Try these slim and sleek varieties in a small space such as on patios or the front porch, in courtyards, or as a single specimens in narrow gardens or containers. Set them at the back of beds for space-saving walls and backdrops. Pot them up for container magic on the porch. All six plants grow best in full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. Shrubs requires little to no special care including pruning.

Landscape Uses: single specimen, allée, tall hedge, medium hedge, foundation plant, holiday foliage, containers. Choose any of the following:

1. ‘Helmond Pillar’ Barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Helmond Pillar’) – deciduous shrub with a tight upright, columnar habit; features reddish-purple leaves (0.5 to 1.25 inches long) on spiny reddish brown stems.  Mature size: 4-5 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide; highly drought tolerant and deer resistant. Alternative: ‘Sunjoy™ Golden Pillar’ Barberry– orange-red new foliage becomes bright gold in summer and orange-red in fall. Mature Size: 4 feet tall x 2 feet wide. USDA Hardiness zones: 4-9.
2. Roman Candle™ Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Miu’) – lovely Southern evergreen shrub with heat tolerant variegated creamy-white and green foliage; in a container, Roman Candle grows about 20 inches tall and 8 inches wide and is deer proof. Mature Size: 10-15 feet tall x 4-6 feet wide. Hardiness zones: 7b-10.
3. ‘Sky Pencil’ Holly (Ilex crenata‘Sky Pencil’) – narrow, dense, multi-branched, columnar evergreen shrub with a rounded form. Mature Size: 5-10 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. Hardiness zones: 6-8.
4. ‘Dee Runk’ Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Dee Runk’) -broad-leafed evergreen with a very narrow, upright, pyramidal habit; oval, 1 inch long dark-green leaves. Mature Size: 10-12 feet high and 2-3 feet wide. Hardiness zones: 6-8.
5. October Magic® camellia – fits the tight garden spaces; deep green glossy foliage year-round along with pure white flowers. Mature Size: 4–5 feet high x 3–4 feet wide. Hardiness zones: 7 to 9.
6. ‘Blue Point’ Juniper – maintains a dense, pyramidal form; prized for its lush blue-green foliage, looks good in formal garden landscape setting. Mature Size: 15 feet high x 3–5 feet wide. Hardiness zones: 4 to 9.