26 beautiful flowering shrubs for season-long colour
Want lasting colour in your garden? Flowering shrubs are valuable additions to any outdoor space, offering year-round interest while attracting pollinators and providing privacy, depending on their size.
Which flowering shrub lasts the longest?
For long-lasting blooms, consider planting hydrangeas, azaleas, lilacs, roses, and fuchsias. While there's not one variety that blooms all year long, many of these shrubs will provide interest when little else is growing.
'Evergreen shrubs provide year-round features in the garden, making good screening plants and offering shelter for wildlife,' say the experts at Thompson & Morgan. 'Try rhododendrons for their vibrant spring flowers or photinia for a burst of red on newly emerging shoots. The beautiful flowers and berries of mahonia, pyracantha, and sarcococca will further enhance your garden's seasonal display.'
Do flowering shrubs thrive in full sun?
Yes, many flowering shrubs can thrive in full sun. You should always research the variety of flowering shrubs you're interested in first to make sure you know how much water it needs, the type of soil it grows well in, and whether or not it will rebloom.
Keep reading to find a list of 26 flowering shrubs that will bring life to your outdoor space.
Mountain Laurel
Mountain laurel, also known as Kalmia latifolia, is a beautiful evergreen shrub. The white or pale pink bell-shaped flowers start out as deep pink buds, which start to come out in the late spring to early summer.
Even after the petals fall off, this beautiful shrub is still stunning, thanks to its glossy leaves that transition from light green to a deep purplish hue throughout the year.
Japanese Kerria
A popular choice for UK gardens, this striking flowering shrub produces bright yellow blooms that resemble a cross between a pom-pom and a rose.
The Japanese kerria first blooms in the spring amongst light green leaves, and as the seasons continue to change, the flowers fall off, and bright green stems remain in the winter.
Azalea
Suitable for both container gardening and ground planting, Azela blooms primarily in the spring. Offering season-long colour and interest, these shrubs thrive in shade and moist soil. Choose from a range of colours, including pink, white, red, and purple.
Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese quince)
Flowering quince (Chaenomeles) are prized for their early spring flowers and aromatic fruit. The petals are very vibrant, especially next to the dark green foliage, and come in a range of hues from bright scarlet-orange to crisp white to a loud pink.
Philadelphus 'Virginal' (Mock Orange)
This beautiful white flowering shrub deserves a prominent spot in garden borders. With beautiful clusters of flowers and a strong orange scent, it's the perfect plant for informal hedging.
This shrub blossoms for several weeks in late spring to early summer, producing elegant white flowers that cover the entire plant.
Japanese Andromeda
The dangling bell-shaped flowers of the Japanese andromeda plant are what make them so desired. Blooming in pink or white in early spring, this flowering shrub is evergreen and makes for an elegant addition to any garden.
Flowering Currant
The flowering currant is a medium-sized shrub that produces beautiful clusters of drooping flowers starting in early to mid-spring. The petals are typically a pink or red hue, which turn into small, dark blue edible berries. Because these shrubs flower so early, they provide early nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds to enjoy.
Ceanothus
Perfect for sunny borders, Ceanothus, or the California lilac, is a flowering shrub with deep blue flowers in late spring, and it's a great pollinator plant for bees and butterflies.
The team at Thompson & Morgan say, 'This compact evergreen shrub features dark green, bronze-tinged leaves and stunning cobalt-blue flower clusters that attract bees in late spring and early summer.'
Cornus 'Royal Red'
From May until July, this flowering shrub produces a cluster of reddish flowers that dazzle against its dark green leaves. A slow grower, it's suitable for both borders and large containers.
Lavatera
The lavatera plant produces showy and large funnel-shaped flowers that bloom in shades of pink, purple, and white. They're in the mallow plant family, and depending on the species you get, they can grow anywhere between two and three feet to 10 feet tall.
Fuchsia
Fuchsias grow happily in many gardens, though they can be slightly fussy about moisture and temperature (keep them in sunny spots with light shade). They can be planted in borders, beds, window boxes, hanging baskets and containers. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong blooming.
Rockrose
This evergreen flowering shrub produces flowers in a range of hues, from white to purple, with bright golden stamens that bloom in the spring and summer. The rockrose, also known as Cistus, loves full sunlight and is fairly drought-resistant once established.
Weigela
With funnel-shaped pink flowers, the Weigela is among the best flowering shrubs. The graceful arching shape looks wonderful if you give it plenty of space to spread. Reblooming types will flower again sporadically throughout the summer.
Camellia
Camellias provide a dash of colour and structure to any garden, big or small. For best results, plant in a sheltered spot with partial shade. Avoid direct sunlight, which can scorch blooms and leaves.
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.
Butterfly Bush
As you might suspect, this fast-growing shrub attracts a wide variety of butterflies and other pollinators. One of the best drought-resistant plants, they are known for thriving on neglect and can grow happily in poor soil conditions.
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.
Lilac
Ranging from pale pink to deep purple, the conical blooms of this old-fashioned spring bloomer are beautifully 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.
Abelia 'Edward Goucher'
Abelia has beautiful pink, purple, or peachy bell-shaped flowers in late spring. A popular choice for cottage garden borders, it's a lovely feature in sunny borders and has a habit of arching around frames.
Rhododendron
Showy spring flowers in purple, pink, yellow, or 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.
Deutzia
This spring-blooming shrub has a mounded form with gracefully arching branches.
Thomson & Morgan say: 'Ideal for ground cover, borders, or containers, this stunning, low-growing hardy shrub produces a long-lasting display of delicate, star-shaped, white flowers with a delicate pink blush from late spring.'
Ninebark
Add colour to a mixed border with this elegant shrub, dotted with clusters of white and pink flowers. 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.
Crape Myrtle
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.
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 autumn. Plus, bees and butterflies love it. Plant it in masses along borders for maximum impact.
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 a 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.
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 autumn, and papery dried blooms that linger on the plant over the winter. Choose from a range of colours to suit your plot, including white, blue, pink, purple, and more.
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