Fast-growing shrubs can screen a patio or create a hedge along a property line within a couple of growing seasons. However, just because a shrub is quick to mature doesn’t mean it’s landscape-worthy. Some of the fastest-growing shrubs are weak-wooded and prone to disease. Though they might provide nearly instant garden gratification, they will break apart in the next storm or succumb to disease in short order.
The following fast-growing shrubs have a proven track record of strong structure and disease resilience. Count on these plants to provide fast growth and years of beauty in your yard.
Arborvitae
Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is a North American native evergreen with soft, flat foliage. Upright varieties, such as ‘Techny’, grow 20 to 30 feet tall in about 10 years, while ball-shaped varieties, like ‘Tater Tot’ and ‘Little Giant,’ maintain a round form, quickly providing structure around a foundation or patio.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide
Zones: 3-8
Deer and rabbits frequently damage arborvitae, so don’t plant it where their populations are high.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Fragrant white flowers in spring and small blue-black fruit in late summer make arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) popular with butterflies, bees, and songbirds. Add this North American native shrub to a foundation planting or plant several together to form a hedge. ‘Chicago Luster’ has exceptional flowers and good fall color. ‘Moonglow’ is prized for its glossy leaves and large flowers.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide
Zones: 2–8
Bush Honeysuckle
A tough plant for hot, dry sites where other shrubs struggle to survive, bush honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia) has clean green foliage and yellow flowers that bloom sporadically all summer. Its foliage turns shades of red in autumn. Some varieties offer colorful foliage such as 'Cool Splash' (shown here) that has variegated leaves, and ‘Kodiak Black’ with deep purple foliage.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 5 feet tall and wide
Zones: 4–8
Don’t confuse bush honeysuckle with invasive honeysuckle—bush honeysuckle is a well-behaved native shrub.
Glossy Abelia
Small white and pink fragrant flowers cover this easy-to-grow shrub from late spring to fall. Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) has a round, dense habit and is a quick-growing solution for empty spots in a perennial border, foundation planting, or shrub bed. It is deer-resistant and drought-tolerant. In Zones 6 and 7, it usually dies back to the ground in winter, but it quickly regrows in spring.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide
Zones: 6–9
Photinia
Photinia (Photinia spp.), also called red tip photinia, is an evergreen with glossy green foliage that emerges brilliant red. A low-maintenance and easy-care shrub, photinia tolerates heat well and rarely needs pruning. It makes a great hedge, growing 3 feet or so a year until it reaches its mature size. Look for ‘Red Dynamo’, which has good disease resistance.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide
Zones: 7–11
Ninebark
A fast-growing shrub with colorful foliage and flowers in early summer, ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) forms a dense hedge or can be used in a foundation planting or mixed border. ‘Ginger Wine’ has burgundy foliage, and ‘Festivus Gold’ has chartreuse leaves in full-sun locations. Ninebark tolerates pruning well.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall and wide
Zones: 2–8
Smokebush
Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) gets its name from its airy clusters of smoky pink flowers that debut in early summer. The flowers give this upright, rounded shrub an informal appearance. Use it to block a view or form a backdrop in the landscape. ‘Royal Purple’ has almost black foliage, while ‘Winecraft Gold’ has yellow-green leaves.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 15 feet tall and wide
Zones: 4–8
Spirea
An ultra-easy-to-grow, deciduous shrub that forms a low hedge or provides quick color and form in a landscape bed, spirea (Spirea spp.) is available in many unique cultivars. Grow a birchleaf type, such as ‘Tor,’ for brilliant fall color on a 3- to 4-foot tall and wide plant. ‘Renaissance’ bridal wreath spirea has arching stems covered with fragrant white blooms in spring.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Zones: 4–8
Virginia Sweetspire
Count on Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) to light up the fall garden with hues of red and purple. This native shrub has graceful arching branches and fragrant flowers in early summer. Virginia sweetspire is at home in part shade. Plant it where it receives four to six hours of direct sunlight a day for best growth. ‘Henry’s Garnet’ and ‘Little Henry’ are excellent cultivars.
Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide
Zones: 5–9
Wax Myrtle
A tough shrub that is a wildlife favorite, wax myrtle (Myrica spp.), also known as southern bayberry, has glossy, leathery foliage. Use it as a hedge or screen and enjoy the pollinators and birds it attracts. Water wax myrtle regularly after planting so it develops a robust root system. It tolerates long periods of drought once established.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and average to wet soil
Size: Up to 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide
Zones: 7–11
Weigela
Weigela (Weigela florida) blooms with gusto in late spring and continues unfurling pink or white flowers sporadically until frost. The plant has an upright growth habit with arched branches that lend it a fountain-like appearance. Butterflies and hummingbirds are frequent visitors thanks to the prolific flowers.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide
Zones: 4–8
