5 Foot Shrubs

Korean Spice Viburnum

• Fragrant and beautiful, the Korean Spice viburnum has clove-scented blooms in early spring. The flowers are primarily white, tinged with a bit of pink. Berries develop once the blooms have faded, providing a feast for the neighborhood songbirds. This shrub has an attractive dense, rounded growth habit. It grows relatively slowly, adding about 12 inches of new growth per year and enjoys moist, rich soil.

  This species ranges between 4 to 8 feet tall and wide, depending on the cultivar. It generally averages around 5 feet, though some varieties, such as "Compactum", mature at only 3 feet tall.

Forsythia

• Cheerful yellow forsythia flowers are welcome sights in early spring. This versatile shrub is easy to grow. It does equally well in full sun or partial shade. It is even tolerant of dry areas, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance landscapes. It can be planted in groups or alone as a specimen shrub.

  Left unpruned, forsythia bushes have an informal, arching growth habit. Homeowners wishing for a tidier appearance can trim the shrub back after it has bloomed. The blooms also make beautiful cut flowers and bouquets.

Bridalwreath Spirea

• The Bridalwreath spirea is an old-fashioned shrub that probably grew in your grandmother's garden. Like the forsythia, it is covered with blooms in the early spring. This shrub excels in either sun or light shade. It has a rapid growth rate, making it a perfect plant for homeowners that want to add a quickly-maturing bush to their landscape. It generally grows 5 to 7 feet tall. Prune out older branches to encourage flowering.

Ninebark

• The ninebark has unique, exfoliating bark. According to University of Idaho Master Gardener Mary Jane Fields, the bark supposedly peels off in nine strips along the outside of the branches, giving the plant its descriptive name. The ninebark is not difficult to grow, tolerating full sun to partial shade. It does fine in dry areas as well. Almost all species of ninebark are native to the U.S.

  This shrub grows 5 to 10 feet tall, depending on the variety. It handles pruning well and can even be cut back to the ground when dormant. (see References 5)