If you don’t have much experience with plants or have moved into your first home, these shrubs are very easy to grow and will provide wonderful blooms for a low-maintenance landscape.
There are so many wonderful flowering shrubs to choose from. Flowering shrubs are colorful additions to any landscape and can also serve as a backdrop for perennial gardens. There are many flowering shrubs that are easy to grow and low maintenance. So you can have blooms without the work of annual and perennial gardens.
To ensure that your shrubs grow healthy, bloom well, and are low maintenance, it is very important that you select shrubs that do well in your soil type, sun conditions, and region. A reputable nursery can help you to select the best shrubs for your planting site.
1. Bluebeard Caryopteris
Bluebeard Caryopteris is a great flowering shrub that is very easy to grow.
It puts up with heat and drought and attracts birds and butterflies.
Lovely airy spikes of blue bloom clusters are produced in late summer and are great for cutting. Well-behaved caryopteris remains around 4 feet tall.
Hardy in zones 5 through 9.
2. Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush has been a long-time favorite of gardeners for landscapes and perennial gardens. Hardy in zones 5 through 9, it is adaptable and grows quickly to as much as 10 feet tall and produces lovely drooping panicles of blooms in summer to fall.
Smaller varieties such as ‘Adonis Blue’ will remain about 4 to 5 feet tall. If you pinch off spent flowers the blooming will be extended and heavy pruning will produce heavy blooming the following year.
Butterfly bush is pretty adaptable, so all you have to do is prune it hard in late winter or very early spring and give it a light feeding as soon as growth begins.
3. Buttonbush
Buttonbush does very well in moist soil and is hardy in zones 5 through 10.
Late spring produces button balls of white blooms that attract butterflies.
4. Forsythia
Forsythia, the harbinger of spring, is covered with brilliant yellow blooms in very early spring.
Hardy in zones 5 through 8, you should be able to just let Forsythia do its thing without even pruning because it blooms on old wood.
5. Hydrangea
Hydrangea is no longer just snowball bushes from your grandma’s garden.
There are so many new varieties, but do be careful with your selection.
Some of the new hybrids are high maintenance and do not grow vigorously.
For an easy and beautiful hydrangea, stick to the old-fashioned varieties or get as much information as possible from a trusted garden center.
Related: Growing Blue Hydrangea
6. Mock Orange
Mock Orange is surprisingly easy to grow under large trees where it is typically very difficult to grow.
It tolerates the dry nutrient-starved soil with part shade and still produces delicate fragrant flowers in spring or early summer.
It is Hardy in zones 5 through 9.
7. Mountain Laurel
Mountain Laurel is a great shrub for shade, part shade, or sun, depending on your region.
Hot summer regions should plant in shade to part shade, and cooler summer regions should plant in full sun.
Pretty pastel flower clusters are produced in early summer, and the rich glossy green leaves look great all year.
Hardy in zones 4 through 8, Mountain Laurel will reach 7 to 15 feet tall.
8. Lilac
Lilacs are the old-fashioned staple of landscapes, but the varieties available now are far from old-fashioned.
The lovely fragrance of lilacs will grace your property every spring with just a quick shearing after the spring bloom period.
Most are hardy in zones 2 or 3 through 7 and can reach 15 feet tall.
9. Potentilla
Potentillas are likely the very easiest flowering shrub to grow, they literally thrive on neglect.
Because they have been so widely planted, they seem to be considered “too common”.
There are many newer varieties available, but if you want the easiest to grow, stick with the highly reliable old-fashioned originals.
You will find them with yellow, pink or white flowers. Very hardy, they do well in zones 2 or 3 through 7.
10. Rhododendron
Rhododendrons have such beautiful blooms that you might think they must require tedious care.
But they do grow and flower beautifully in part shade with very little attention.
A good selection of vivid bloom colors is available with an overall size range from dwarf to 12 feet tall. T
hese tough beauties are generally hardy all the way to zone 4.
11. Rose of Sharon
The Rose of Sharon, of the hibiscus family, is gorgeous in bloom.
They really require little in the way of care and still reward you with tons of big blooms from early summer and into fall.
The tall vase-shaped shrub only needs full sun, well-drained soil, and regular watering.
Find a sterile variety unless you want a lot of self-seeded volunteers.
Hardy in zones 5 through 9, Rose of Sharon tolerates heat and humidity well.
12. Roses
Roses should not scare you off these days.
There are dozens of varieties now that produce beautiful shrubs full of blooms all summer with no more care than an ordinary shrub.
Look for modern shrub roses like the Knock Out series roses, Pavement Roses or Rugosa Roses.
Just ask your trusted garden center for low-maintenance shrub roses and they can direct you to the ones that flourish easily in your region.
Related: How to Select the Best Roses for your Garden
13. Spirea
Spirea is planted quite commonly because of their easygoing manner.
The shrubs are well-behaved at about 4 feet and produce summer blooms.
