The Best Worry-Free Shrubs

Shade-Tolerant

• For sites that receive less than six hours of direct sunlight each day, choose shade-tolerant shrubs. The University of Minnesota Extension and the University of Illinois Extension recommend the Taunton yew (Taxus x media "Tauntonii") for partial to fully shaded sites. This evergreen grows from 4 to 6 feet tall and prefers moist soil. It's hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7.

  For light shade, Better Homes and Gardens suggests planting panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata), a 10-foot-tall deciduous shrub hardy in zones 3 through 9. This blooming shrub prefers well-drained soil and produces showy white flowers in late summer.

Drought-Resistant

• For dry landscapes, choose drought-resistant shrubs. The Colorado State University Extension recommends the cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lucidous), an 8- to 10-foot shrub that tolerates dry sites, alkaline and poor soil, and high altitudes. This deciduous shrub has dark, shiny foliage and produces pink-white blossoms, followed by bird-attracting fruits. It's hardy in USDA zones 3 through 6.

  The Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests planting Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) in dry spots. This evergreen also tolerates heat; it's hardy in USDA zones 6 through 8.

Fragrance

• Shrubs add color and texture to the landscape, but some contribute fragrance, as well. Better Homes and Gardens and the University of Minnesota Extension recommend the Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus), a North American native that's hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. This deciduous shrub grows to 8 feet tall and blooms with deep-red, aromatic flowers in summer.

  The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is also hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. This native deciduous shrub grows up to 15 feet all and produces tall, aromatic purple blossoms that attract butterflies.

Color

• The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Virginia Cooperative Extension recommend the Cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas). This North American native flowers early in the season with a profusion of yellow blossoms. It's hardy in USDA zones 5 through 7 and grows up to 20 feet tall. A deciduous shrub, the Cornelian cherry dogwood tolerates wind and a range of soil types.

  Better Homes and Gardens describes the potentilla, or bush cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa), another colorful bloomer, as "one of the easiest shrubs to grow." This deciduous shrub grows to 3 feet tall and produces yellow, white and pink blossoms from spring through autumn. It's hardy in USDA zones 3 through 7.