5 Low-Maintenance Plants & Shrubs That Don’t Need Pruning To Look Their Best

Shrubs are the bones of a landscape – multitasking as hedges, windbreaks, privacy screens, and edging. Of course, like other garden plants they require appropriate care that can include regular pruning. When you install shrubs that don’t need pruning, you get all the benefits without investing so much maintenance time.

Shrubs That Don't Need Pruning

Which are the bushes that don’t need pruning? There are more than a few, including evergreens, roses, and small shrubs perfect for borders. Here are five of my favorites.

1. Firethorn (Pyracantha spp.)

I have loved my pyracantha for a decade. They are a big part of my border hedge, and their thorns work better than barbed wire at keeping out the wild boars that run the Pyrenees in France. I have never, ever pruned them.

Pyracantha care is easy, and they are attractive plants with a thousand good qualities. They have shiny leaves, sharp thorns, and clusters of bright late summer berries – orange, yellow, and red. Wild birds love the berries, and they hang on the branches into winter. I don’t mind if they get leggy since they have plenty of room in the hedge. They grow to 15 feet (5m) tall in USDA Zones 6 through 10.

2. Holly (Ilex spp.)

My yard in France is dotted with native holly trees, and more seem to be appearing annually since the wild birds eat the holly berries during the winter and spread the seeds. Hollies are among my favorite trees. I love their glossy foliage – although it can be spiky if you try to walk through it! They grow fast and don’t need pruning unless you planted a variety that is too big for its space. (We do trim off branches for decking the halls for Christmas.) You can grow holly bush varieties that mature at almost any desired height, from dwarf to 50 feet (10m). These evergreens may be hardy in USDA Zones 5 through 11.

If you're looking for small bushes that don’t need pruning, consider the compact inkberry holly (Ilex glabra), native to eastern North America. Some of the new cultivars - like ‘Nordic’ and ‘Gem Box’ - are dense and lush and never need pruning.

3. Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.)

Jumping back to my California garden, my favorite evergreen shrub is one that is native to the Western U.S. - manzanita. These tough and appealing shrubs are drought-tolerant, low-to-no maintenance, and many attractive qualities. Small leaves, urn-shaped flowers, and fiery peeling back make these bushes favorites in warm climates. Some species thrive down to USDA zone 2, but many can only grow happily down to USDA zone 7. Some are short and compact, while others can shoot up to 15 feet tall.

4. Evergreen Azalea (Rhododendron subsect. Tsutsusi spp.)

Anyone who has experienced growing azaleas in the spring has likely fallen in love with this beautiful, easy-care plant. Blooms are abundant and colorful, and the leathery leaves hang on the tree all winter long in their hardiness zones, some thriving in temperatures down to USDA hardiness zone 5. These trees and shrubs rarely get pruned, making for low maintenance landscaping. How tall do they get? That depends on the variety, and different kinds of azalea species range in height from very short to 9 feet (3m).

5. Sunjoy Todo Barberry (Berberis x)

Are you looking for small bushes that don’t need pruning? This berberis is one of my top picks. Sunjoy Todo tops out at 2 feet (0.6m) tall, and its natural shape is a tight mound of deep purple-black foliage. But the appeal doesn’t end there. Add to this the spring flowers in a bright gold and the seedless red berries afterwards and you have a shrub for all four seasons. It is sterile, so you don’t have to worry about the barberry’s reputation as invasive.

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