• Brighten your landscape with a variety of popular landscape plants.Jacqueline Veissid/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  When it comes to choosing plants for your landscape, you might be overwhelmed by the variety offered by your local nursery. Limit your choices by selecting some of the more common plants, shrubs and trees for your climate. Certain plants are more popular than others because of their hardiness, tolerance to pests, low maintenance and reasonable initial investment. Though your final choice for landscaping plants should depend on your climate and aesthetic, common plants are reliable additions to most exterior spaces.
  
  

Bayberry

• Bayberry, or myrica, shrubs are deciduous shrubs that adapt to a wide range of soil and climate conditions and are hardy to zone 2. Bayberry shrubs are ideal for lining foundations or walkways because most varieties grow to as tall as 8 feet. Bayberry shrubs sport small white or pale blue flowers in the spring and small inedible berries in cooler months. Bayberries are low-maintenance shrubs that are highly resistant to insects and diseases.
  
  

Dogwood

• Dogwoods display colorful flowers during the spring blooming season.dogwood and maple image by Bobby4237 from Fotolia.com
  
  Dogwoods are a class of trees and shrubs that feature smooth branches, small green leaves and a variety of colorful flowers during the blooming season. Swamp dogwood, common dogwood and silky dogwood are more common deciduous shrubs that are hardy throughout the northern parts of the United States and southern parts of Canada. Line your walkway or front fence with a flowering variety to add character and color to your landscape without the costs and time of heavy pruning or watering.
  
  

Forsythia

• Forsythia shrubs are tall, impressive deciduous shrubs that sport yellow flowers during the spring.forsythia image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
  
  For a bold and bright addition to your landscape, opt for the impressive forsythia bush, a landscaping plant prized for its sunny yellow flowers and low maintenance. Forsythia bushes grow as tall as 6 feet and feature sprigs of small yellow flowers during their long spring blooming season. Forsythia are hardy from zones 5 through 8 and may be grown in most areas of the United States.
  
  

Lilac

• Lilac bushes feature full clusters of small, delicate flowers in springtime.lilac image by Galina Shane from Fotolia.com
  
  Lilac shrubs are available in about 20 different species that vary in terms of their size, flower shape and hardiness. Most lilac shrub varieties grow to between 6 and 10 feet tall, though some species may be as tall as 25 feet. Lilac shrubs feature smooth branches that sprout impressive clusters of small white, blue or purple flowers that are known for their distinct fragrance and romantic appearance. Many hardy varieties of lilac, like White Persian or James Macfarlane, tolerate temperate ranges from zones 7 through 2.
  
  

Hydrangea

• Hydrangeas offer blooms in shades of white, pink, blue and purple.hydrangeas image by Ruslana Stovner from Fotolia.com
  
  Hydrangea bushes include over 20 species; the most common variety, Hydrangea macrophylla or bigleaf hydrangea, is hardy to zone 6, but more tolerant species, like Panicle hydrangea, thrive in colder areas through zone 4. Hydrangeas are large border shrubs that can be as tall as 15 feet depending on the variety. The flower clusters of hydrangeas are large and bulbous and range in color from pure white to deep pink; some clusters can be as wide as 12 inches across, making hydrangeas a highly ornamental choice for landscapes.
  
  

Marigolds

• Sunny marigolds add color to a landscape.Marigolds 2 image by pognyc from Fotolia.com
  
  If you are just looking to fill flower boxes or the spaces between larger bushes in your yard, consider marigolds as a standard option for added color and whimsy to an outdoor space. With over 50 species to choose from, you are bound to find a marigold suitable to your climate, soil conditions and preference for size and color. For the least maintenance, opt for a perennial variety, though annuals are typically easy to grow during reseeding in the spring. In addition to filling in space and adding bright color to your landscape, some marigolds emit a fragrance that deters insect pests that might harm other landscape plants.