Compact Shrubs with Colorful Foliage for the Southeast

Winter is a great time to look outside and evaluate the structure of your landscape. It can be easier during this time of year to tell if you need a few more woodies to add structural support. Small shrubs in particular have a lot of utility in gardens. They fit perfectly in beds and borders and can be used in tight spaces where more presence than a perennial is warranted. Here are a few smaller shrubs with impressive foliage that have worked well for us in the Southeast.

Spiraea japonica ‘NCSX1’, Zones 4–8

Candy Corn^® Japanese spirea is so bright and cheerful that it almost doesn’t seem real. Its foliage during the growing season is chartreuse but the orange-red new growth in spring makes it truly spectacular. Once the new growth turns yellow-green, the shrub produces clusters of bright pink flowers. Growing to about 1 to 1½ feet tall and 1½ to 2½ feet wide, Candy Corn^® is fairly drought tolerant and sturdy, taking full sun to partial shade. The flowers make it popular with pollinators, especially butterflies. A trim in late summer prompts a flush of fabulous new growth for fall. Best of all, this cultivar is sterile, which allays invasiveness concerns.

Leucothoe axillaris ‘Margie Jenkins’, Zones 5–9

The dark green leaves and arching stems on ‘Margie Jenkins’ leucothoe are very attractive. This multistemmed shrub can reach 2 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. It will spread a bit from the base as it produces new stems. ‘Margie Jenkins’ is a selection of a southeastern native species that is resistant to the leaf spot that plagues the species. This shrub tolerates full sun if kept consistently moist but looks better with bright shade or morning sun and afternoon shade. It can also take full shade. Once established, it