What Are the Best Shrubs and Hedges for Your Yard?

Creating a beautiful, well-maintained yard requires planning. Incorporating shrubs and hedges is a great way to add structure, style, and privacy to your outdoor space.

These plantings can be used on the front or back of your home, inside or corner lots, or anywhere you need green coverage and architectural interest. It’s not just about choosing the right types of shrubs and hedges for your space; there are several other factors that you need to take into account when choosing which shrubs and hedges work best for your yard.

Whether you have limited sunlight, drought-tolerant soil, or a lot of wind – all these things will help determine which bushes work best in your landscape.

How to Choose Shrubs and Hedges

First and foremost, it’s important to know the difference between shrubs and hedges. Shrubs are woody plants with multiple stems and are usually less than 6 feet tall. They can be either deciduous or evergreen, depending on the species.

Hedges are usually evergreen and grown as single rows or multiple rows of plants clipped into a wall-like form. A wide variety of shrubs and hedges can be used in many different types of landscapes.

When choosing shrubs and hedges, you first need to consider the light conditions in your landscape. Plants grown in shaded areas will have different light requirements than plants in full sun.

Last update on 2025-12-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Consider Light Conditions

If trees or other structures shade your landscaping, consider planting shrubs and hedges that grow best in those conditions. For example, if you have a lot of shade, you’ll want to consider shrubs like hydrangeas, forsythia, rhododendrons, and Japanese maples.

If your yard is mostly shaded, you might want to choose evergreen shrubs, like hollies and boxwoods, that will provide year-round color.

If you have a shaded area that receives sunlight, you can plant deciduous shrubs like serviceberries, dogwoods, weigela, and mock orange.

Assessing the Soil Condition

Another thing to consider when choosing the right shrubs and hedges is the soil condition. If you have really poor soil, you might choose shrubs and hedges that are more adaptable to different soil types.

Choosing more adaptable plants to different soil types is important to ensure a long-lasting, healthy landscape.

If your soil is rich and loamy, you can choose shrubs and plants that prefer richer soil.

If the soil in your area is more sandy, you might choose shrubs and plants that are somewhat drought-tolerant.

Last update on 2025-12-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Estimate Wind Speeds

Wind speed and how much your area gets blown around by the wind can also help you determine which shrubs and hedges will work best in your landscape.

Moderate to heavy wind zones should be planted with trees and shrubs that can stand up to the speed and force of the wind. Choosing shrubs and trees that are shorter in height and have a more open, airy shape is best in light to moderate wind zones.

It’s best to plant taller shrubs and trees with a denser, more closed-in shape in moderate to heavy wind.

Summing up

Shrubs and hedges are a great way to structure and style your landscape. They can be used on the front or back of your home, inside or corner lots, or anywhere you need green coverage and architectural interest.

When choosing shrubs and hedges, it’s important to consider light conditions, soil conditions, and wind speeds to ensure that your plants get the most out of your landscape. Choosing the right shrubs and hedges is key to a beautiful, well-maintained yard.