30 Beautiful Flowering Shrubs That Will Add MAJOR Seasonal Color to Your Yard
House Beautiful April 7, 2025
Lifestyle
House Beautiful April 7, 2025
Lifestyle
Winter is finally over, meaning that it's almost time to say "hello" to vibrant blooms, warmer weather, and the end of seasonal affective disorder. Now that we've officially (and finally) entered spring after a seemingly endless winter, it's time to start planning your home's landscaping ASAP. Whether you love to entertain and host outdoors or you simply love spending alone time out in your sunny garden with a good book, your yard should always look its best. Plus, it's one of the most important features of your exterior when it comes to boosting your curb appeal. A surefire way to create a private escape and add personality and beauty to your property? Plant flowering shrubs in your yard for all to appreciate.
Flowering shrubs aren't just for adding beauty to your garden. They're wonderful attractors of important pollinators, and they can even provide privacy to your yard, depending on how large they are. These bursts of blooms are favorites of landscape designers for a reason, as there are plenty of varieties that can thrive in a range of environments and leave your yard looking colorful and beautiful for months.
Even in the most agreeable environments for flowering shrubs, there's unfortunately not one variety that blooms all year long. Since plants have growing cycles, it used to be much more challenging to find shrubs and other perennials that leave you with blooms all spring, summer, and autumn long. However, thanks to plant breeders, there are now many kinds of flowering shrubs that rebloom throughout the season or are longer lasting. Hydrangeas, azaleas, and lilacs are all flowering shrubs that have reblooming varieties.
In short: Yes, many flowering shrubs can thrive in full sun! However, that's not the only aspect you must keep in mind when choosing which ones to plant in your yard. The USDA Hardiness Zone you live in is extremely important when it comes to knowing which shrubs will be able to thrive outside your home. Plus, 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 30 flowering shrubs that will bring so much life to your outdoor space, transforming your yard into a botanical paradise.
Mountain laurel, also known as Kalmia latifolia, is a beautiful evergreen shrub that's also the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania. 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.
Native to both China and Japan, 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 you're left with bright green stems in the winter.
This popular flowering shrub comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, blooming primarily in the spring. Most of these stunning azalea bushes are evergreen, and their funnel-shaped blooms can be found in a range of colors, such as pink, white, red, and purple.
Flowering quince is a wonderful addition to your garden or yard if you want early blooms, as this shrub flowers in early spring. 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.
This evergreen flowering shrub produces small, fragrant clusters of pale pink flowers starting in late spring, which then turn into tiny red fruits in the fall. Carol Mackie shrubs are rather short and prefer partial shade, and while they're delicately beautiful, they're extremely toxic if ingested.
If you want an extremely fragrant flowering shrub that smells like orange blossoms with a hint of pineapple, then you should consider planting mock orange in your yard. This shrub blossoms for several weeks in late spring to early summer, producing elegant white flowers that cover the entire plant.
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.
The Nanking cherry is a winter-hardy flowering shrub with beautiful flowers that turn into delicious fruits. The petals start as pink buds, then unfold into fragrant white flowers that last from early spring to early summer before transforming into red cherries.
Before the American cranberrybush shows off those vibrant red fruits, it produces delicate white florets surrounded by larger white flowers. It would look lovely in any part of your yard, though we recommend planting it somewhere it can easily be seen, as it's stunning in all four seasons.
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, or the California lilac, is a flowering shrub native to North America. They're fast-growing and very eye-catching thanks to their clusters of tiny purple flowers and lovely dark green foliage.
With star-shaped blooms and pointed, dark green leaves, the Japanese dogwood shrub is very striking. The petals are creamy white, turning into pinkish-red fruits in the summer and throughout the fall. It is a flowering shrub which will be beautiful all year long, despite having no flowers or leaves in the winter.
Similar to hibiscus, 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.
The flowers that bloom from the fuchsia plant are extremely unique and ornamental, making them stunning choices for your garden. This flowering shrub first blooms in late spring and goes into early fall, with some varieties blooming year-round depending on the conditions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 shape that's the perfect size for small gardens.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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