Bushes & Shrubs for Full Sun

Needled Evergreens

• The evergreen bushes and shrubs featuring needled foliage add color to your property during all seasons. Most do require a full sun location. Among the species available for planting in the direct and constant sunshine is the Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), a type that grows as tall as 25 feet, attaining small tree status in some cases. Another is the shore juniper (Juniperus conferta), a low-growing shrub that handles dry conditions. The Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens) is similar to shore juniper in that it prefers sandy, dry sites and does not exceed 2 feet in height.

Broadleaf Evergreens

• Broadleaf evergreens feature foliage resembling normal leaves, but they stay on the shrub throughout the year. Shrubs with leaves of this nature that grow best in full sun include the bush allamanda (Allamnada schottii), a tropical plant that grows to 5 feet high and produces yellow flowers in warm climates. The stiff bottlebrush (Callistemon rigidis), powder puff tree (Calliandra haematocephala) and false heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) are other warm weather broadleaf evergreen shrubs that crave sunshine. Types suitable for colder regions include mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanu), wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) and Adam's needle (Yucca filmentosa).

Deciduous Shrubs

• The deciduous shrubs (those that drop their foliage each autumn) comprise a large number of the landscaping shrubs requiring full sun. The barberry (Berberis) family and its cultivars are in this category, as are the various rose (Rosa) shrubs and their hybrid forms. Butterfly bushes (Buddleja), crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia), bluebeard shrubs (Caryopteris), crabapples (Malus) and lilacs (Syringa) all develop much better when placed in full sun.

Tree Cultivars Shrub Form

• Many large trees that need full sun, especially needled evergreens, come in hybrid forms of a much smaller scale than the parent species. These shrubs are useful for landscaping purposes, and those that need to be in full sun include such kinds as the Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis), a species with many hybrids. Among them are Blue Vase, San Jose and Hetzii Glauca. The Norway spruce (Picea abies) is another needled evergreen with many shrub forms, including Nidiformis, Little Gem and Weeping Blue. The white spruce (Picea glauca) shrub hybrids such as Little Globe and Jeans also fall into this category; Dilly are a fraction of the size of the 60-foot parent tree.