Miniaturation of many of our garden shrubs has been a trend for over 30 years. A common saying among gardeners has been they no making any more land making anymore or, in this case, garden planting space. In particular, urban gardeners continue to squeeze more color into limited spaces. Here are four flowering shrubs that are very successful.

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is now available in shorter shrub forms. Standard Vitex growing to 15-25 feet. Spikelets of lavender-blue flowers appear in mid-summer. Thus far, varieties Blue Diddley® and Blue Puffball’™ are available, but many other varieties, including white and pink-flowering forms, are coming. ‘Blue Puffball’ grows only 3-4 feet tall and wide in a near perfect ball-shaped plant with deep blue, fragrant flowers from June through September. ‘Blue Diddley’ grows 5-6 feet tall. Flowers form on new growth. In the north (zones 5-6), Vitex performs as a perennial and dies back to the ground; it regrows and flowers much like a butterfly bush (buddleia). (Non-native)

Cherry Dazzle® or Berry Dazzle® Crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) have proven to bloom reliably from one year to the next in zone 6. Plants require minor cleanup pruning in early spring and a handful of 10-10-10 fertilizer. Bot cultivars grow 3 to 3.5 feet tall and are covered with red flowers in midsummer (late July-August). (Non-native)

Pugster® series of Buddleia x davidii) is a new compact plant, only 2 ft. tall and wide but with the full-size flowers on sturdy stems. The Pugster series bloom non-stop from early summer through frost with true-blue flowers, each with a tiny yellow-orange eye in the center. The Pugster® series is available in four colors: Pugster Blue, Pugster Periwinkle, Pugster Pink, and Pugster White. All cultivars offer vastly improved cold hardiness and winter survival over other types of dwarf butterfly bush (zones 5-9). (NonNative)

Wee White® Smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Wee White’) is a dwarf ‘Annabelle’ like hydrangea, just 1-2.5 feet tall. The shrub develops into a tidy, rounded mound. Flowers emerge a soft, blush pink before changing to white on a sturdy stem. All new flowers develop from early summer to frost. (Native)

Bobo® Panicled hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’) grows only 3 feet tall, along with large creamy white summer flowers held upright on strong stems. Flowers finish with a pinkish hue in fall. (Non-native)

Photo credits: Thank you to Spring Meadow Nursery for Vitex ‘Blue Diddley’ and Buddleia ‘Pugster White’ photos