Fast-growing shrubs bring floral dynamism to creative garden design. Within a short time they stage themselves as solitary room creators, form an opaque hedge or set decorative accents in the tub on the balcony. A whole group of magnificent trees is characterized by a rapid growth rate, paired with beautiful flowers, bright fruit decorations or colorful autumn leaves. Find out here which shrubs you won’t be tortured for long because they grow really fast.
Table of Contents
Deciduous flowering shrubs
Buddleia, Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) Buddleia
provides convincing evidence that rapid growth does not have to come with an oversized size. At a young age he shows an impressive pace and quickly becomes a man as tall as a man. So that the butterfly bush produces large flowers, you can prune it back vigorously every spring. This in no way prevents the flowering bush from growing over your head again in the course of the summer.
- Annual growth: 50 to 150 cm
- Height: 200 to 350 cm
Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
With Buddleia, Privet is a head-to-head race when it comes to growing speed. Its seductively fragrant flowers transform into decorative, black berries in autumn. Its most beautiful jewelry are the smooth, lanceolate, lush green leaves, which it does not shed in mild winters. In addition, it is characterized by its reliable shade and cut tolerance, so that it is an indispensable standard range in every good garden design.
- Annual growth: 50 to 120 cm
- Height: 300 to 500 cm
Curly willow (Salix erythroflexuosa)
The undemanding willow with its decoratively twisted branches gives you a tempting sight in the truest sense of the word. Its slim, upright shape makes the curly willow a team-friendly companion for flowering perennials. With pretty catkin flowers from February to April, the ornamental shrub shortens the waiting time for the summer flowering time of its common folk. The reddish shoots prevent boredom in the bed and on the balcony, even in winter.
- Annual growth: 50 to 100 cm
- Height: 300 to 500 cm
Male willow (Salix caprea)
For the large natural garden, this type of willow proves to be a real guy. Undemanding to care for, completely frost-hardy and with pretty catkins in spring, the woody plant is a great pleasure for the gardener with a phenomenal growth rate. Whether as a large shrub for the imposing hedge or a small tree as the focal point in the bed; As a beginner and a professional, you can’t go wrong with a male willow.
- Annual growth: 60 to 100 cm
- Height: 500 to 800 cm
Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
Usually, rapid growth is not one of the outstanding attributes of hydrangeas – with one exception. The panicle hydrangea is gaining height so quickly that it deserves a place in this selection. Beautiful varieties such as ‘Levana’ with white flowers or ‘Wims Red’ with red flowers make autumn shine brightly with color. So that it can fulfill its task as a flower miracle, a sunny to partially shaded location and an abundant water supply are the pivotal points in the care program.
- Annual growth: 30 to 100 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Black elderberry, lilacberry (Sambucus nigra)
In the race for the fastest growth, black elderberry usually has the edge. The local wild wood trumps with a wonderfully fragrant, creamy white flowers and gives you purple-black berries in autumn, which can be processed into juice, liqueur or jam. The high-growth ornamental shrub displays its diverse talents in all sunny to partially shaded locations, provided the soil is fresh, moist and rich in nutrients.
- Annual growth: 50 to 70 cm
- Height: 300 to 500 cm
Forsythia, golden bells (Forsythia x intermedia)
Don’t you like to wait long for the first spring bloom in your newly laid out garden? Then forsythia won’t let you down. The classic flowering shrub only takes 2 to 3 years to develop into an unmistakable eye-catcher. The sunnier the location, the more intensely its golden yellow flowers shine towards the spring sun from March onwards. With increasing age, arching overhanging branches intensify the elegant appearance of the flowering shrub. In autumn, the golden bell once again attracts everyone’s attention with yellow, purple leaves.
- Annual growth: 30 to 60 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Scented jasmine, farmer’s jasmine (Philadelphus coronarius)
Scented jasmine doesn’t think much of minimalist restraint. Rather, it draws on the full potential in terms of growth rate, blossoms and seductive fragrance. This is why this fast-growing shrub is highly valued as a solitary or hedge in all classic and modern garden concepts.
- Annual growth: 40 to 80 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Ornamental currant, black currant (Ribes sanguineum)
As the name suggests, an ornamental currant does not focus on the black berries. Rather, the ornamental wood scores with a lavish, blood-red spring blossom and pleasantly fragrant, deciduous leaves. Thanks to a remarkable growth rate, you don’t have to wait long for the floral magic in the bed and tub.
- Annual growth: 40 to 60 cm
- Height: 150 to 250 cm
Purple dogwood, redwood dogwood (Cornus alba sibirica)
The purple dogwood combines its festival of colors with rapid growth. These properties give the floral jewel a unique boom in ornamental gardens and parks. After a creamy white flower overture in May and June, its leaves undergo a splendid change from green to dark red in autumn. Throughout the winter, the red, leafless shoots cheer up the dreary garden in color.
