- Flowering shrubs add color and warmth to your landscape.poinsettia hedge 1. image by mdb from Fotolia.com
Flowering shrubs suitable for your region of the country can provide spring, summer or fall flowers on perennial or evergreen bushes. Many of these shrubs are low-care when grown in appropriate regions, needing only sufficient water, light and seasonal fertilization to flourish. Flowering shrubs should be planted based on their mature height so they can enhance any landscape by bursting with your choice of colors. - The showy forsythia blooms in March and April.Forsythia Flowers image by Courtenay Smith from Fotolia.com
The beauty of the azalea lies in its versatility. According to the Azalea Society of America, the plant is available in 10,000 species and hybrids, offering a large range of flower colors, leaf colors and petal shapes. You can choose a color you like from plants in solid and bicolor shades of white, yellow, red, pink and purple. Azaleas perform well in USDA Hardiness Zone 6 through Zone 8. Some of the plants are evergreen, while others have deciduous properties. Mature plants rarely exceed 3 feet in height. Depending on the type, azaleas bloom in early spring or during the summer months.
The forsythia is also deciduous and works well in USDA Hardiness Zone 5. Each spring the willowy plant covers its branches with small, tightly packed yellow flowers. Reaching a height of 8 feet to 10 feet and a width of 10 feet to 12 feet, forsythia makes an early spring statement when planted alone or used as a natural hedge or border plant. Blooms last up to three weeks, and summer foliage consists of small dark-green leaves that drop each fall. - One of the many sage species, Texas sage has red or purple flowers.sage bush on eroding sandstone, Utah image by Lars Lachmann from Fotolia.com
Texas sage is a good flowering shrub that grows with little care in USDA Hardiness Zone 4 through Zone 10. The leaves of the plant are silver-green. Flower color will depend on the variety of the plant. Red, lavender or purple blooming spires are produced by the plant from spring to early fall. Plant height can range from 2 feet to 5 feet tall, depending on the variety. This is a full-sun plant that is drought-tolerant.
Native to Mississippi and appropriate for USDA Hardiness Zone 4 through Zone 5, witch hazel grows up to 15 feet in height. This deciduous shrub produces large scalloped leaves and fragrant yellow flowers in the late fall and winter months. According to the Mississippi State University Extension, witch hazel grows into a spreading, sculptural form that makes it a focal point of a backyard landscape. - The California lilac is a native evergreen flowering shrub.lilac image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
Oleander provides a year-round show of large, brightly colored flowers. This fast-growing evergreen shrub grows with little care in USDA Hardiness Zone 9 through Zone 11. Large flowers sprout from branches full of slender green leaves. Plants can grow up to 15 feet tall and 6 feet wide, but it can be controlled with annual pruning. Parts of this full-sun plant are toxic if ingested, making it a plant that may not be appropriate for use around small children or pets.
The California lilac is considered a native species of lilac. This evergreen bush will grow to 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide in USDA Hardiness Zone 9 through Zone 11. Large, fragrant lilac blooms are present on the plant in the spring. This is a plant that, once established, is long-lasting with little care. California lilac can be grown in full sun or partial shade.
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