Top picks: Our favorite new shrubs for 2026
Whether you have big gaps to fill or just want to test-drive some compact shrubs, this year’s new introductions deliver. Expect plenty of color and even some fragrance! And if you love hydrangeas, be sure to check out the stunning new panicle and bigleaf varieties that are sure to turn heads in your garden beds and borders!
Small Flowering Shrubs for Compact Any-Size Garden
The Garden Idea Book, Vol. 4
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Autumn Kiss® azalea (Rhododendron hybrid)
Spring and fall gardens will be outstanding with the 3-inch semidouble bicolor blooms of Autumn Kiss, which is part of the Encore® reblooming azalea series. There’s a big show of flowers in spring, and more blooms arrive in late summer to fall.
Type: Shrub
Best features: Semidouble bicolor blooms in spring and fall
Light: Full sun to part shade
Size: 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide
Cold hardy: USDA zones 6 to 10
Introducer: Encore Azalea
Source: Local garden centers
Bellini® Cherry crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
For gardeners without a lot of room, this new crape myrtle is a great choice, providing loads of red blooms in midsummer to fall. The Bellini series is cold hardy to zone 5. It may die to the ground in harsh winters, but stems will regrow and flower in spring.
Type: Shrub
Best features: Lots of long-lasting red blooms on a compact plant
Light: Part to full shade
Size: 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide
Cold hardy: USDA zones 5 to 10
Introducer: Star® Roses and Plants
Source: Local garden centers
Spring Sizzle® panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
Earlier to bloom than most panicle hydrangeas, Spring Sizzle has crisp white flowers that mature to deep red even in mild winter areas where they don’t typically get that late-season flush of color. Sturdy red stems keep the flowers up off the ground where you can enjoy them.
Type: Shrub
Best features: White flowers that mature to deep red in late summer
Light: Part to full shade
Size: 4 to 6 ft. tall, 4 to 5 ft. wide
Cold hardy: USDA zones 3 to 8
Introducer: Bailey® Nurseries
Source: Local garden centers
Centennial Ruby™ bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
The ruby red mophead blooms of this new bigleaf hydrangea are real showstoppers! They start in late spring and keep going until early fall. The color deepens as the bloom ages so you have different shades of red on one plant.
Type: Shrub
Best features: Ruby red flowers on a bigleaf hydrangea
Light: Part shade
Size: 3 ft. tall and wide
Cold hardy: USDA zones 4 to 9
Introducer: Monrovia®
Source: Local garden centers
Spice Cowboy™ Koreanspice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii)
Spice Cowboy takes the fragrant white blooms of Koreanspice viburnum up a notch with 4-inch snowball-like blooms. In fall the foliage turns red, yellow and orange so you get a multiseason show with this stunning shrub.
Type: Shrub
Best features: Large fragrant flowers and beautiful fall foliage
Light: Full sun to part shade
Size: 6 to 10 ft. tall, 4 to 5 ft. wide
Cold hardy: USDA zones 4 to 8
Introducer: Proven Winners®
Source: Sooner Plant Farm, 918-453-0771
