If you've ever looked at a beautiful hedge or foundation planting and thought, "Something's missing at the bottom", you're not alone! Got a bare base beneath older shrubs and that stark trunk of a tree? That's where facer plants come in!
Facer plants are low-growing stars that sit at the feet of taller plants, filling in leggy gaps, grounding the design, and adding color, texture, and polish to your garden display. In landscape design, facer plants are the gentle transition between the vertical mass of shrubs and the ground below.
Whether used in front of evergreens, layered under flowering shrubs, or planted along the base of a porch or walkway, they soften edges and make your landscape look more intentional and less like it's floating in space or standing starkly out from the ground. They also help suppress weeds, keep roots shaded, and create a cohesive visual flow.
Below are our Top 10 Facer Shrubs from NatureHills.com that hold up beautifully in the front row, plus a quick list of perennial facers to sprinkle in for seasonal flair!
Why Use Facer Plants?
- Hide "bare legs" of taller shrubs or trees: Fill in unsightly gaps at the base where foliage has thinned or lifted
- Create smooth visual transitions: Soften the contrast between vertical plants and bare ground or mulch
- Add depth and layering to garden beds: Build a more dynamic, tiered planting layout with dimension and flow
- Polish foundation plantings and improve curb appeal: Tie your home to the landscape and boost its beauty from the street
- Suppress weeds and retain soil moisture: Shade the soil surface to reduce weed growth and watering needs
- Extend seasonal color and texture: Go beyond annuals and use flowering or evergreen shrub varieties to provide year-round visual interest.
- Provide habitat and nectar for pollinators: Attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects with nectar-rich blooms
- Protect tree trunks from mower and trimmer damage: Create a safe, planted buffer zone that prevents injury and soil compaction around a tree's drip line
- Frame walkways, patios, and borders naturally: Define outdoor spaces and guide the eye with tidy, low-growing structure
- Many plants act as companion plants that deter pests with their aromatic foliage or thorny branches.
Top 10 Facer Shrub Plants
These shrubs stay low, grow wide, and look good doing it. They bring shape, color, texture, and softness to the base of taller plantings!
1. Wee Willie® Korean Boxwood (Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Wee Willie')
Tidy, tough, and timeless, this low Boxwood holds its form beautifully.
- 12-24 inches tall, natural mound shape
- Glossy green foliage that holds color year-round
- Cold-hardy, deer-resistant, and sun or shade adaptable
- Perfect for edging, front borders, or under windows
2. Low Scape Mound® Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa 'UCONNAM165')
A native shrub that adds multi-season beauty in a compact size. Plus, enjoy showy flowers and healthy fruit for you or your birds!
- 12-24 inches tall and wide
- White spring flowers, flavorful dark berries in summer, fire-red fall color
- Great for native gardens or under leggy hedges. Great for edible landscaping
- Wildlife-friendly and low maintenance
3. Blue Chip Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip')
An evergreen front-of-border plant with icy blue texture and a low but very wide-spreading form.
- Slow-growing, 12 inches tall and wide-spreading at 6-8 feet wide
- Spiky needle-like foliage, drought, and deer resistant
- Great under conifers or tumbling over rocks in rock gardens
4. Sunshine Blue Blueberry Bush (Vaccinium 'Sunshine Blue')
Yes, a fruiting facer! Edible, ornamental, and compact!
- 1-2 feet tall and wide
- Self-fertile, tangy, dime-sized fruit
- Compact enough for curbside borders, facer plantings in edible landscapes, or as small edible hedges.
- White spring blooms and purple fall foliage
- Very easy to grow!
5. Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea (Spiraea japonica 'NCSX1')
This eye-catching dwarf Spirea puts on a changing color show from spring through fall, all in a compact, easy-to-grow package.
- Grows 18-24 inches tall and wide. Perfect for front-of-border use
- New growth emerges bright candy-apple red, then matures to golden-yellow foliage with orange tips
- Late spring brings clusters of rich purple-pink flowers that attract butterflies
- Low maintenance, drought tolerant, and deer resistant
- Fantastic for edging, plants for the bases of hedges, sunny beds, or adding punch to container displays
- Hardy in USDA zones 4-9
6. Hoogendorn Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata 'Hoogendorn')
If you're seeking a compact, low-growing holly to act as a clean facer foreground plant near foundations or hedges, the dwarf Hoogendorn Japanese Holly is a superb choice.
- Grows just 18-24 inches tall with a 2-3‑foot spread, ideal for tight spaces
- Dense, mounding habit forms an evergreen carpet that suppresses weeds and softens edges
- Space-saving, fine-textured dark green leaves mimic Boxwood form without the fuss
- Great in containers or foundation bed fillers
- Male selection: fruitless but pollinates female Ilex crenata.
7. Little Bonnie™ Dwarf Spirea (Spiraea x bumalda 'BL0601')
This beauty brings bold flowering power in a petite package! Perfect for filling low spots with color and texture.
