Tall,Thin Shrub for Front Landscape

For Screening

• For color, texture and screening year-round, plant evergreen shrubs. The "Holmstrup" arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis "Holmstrup") reaches heights of 6 feet with a 3-foot-wide spread. This evergreen has dense, bright green needles that grow in flat sprays. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 7, the "Holmstrup" grows best in full sun and moist, well-draining soil. The "Green Spire" euonymus (Euonymus japonicus "Green Spire") grows to 8 feet tall with a 2-foot spread. Hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9, this evergreen shrub grows well in full sun to partial shade. Its dense foliage tolerates pruning.

For Wildlife

• Attract bees and birds to your yard with the alder buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula "Columnaris"), which grows to 15 feet tall with a 4-foot spread. This deciduous shrub has lustrous, dark foliage and blooms with white-green flowers in early summer, followed by red-purple berries that draw birds. The alder buckthorn is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7 and prefers moist sites in full sun to partial shade. Though this dense shrub makes an excellent hedge plant, it's considered invasive in the Midwest. For fragrant flowers that attract butterflies, plant a Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata). Reaching heights of 20 feet with a 6-foot spread, this deciduous shrub blooms with aromatic white blossoms in spring. It is hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9 and produces the best flowers in full sun.

For Fruits

• The "Sky Pencil" Japense holly (Ilex crenata "Sky Pencil") reaches heights to 8 feet with a 3-foot spread. This evergreen's dark foliage is offset by purple fruits borne in fall. It's hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9 and grows best in full sun. The Lemon Swirl Australian brush cherry (Eugenia myrtifolia "Variegata") grows to 20 feet tall with a 10-foot spread. This evergreen is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11, where it grows well in full sun to partial shade. The brush cherry produces edible pink-purple fruits and has dense foliage that tolerates annual pruning.

For Flowers

• Welcome your guests with tall, narrow flowering shrubs such as the golden trumpet (Allamanda cathartica), a 20-foot-tall evergreen with a 6-foot spread. This tropical shrub blooms with bright yellow flowers from summer through fall. It's hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11 and prefers sunny sites with fertile, well-draining soil. The fern-leaf aralia (Polyscias filicifolia) blooms with white-yellow flowers and adds a tropical look to the yard. If you don't live in USDA zones 11 to 12, plant this shrub in a container and overwinter it inside. The fern-leaf aralia grows to 8 feet tall with a 3-foot spread and prefers loamy, acidic soil and full sun to partial shade.