Selecting a Flowering Shrub
Shrubs provide a visual transition between trees and smaller annuals and perennials. Flowering shrubs make excellent foundation plants. Use them as accent plants or grouped in mass plantings, planted in rows for privacy, and mixed in beds with annuals, perennials or bulbs. In addition to color, many provide fragrance as well.
Here's a short list of other favorite flowering shrubs and their USDA Plant Hardiness Zone rating. Check your local Lowe's Garden Center for other regional favorites.
Some smaller ornamental trees are considered shrubs in certain cases. Methods of pruning and environment affect their size. Crepe myrtles, dogwoods, magnolias and redbuds are examples. See Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.
Hydrangea is a popular flowering shrub with an interesting trait. The bloom color varies from pink to blue based on the pH of the soil. Soils that are considered alkaline produce pink blossoms. Acidic soils produce blue/purple blooms.
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Best Shrubs for Preferred Features
While the best shrubs for your garden will ultimately come down to subjective individual preference, here's a quick primer on great options, depending on what features you're looking for.
- Fragrance: If fragrance is an important feature for you, consider boomerang lilacs or Aphrodite sweetshrubs, which are both well-known for distinctively sweet-smelling blooms.
- Privacy: If you want a shrub that will double as a privacy screening, consider the arborvitae or "green giant," one of the evergreen flowering shrubs that grows rapidly and provides plentiful coverage.
- Flower size: If you prefer larger flowers, consider the mountain laurel, which produces crowns ranging up to about 10 feet.
- Height: If you're looking for taller shrubs, consider the Rosebay rhododendron, which typically ranges in height between 15 and 30 feet.
Ensuring the Longevity of Your Shrubs
Optimizing the use of your shrubs starts when you put them in the ground. Plant flowering shrubs according to the information on the plant tag. Sunlight requirements, planting depth and spacing are important considerations when choosing planting sites. If space allows, plant various species for a succession of blooms from early spring through fall.
Once planted, there are several common causes to explain why your flowering shrub might not be blooming properly:
- Too Much Shade: Like most blooming plants, flowering shrubs need exposure to full or partial sun to produce their best flowers.
- Improper Pruning: In general, flowering shrubs are pruned soon after their blooming period has ended. Pruning at other times removes growth that would have otherwise produced buds and blooms. Determine the recommended pruning times and methods for your plants.
- No Food: Fertilize newly planted shrubs for the first three to five years (until they're established). As plants mature, so do their root systems, allowing better uptake of nutrients in the surrounding soil. Be sure to feed at the drip line, where absorption occurs.
- Wrong Food: Feeding with a high nitrogen fertilizer will increase foliage at the expense of blooms. Look for a fertilizer with higher phosphorus content to promote blooming. Your best practice is to use a food specially formulated for your shrub. Check out our Fertilizer Buying Guide to learn more.
- Age of the Plant: Many flowering shrubs and trees must reach a certain age before they blossom. Lilacs are a good example. Be patient and don't give up on an otherwise healthy plant.
- Cold Weather: Unseasonably warm weather can "trick" plants into trying to break dormancy. If cold weather returns, tender new buds can be damaged. Usually, the damage isn't permanent and only affects the upcoming season's blooms. See Prepare Your Lawn and Garden for Winter to learn about getting ready for cold weather.