern plant breeding isn’t stopping with shrubs. Perennials and ornamental grasses are being designed with smaller footprints but just as much punch. Sterile varieties that don’t reseed are especially popular since they focus all their energy on blooming instead of spreading. The result is massive flower displays and no invasive worries!
Edibles are now a staple in the modern landscape!
- Dwarf Blueberry bushes and Aronia shrubs offer beautiful flowers, tasty fruit, and fiery fall color.
- Compact Raspberry bushes, Goji berries, Honeyberries, and even Grapevines are being used in edible landscaping as decorative borders and mixed garden beds.
Functional, beautiful, and delicious, it’s the best of all worlds!
Refresh What You Already Have
Not ready to start from scratch? You can still give your landscape a major upgrade without removing every plant. The key is to work smarter with what’s already there! Many older shrubs can be brought back to life with renewal pruning to remove old wood and encourage fresh, vigorous growth. Thinning out overgrown plants improves air circulation, shape, and flowering potential.
- Consider replacing just a few of the most tired or oversized shrubs with smaller, colorful selections to modernize the look instantly.
- Adding new perennials and ornamental grasses in between existing shrubs creates layers of texture and season-long color.
- You can also define beds with easy-care edging plants for a fresh look.
- A fresh layer of arborist mulch gives a neat, finished appearance that retains moisture and reduces weeds.
Even simple upgrades, like extending planting beds, adding curved borders, or introducing accent plants, can transform your landscape from outdated to eye-catching without a complete overhaul.
Design Smarter, Not Harder
Small plants with big color, long bloom times, and minimal upkeep are redefining how we garden today. It’s time to say goodbye to oversized shrubs and hello to a vibrant, low-maintenance landscape that makes your home look fresh and modern year-round.
Find all the latest dwarf and reblooming shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses at Nature Hills Nursery, your one-stop shop for plants that fit today’s lifestyle.
Happy Planting!
