Love it or loathe it, pruning is usually a prerequisite for plants to ensure they remain neat, healthy, and put on the best display year after year. If you sit firmly on the loath-it side, or just fancy something more low-maintenance, some plants that don’t need pruning will continue to put on a great show with little work.
We want to showcase some of these reliable, fuss-free plants here. If you are new to gardening or an anxious gardener, you don’t need to worry about pruning them at the wrong time of year or not pruning them correctly, as these plants need little or no pruning at all.
Even if you are an experienced hand at pruning, adding such low-maintenance shrubs or perennials means you can relax knowing these plants don’t need pruning but will dependably flower and impress without needing lots of rigorous trimming.
Plants that don’t need pruning – is it too good to be true?
When we say plants that don’t need pruning, what exactly does that mean? It means the plants don’t need regular annual trimming to look good and put on a great display. They can be left for potentially years without needing any attention and will still perform.
There may be times when they do need pruning, for example, to remove dead, damaged, or diseased parts to keep it healthy or if it starts to outgrow its space. However, these are rare trimming tasks rather than an essential part of regular upkeep.
With all that in mind, I used my years as a professional gardener in large, historic public gardens and spoke to some experienced gardeners to put together this list of five plants that don’t need pruning.
1. Spirea
Spiraea, or spirea, are known across the board as low-maintenance fragrant shrubs. There are spirea varieties that can grow as low as US hardiness zone 3 and provide long seasons of interest, with stunning foliage and long-lasting, beautiful blooms.
If you are after a spirea that needs little to no pruning, Amy Martin, landscape designer and the founder of Plant and Bloom Design Studio, recommends the Double Play Doozie Spirea.
‘If you want nonstop color with no fuss, Double Play Doozie Spirea is your shrub. It keeps its neat, mounded shape without a single snip of the shears and puts on a vibrant flower show from early summer right up until frost,’ says Amy.
‘Since it’s a seedless and non-invasive variety, you don’t have to worry about unwanted spreading, and there's absolutely no deadheading needed to keep the blooms coming.’
This long-blooming shrub reaches only 2-3 feet tall and wide, and is suitable for flower borders or island beds. If you are after a dependable shrub that thrives on neglect and will perform without a lot of attention, this fits the bill.
Double Play Doozie Spirea live shrubs are available at Amazon
2. American arborvitae
Thuja, or American arborvitae, is an easy-to-grow, dwarf conifer shrub that reaches up to two feet tall and wide and can be grown in borders, even in small gardens, or in container gardens.
If you are after a low-maintenance dwarf evergreen to add to your yard, Amy Martin hails Anna’s Magic Ball Arborvitae as one of her particular favorites. She says: ‘This little golden globe is one of my go-to evergreens for small spaces and evergreen structure.
‘Anna’s Magic Ball Arborvitae maintains a perfect rounded shape all on its own- no clipping or shaping required – which makes it a dream for low-maintenance gardeners. The soft, golden foliage brings cheerful year-round color to the front of the house and borders.
‘As a North American native plant, it’s an easy favorite for low-maintenance landscapes.’
Anna’s Magic Ball Arborvitae is cold hardy down to US hardiness zone 3 and will thrive best in full sun, although it can tolerate partial shade. However, arborvitae risk becoming leggy in shadier locations, particularly if they receive less than four hours of sun per day.
Anna’s Magic Ball Arborvitae live shrubs are available at Amazon
3. Yucca
Hardy types of yucca, such as Yucca filamentosa, thrive in lots of sunshine and are drought-tolerant perennials ideal for xeriscaping and dry climates. However, they are also surprisingly frost-hardy plants that can be grown outdoors down to temperatures as low as 10°F.
Kathy Jentz, gardening author and GardenDC Podcast host, hails Yucca filamentosa as a low-maintenance and tough, hard-to-kill plant suitable for US hardiness zones 5-10.
When it comes to pruning, the good news is that yuccas generally don’t need trimming, bar to remove dead or damaged leaves.
‘In early summer, this broadleaf evergreen shrub puts up a tall flower spike that is striking and also a pollinator magnet,’ says Kathy. ‘There is the straight green species as well as several variegated forms available. The most popular of the variegated cultivars is ‘Color Guard’.
‘Yucca need no fertilizing or extra watering. Plus, they are rabbit- and deer-resistant. They are a great choice for along street edges as they are also salt spray- and pollution-resistant.’
If you live in a cooler climate, you can overwinter outdoor yuccas by protecting the roots with a few inches of mulch or covering the plant with a burlap covering.
You can get live Yucca filamentosa plants at Nature Hills
4. Sunjoy Todo Barberry
This dwarf barberry reaches only two feet tall and can retain its shape without regular trimming. If you are after a compact shrub that dazzles with distinctive deep purple-black foliage, the Sunjoy Todo will really stand out against other shrubs and perennials.
Offering year-round interest, it is semi-evergreen in many climates and has gold flowers in spring. And it is a fantastic shrub for fall berries, with its seedless red berries coming to the fore in fall.
Pruning barberry is often required post-flowering, as some species are classed as invasive plants. However, as this is a sterile barberry, it doesn’t even need trimming to control the spread. Seeing as though barberries have notoriously sharp spikes and require thornproof gardening gloves, the less you need to prune, the better.
Plant a Sunjoy Todo barberry in a sunny spot that gets six hours or more of daylight, and it will thrive. As well as a perfect specimen shrub, it can also work as a short hedging plant that is deer-resistant.
You can get Sunjoy Todo Barberry live shrubs at Amazon
5. Cacti and succulents
If you live in an arid climate and want to plan a dry garden, then cactus and succulents are fantastic additions for any drought-tolerant landscaping ideas. They look visually impressive, with stunning form and texture, and can be used in a wide range of designs.
You can get types of succulents and cacti in a range of shapes and sizes, from tall columnar specimens to short mounded groundcover plants, and different varieties come with varying leaf shapes and shades of green, grey, and blue.
When you are landscaping with succulents and cacti, they tend to be low-maintenance plants that don’t need pruning. Many people say you should never prune cactus; however, that is not strictly true.
The plants do not require regular pruning or shaping, but they may need some attention if they are damaged or have grown so large that they have become unstable and risk toppling.
For more low-maintenance plants that can add structure to a garden, there are many evergreen shrubs you can plant that don’t require lots of attention or pruning. For inspiration, this guide to evergreen shrubs that thrive on neglect features five plants that offer easy solutions for year-round interest.
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