- Grows 2-3 feet tall and wide with a tidy, rounded habit
- Bears masses of pinkish-purple blooms from late spring into summer, outlasting other Spireas
- Lush foliage complements any garden palette and draws in pollinators all season long
- Ideal under leggy shrubs, along walkways, foundation beds, or as a colorful container thriller
- Hardy in USDA zones 4-9 and very low-maintenance once established
8. Bird's Nest Spruce (Picea abies 'Nidiformis')
A low alpine pine that holds strong at the front of garden beds.
- 3-4 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide
- A slow-growing evergreen with lasting color
- Dense, dark green needles, very cold-hardy
- Adds evergreen weight and texture to foundation plantings and mixed shrub borders
- Long-lived and very low-maintenance
9. Sunjoy® Mini Maroon Barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'NCBT1')
Colorful, compact, and resistant to nibbling deer, this Proven Winners® selection shines!
- 2-3 inches tall and wide
- Glossy burgundy leaves, tiny yellow spring flowers
- Use in sunny borders or front-of-bed planting
- Hardy USDA planting zones 4-8
- Sharp thorns keep foot traffic on the path and act as a spiny deterrent against deer and trespassers.
10. Tuff Stuff™ Mountain Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata)
A colorful and compact reblooming Hydrangea that's perfect for the front of beds or layered under taller shrubs. Choose from Tiny Tuff Stuff™, Red, Reblooming, or Ah-Ha®, and Top Fun™ for a wide range of colors!
- Grows just 2-3 feet tall and wide
- Big, lacecap-style blooms that shift from blue to pink depending on soil pH
- Reblooming habit gives color from late spring through fall
- Dense, mounding form is ideal for facer use in mixed borders or foundation beds
Quick Picks: Facer Perennials
These perennials stay low and wide, adding seasonal softness in front of shrubs or as underplantings:
1. Coral Bells (Heuchera)
- Colorful foliage in shades of plum, caramel, and chartreuse!
- Spring blooms and evergreen in many zones
- Great for shade or part sun
2. Hosta (Hosta spp.)
- Bold, textured leaves in greens, blues, and variegated forms
- Summer flower spikes attract hummingbirds
- Best in shade or dappled sun
3. Catmint (Nepeta)
- Aromatic gray-green foliage with purple-blue flowers
- Long blooming and pollinator-friendly
- Tolerates drought and sun
4. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
- A spring-blooming groundcover with masses of color
- Forms a dense mat, great for erosion control
- Full sun and dry soils
5. Liriope (Liriope muscari)
- Grassy foliage with lavender flower spikes in late summer
- Excellent edging for paths and beds
- Tolerates sun to shade
- Try the silvery Silver Dragon, bold Big Blue, or Silvery Sunproof
6. Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.)
- Mini varieties like Stella de Oro bloom repeatedly
- Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant once established
- Sunny, cheerful flowers are perfect for edging!
7. Dianthus (Dianthus spp.)
- Compact mounds of silvery foliage and pink, red, or white blooms
- Often fragrant and long blooming
- Excellent in rock gardens or as facer plants in borders
8. Ajuga (Bugleweed) (Ajuga reptans)
- Fast-spreading groundcover with burgundy, green, or variegated leaves
- Spring flower spikes in blue or purple
- Perfect in part shade and between shrubs
9. Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina)
- Soft, velvety silver foliage adds texture and touch appeal
- Low and spreading, great under Roses or shrubs
- Drought-tolerant and sun-loving
- Try Helen Von Stein or Silver Carpet
10. Stonecrop/Sedum (Sedum spp.)
- Dwarf, yellow-flowering sedum with tidy green foliage
- Heat and drought-tolerant
- Perfect for full sun borders and containers
- Fan favorites like Autumn Joy Sedum and Birthday Party Sedum are great taller varieties, and carpet Sedum like Lemon Drop Sedum or SunSparkler® Firecracker Sedum are great groundcovers and low-growers.
Key Reminders For Planting Facer Plants
- Mind the mature size of the surrounding shrubs. Don't plant facers too close, or they may get overshadowed as larger plants fill out
- Allow for air circulation by spacing plants appropriately to reduce foliar mold, mildew, and root competition
- Check plant spacing on the tag or product listing, give each plant room to spread naturally without crowding
- Plant in staggered groups or informal drifts to avoid a stiff, overly linear look
- Use arborist mulch around the base to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and protect roots, but don't pile mulch against the stems
- Water new plants regularly during their first growing season. Use the Finger Test to check soil moisture
- Deadhead spent blooms on flowering facers when needed to encourage reblooming and tidy up their look
- Use dwarf or compact varieties with predictable habits for less pruning and more consistent layering
- Adjust care by sun exposure, some facers thrive in shade (like Hostas), others need full sun (like Catmint)
- Refresh perennials every few years by dividing to keep beds vibrant and healthy
Complete The Look - With Facer Plants!
Adding facer plants to your landscape is like putting the final brushstroke on a painting! They soften the lower edges, fill in awkward gaps, and add an extra layer of visual interest that pulls your entire planting together. Whether you choose evergreen structure, fragrant flowers, or leafy ground-huggers, these compact plants serve big landscape roles.
Add that skirt around your shrubs and a ring of skirting plants around the base of a tree! You and your landscape will benefit! Don't leave your garden beds unfinished! Let these facer shrubs and perennials elevate your design from the ground up.
Happy Planting!
