If you haven't planted flowering shrubs in your backyard garden, you're missing out! While annuals and perennials are essential in your garden, shrubs add another layer of beauty to your outdoor space. Flowering shrubs also attract pollinators, provide screening, and brighten up the garden with colorful summer blooms. Best of all, they'll live for years, so they're a great long-term investment in your garden.
Many new varieties of flowering shrubs have been bred to be more petite, so you can enjoy their colorful flowers even if you don't have a huge yard. The most important thing to remember is that you must choose a shrub that is suited to survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (check it using this USDA guide). Also, read the plant tag so you know what kind of light it needs. Full sun is considered six or more hours of direct sunlight per day, while part sun is about half that.
When planting, make sure you dig a hole about twice the size of the container, then place your shrub in the hole at the same depth it was in the pot. Backfill the soil, tamp it down well to remove air pockets, and water it well. Keep the shrub watered—but not soaking wet—for the first season because you want it to get well established. Give it a good soaking every few days (rather than a tiny amount of water every day) to help it establish deep roots.
Ahead, find a few of our favorite flowering shrubs that work beautifully in any garden.
Weigela
The tubular flowers of this spring-blooming shrub are much loved by hummingbirds. The graceful arching shape looks wonderful if you give it plenty of space to spread. Reblooming types will bloom again sporadically throughout the summer.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Camellia
The gorgeous blooms of camellias almost don't look real! This evergreen shrub flowers from late winter into summer, depending on the variety. Read the plant tag or description so you'll know what you're buying.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10
Forsythia
Just when you've had enough of winter, the bright yellow blooms of forsythia appear even before the foliage. This easy-care shrub makes a great (and inexpensive) privacy screen too. Look for a more compact size if you have a smaller garden.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Butterfly Bush
As you might suspect, this fast-growing shrub attracts tons of butterflies and other pollinators. Newer types are not invasive, and they also are more compact, ranging from a foot tall to four or five feet tall.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Shrub Rose
Roses aren't as finicky as you might think. Shrub roses are some of the easiest types to grow, and many new varieties are more cold hardy and disease resistant too.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 11
Lilac
Ranging from pale pink to deep purple, the conical blooms of this old-fashioned spring bloomer are intoxicatingly fragrant. Lilacs make a great hedge or accent and also attract butterflies. New types are more compact and rebloom throughout the season, so they're great for smaller gardens.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
Abelia
Abelia has beautiful pink, purple, or peachy bell-shaped flowers in late spring. New types are more cold hardy. Plant it in a mixed border alongside perennials.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9
Rhododendron
Showy spring flowers in purples, pinks, yellow, and white pop against the glossy green foliage of this shrub. New varieties of rhododendron are more cold tolerant, but make sure it gets dappled shade.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Rose of Sharon
In late summer when many other flowering shrubs have lost steam, this plant is in its full glory with pink, white, lavender, or even blue flowers that bloom well into fall. New types grow in a column (pillar) shape that's sized right for small gardens.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Deutzia
This spring-blooming shrub has a mounded form with gracefully arching branches. Some types are low growing and work well as a beautiful ground cover too.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
Ninebark
This native plant has elegant arching branches dotted with clusters of creamy white or pink flowers in late spring. It's fast growing and can become quite large, so give it plenty of room or look for dwarf varieties if you're tight on space. Some types have beautiful wine-colored or golden-orange foliage.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
Crape Myrtle
Some like it hot! These lovely shrubs ignore the heat and bloom all summer long with frilly, vibrant flowers in shades of white, purple, crimson, or pink. Some types become small trees; others are dwarf varieties that remain three to four feet tall and wide.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 9
Caryopteris
As the rest of your garden winds down, this little beauty is taking off. This sun lover, also called bluebeard, has charming blue blooms from late summer to fall. Plus, bees and butterflies love it! Plant it in masses along borders for maximum impact.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Spirea
This reliable bloomer rarely needs your attention. New types maintain their mounded shape without pruning. Long-lasting clusters of red, white, or pink flowers offer beautiful contrast against lime green, deep green, or gold foliage. It's equally at home in mass plantings, as a low hedge, or alongside perennials.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Hydrangea
This stunning shrub is one of the few plants that can be grown in almost every climate. You'll get three seasons of display: bright flowers in summer, faded tones in fall, and papery dried blooms that linger on the plant over the winter. These shrubs are categorized into types (panicle, smooth, oakleaf, bigleaf, and mountain) that have different needs, so read the plant tag before buying.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 10
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