If you shear off the spent blooms another light flush of blooms will appear.
Many also have great colorful foliage to boot. Hardy in zones 4 through 9.
Read more on Spireas here.
14. Viburnum
Viburnum is a tough and vigorous shrub that grows lush with deep green foliage.
They don’t all flower, so make sure you get one that does, such as ‘Korean Spice’, ‘Onondago’ or ‘Semperflorens’.
Red fruits are often produced after flowering.
Read more on Viburnums.
15. Weigela
Weigela is so lovely, with long arching branches filled with blooms.
More compact varieties are also available, and you will find red, pink, or fuscia blooms as well as interesting foliage options.
Most Weigela will bloom from spring until fall, but spring produces the largest flush of blooms. They are hardy in zones 3 through 9.
These are some of the easiest to grow and maintain, but this list is really only the beginning.
Most shrubs are pretty easy to grow as long as you give them the sun, soil, water, and nutrients that they need.
Flowering shrubs can be just as easy if you select the right ones. Some may need just a little pruning and fertilizer to encourage lots of blooms.
Next Page Shrubs that Grow Well in Moist Soil or Shade
As a seasoned horticulturist with a deep passion for plants and extensive hands-on experience in landscaping, I'm here to guide you through the intricacies of selecting and cultivating flowering shrubs for a low-maintenance landscape. My expertise stems from years of working in nurseries, designing gardens, and fostering a personal commitment to sustainable and thriving plant life.
Let's delve into the concepts embedded in the article you provided, shedding light on each recommended flowering shrub:
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Bluebeard Caryopteris:
- Characteristics: A resilient shrub that withstands heat and drought, featuring airy spikes of blue bloom clusters in late summer.
- Growing Conditions: Thrives in zones 5 through 9.
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Butterfly Bush:
- Characteristics: A favorite for landscapes and perennial gardens, it grows quickly with lovely drooping panicles of blooms in summer to fall.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 5 through 9, adaptable to pruning and feeding for extended and heavy blooming.
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Buttonbush:
- Characteristics: Flourishes in moist soil, producing button balls of white blooms in late spring and attracting butterflies.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 5 through 10.
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Forsythia:
- Characteristics: A harbinger of spring with brilliant yellow blooms in early spring, blooming on old wood.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 5 through 8, low maintenance with minimal pruning.
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Hydrangea:
- Characteristics: Diverse varieties with old-fashioned ones recommended for easy and beautiful growth.
- Growing Conditions: Varied, but selecting the right hydrangea based on information from a trusted garden center is crucial.
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Mock Orange:
- Characteristics: Surprisingly easy to grow under large trees, tolerant of dry, nutrient-starved soil, producing fragrant flowers in spring or early summer.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 5 through 9.
-
Mountain Laurel:
- Characteristics: Ideal for shade, part shade, or sun, producing pastel flower clusters in early summer.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 4 through 8, with planting recommendations based on summer temperature regions.
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Lilac:
- Characteristics: Modern varieties with the traditional lilac fragrance, requiring a quick shearing after the spring bloom period.
- Growing Conditions: Most are hardy in zones 2 or 3 through 7, reaching heights of 15 feet.
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Potentilla:
- Characteristics: Extremely easy to grow, thriving on neglect, available in yellow, pink, or white flowers.
- Growing Conditions: Very hardy, suitable for zones 2 or 3 through 7.
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Rhododendron:
- Characteristics: Beautiful blooms in part shade with minimal attention, offering a range of vivid colors and size options.
- Growing Conditions: Generally hardy, thriving in zones 4 and above.
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Rose of Sharon:
- Characteristics: Requires little care, abundant big blooms from early summer to fall, prefers full sun, well-drained soil, and regular watering.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 5 through 9, tolerates heat and humidity.
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Roses:
- Characteristics: Dozens of low-maintenance varieties available, such as Knock Out series, Pavement Roses, and Rugosa Roses.
- Growing Conditions: Recommendations for easy flourishing based on regional adaptability.
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Spirea:
- Characteristics: Well-behaved at about 4 feet, produces summer blooms, and can have colorful foliage.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 4 through 9, with the potential for additional blooms through deadheading.
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Viburnum:
- Characteristics: A tough and vigorous shrub with deep green foliage, flowering varieties like ‘Korean Spice,’ ‘Onondago,’ or ‘Semperflorens.’
- Growing Conditions: Flowering viburnums in various zones, producing red fruits after flowering.
-
Weigela:
- Characteristics: Lovely blooms on long arching branches, available in compact varieties with red, pink, or fuscia blooms.
- Growing Conditions: Hardy in zones 3 through 9, with blooms from spring until fall.
This curated list of flowering shrubs caters to ease of growth and low maintenance, offering a diverse range of options for different conditions and preferences. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned gardener, selecting the right shrubs based on your region, soil type, and sunlight conditions is paramount for a thriving and vibrant landscape.