- Annual growth: 30 to 60 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Weigela ‘Bristol Ruby’ (Weigelia)
The uncrowned queen among the fast-growing flowering shrubs should not be missing in this selection. The successful breeding ‘Bristol Ruby’ combines the rapid growth of all Weigelias with a breathtaking splendor of ruby-red flower jewels. In addition, the elegant plant teases the viewer with iridescent leaves that are dark green on the top and light green on the underside. In autumn, the weigela dresses in a golden-yellow to light brown foliage, above which a second bloom rises in the sunny location.
- Annual growth: 30 to 60 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Bladder spar ‘Lady in Red’ (Physocarpus opulifolius)
As an ornamental wood of contrasts, this bladder spar variety changes its appearance in the course of the seasons, accompanied by rapid growth. After a deep red shoot, the leaves turn green discreetly during the summer so as not to steal the show from the bright white flower panicles. In autumn, the time for the foliage strikes again, when it first turns dark red and then turns orange-red before it falls to the ground. Not enough, the shrub changes its silhouette, from tightly upright in its youth to elegantly curved in advanced age.
- Annual growth: 30 to 50 cm
- Height: 200 to 250 cm
Prachtspiere (Spiraea vanhouttei)
The Prachtspiere pulls out all the stops to give your garden a floral sheen in sunny to partially shaded locations. Its broad, bushy, upright silhouette with a sea of white flower clusters quickly assumes unmistakable shapes. Thanks to its robust cut tolerance, the fast-growing shrub likes to be useful as a flowering privacy hedge. At home in the harsh climate of East Asia, even freezing frost cannot prevent the ornamental shrub from growing in size and beauty from year to year.
- Annual growth: 20 to 50 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Common beech (Fagus sylvatica)
The common beech not only gains up to half a meter in height per year, it also becomes ancient. In the sunny to shady location with nutrient-rich, fresh soil, the native plant can live up to 400 years. If you flirt with a decorative fence or privacy hedge within a short time, then you will not be able to ignore this deciduous shrub. In particular, it is robust cut tolerance that qualifies the well-known forest tree as the ideal hedge plant. The birds and small animals in your garden will thank you, because the autumn beechnuts are a substantial source of food throughout the winter.
- Annual growth: 30 to 50 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Star shrub, May
flower shrub (Deutzia magnifica) In the star shrub, fairytale-like blossoms go hand in hand with lively growth. While with other ornamental shrubs double flowers push the pace, an elegant mayflower shrub gains up to half a meter in height from year to year. At the same time, the romantic spring bloomer conquers its territory in width, so that it is particularly well suited as a solitaire. Of course, the Deutzia magnifica has nothing against gathering together with other fast-growing shrubs to form a mixed hedge, such as weigelia, buddleia or peasant jasmine.
- Annual growth: 30 to 50 cm
- Height: 250 to 350 cm
Fan loquat (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
In the small garden you don’t have to do without the wonder of fast-growing shrubs. The compact fan carton reaches its final height within 2 to 3 years. In the sunny location, it already trumps with white flower clusters in early summer and bright red berries in autumn. The popular ornamental wood is perfect for cultivation in the tub, in order to present its dense, overlapping branches with the elliptical leaves on the balcony and terrace.
- Annual growth: 30 to 50 cm
- Height: 80 to 100 cm
Evergreen shrubs for the fast growing hedge
When deciduous trees return to winter peace, evergreen shrubs continue to show their colors. The following fast-growing species and varieties do a great job as a year-round privacy hedge or solitary eye-catcher
Cherry laurel, cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
The cherry laurel is undoubtedly one of the best in class among the fast-growing shrubs for the evergreen hedge. Strong in growth, tightly upright in habit and with dark green, shiny leaves, the cherry laurel fulfills the gardener’s wish for a dense hedge within a few years. Thanks to a good-natured cut tolerance, the growth can easily be controlled with the scissors. The popular shrub does not care whether the location is sunny or shady, as long as the soil there is fresh to moist and rich in nutrients.
- Annual growth: 40 to 60 cm
- Height: 200 to 350 cm
Firethorn ‘Red Column’ (Pyracantha coccinea)
After building your own home, the majestic firethorn will be used as a hedge to watch over your privacy after a short time. It is therefore not surprising that this ornamental shrub is one of the most popular initial plantings for fencing. In addition to rapid growth, the wood impresses with its evergreen, leathery leaves, white flowers in spring and fiery red berries in autumn. Reinforced with strong thorns, the shrub keeps uninvited visitors at a distance. The birds of the garden appreciate its advantages, to breed here in peace and to liven up the summer garden with their twittering.
- Annual growth: 30 to 60 cm
- Height: 200 to 300 cm
Conclusion
Fast-growing shrubs add shape and abundance to your garden. The dream of a magnificent privacy hedge becomes reality in no time thanks to its rapid growth. In the deciduous flowering shrubs category, buddleia, privet, curly willow, male willow and panicle hydrangea compete head-to-head. In the right location, black elder can usually keep up with the pace of growth. Further beauties of flowers bring it to an annual growth of up to half a meter, so that the design plans for the garden quickly take on the desired shape. The selection of fast-growing specimens is sparsely populated among evergreen shrubs. After all, with cherry laurel and firethorn, two premium woody plants compete with deciduous growth rockets.