26 Great Flowering Shrubs for Sunny Locations

Growing shrubs with colorful flowers in sun-drenched spots in your yard is one of the best ways to make your landscape pop with a blooming focal point. Shrubs that thrive in full sun must receive six to eight hours of direct sunlight, ideally between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Here is a list of 26 recommended shrubs for full sun and different hardiness zones. The sun-loving shrubs in this group have been selected for their beautiful bloom. They cover a range of bloom times so you can create a complete sequence of blooms from spring to fall.

01 of 26
Abelia

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Shrubs in the Abelia genus are valued for their vibrant foliage and long blooming season that extends from spring until fall. Their tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. The pointed, oval-shaped leaves are often yellow or green with pink, orange, bronze, or burgundy details. Some are multi-colored or variegated and even change color as the seasons change.
- Name: Abelia (Abelia spp.)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-11
- Bloom Time: Spring, summer, fall
- Flower Color: Pink, yellow, white
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Loamy, moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 2-10 ft. tall, 2-8 ft. wide
02 of 26
Beauty Bush

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Native to central China, this upright, arching, and vase-shaped has a fountain-like appearance. It puts on a show from April to May when it is covered with an abundance of bell-shaped pink flowers. The best flowering is achieved in full sun whereas partial filtered shade produces the best leaf color. Over time, the shrub may become very dense and overgrown and benefits from pruning it back to the ground every few years.
- Name: Beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Late spring
- Flower Color: Pink
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 6-10 ft. tall, 6-8 ft. wide
03 of 26
Black Lace Elderberry

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Black Lace elderberry is a trademarked elderberry cultivar. Like several other cultivars of black elderberry, it was bred for its ornamental appeal and not for edible berries. The lacy leaves are almost black and the pretty, lemon-scented flowers appear in flat-topped clusters. At the southern end of its zone range, the shrub benefits from some afternoon shade.
- Name: Black Lace elderberry (Sambucus nigra 'Eva')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-7
- Bloom Time: Early to midsummer
- Flower Color: Light pink
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 6–8 feet tall and wide
- Toxicity: Toxic to humans and pets
04 of 26
Blue Beard

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One of the few plants that produce genuinely blue flowers, blue beard, also called blue mist or blue spirea, blooms from midsummer into early fall. This rare shrub is a hybrid between two species native to Asia. It is sometimes planted as a low hedge, but also works well planted in groups or masses. In cooler climates, the shrub dies back to the ground each winter like a woody perennial.
- Name: Blue beard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall
- Flower Color: Blue
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Dry to medium moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 2–4 ft. tall and wide
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05 of 26
Blueblossom

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Blueblossom is one of the California lilacs (Ceanothus), a genus that comprises around fifty pollinator-friendly, drought-tolerant shrubs. This is a very hardy evergreen with a short trunk and spreading branches. You'll often see it cascading over low walls. The flower buds are pink-lavender and the spike-like clusters of flowers from mid-May to mid-June are true blue, a rare occurrence in the plant world.
- Name: Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: Blue
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 4-14 ft. tall, 5-14 ft. wide
06 of 26
Blue Chip Butterfly Bush

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The traditional butterfly bush (Buddleia) is famous for drawing butterflies to your landscaping but infamous for being invasive in some regions. Enter the cultivar 'Blue Chip', a summertime bloomer that is sterile and thus non-invasive. It flowers continuously from June into September. 'Blue Chip' is also a nicely compact cultivar, topping out at about 2 feet tall. In some climates, this plant dies back to the ground in the winter, and is thus considered a herbaceous perennial.
- Name: Blue Chip butterfly bush (Buddleia x 'Blue Chip')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Flower Color: Blue, purple
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Medium moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 24-36 in. tall and wide
07 of 26
Candy Oh Rose

David Beaulieu

The Candy Oh rose falls into the category known as landscape roses (also called shrub roses). These rose bushes are known for being low-maintenance, which makes them a good choice for beginners who are intimidated by the reputation of roses as being temperamental. 'Candy Oh' does not have the great smell for which many roses are famous, but its prolific bloom more than makes up for it visually.
- Name: Candy Oh! (Rosa x 'ZLEMatinCipar')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Summer, fall
- Flower Color: Pinkish red
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 3-4 ft. tall and wide
08 of 26
Chinese Fringe Flower

The Spruce / K. Dave

These evergreen, multistemmed shrubs are mostly known for their delicate, subtly fragrant blooms. They are relatives of the witch hazel which shows in the similarity of the fringe-like blooms. Aside from their frilly flowers, the foliage of the Chinese fringe flower is also appealing, changing colors throughout the year from hues of red to deep green.
- Name: Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-10
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: Pink, red, white, yellow
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained
- Mature Size: 6-10 ft. tall and wide
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09 of 26
Common Lilac

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If you want a flowering shrub with an in-your-face fragrance, there is no better than common lilac. Blooming in early to midspring, a nearby lilac is identified by its scent long before you see it. Lilac shrubs quickly grow quite large and spread by suckers. Other lilac species are easier to control, such as 'Miss Kim', a popular dwarf lilac cultivar.
- Name: Common lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: White, purple, burgundy, reddish-purple
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Loamy, well-drained
- Mature Size: 12-16 ft. tall, 8-12 ft. wide
10 of 26
Cotton Rose

The Spruce / K. Dave

The stems of this large, fast-growing shrub grow tall and wide enough to become tree-like. The plant's flowers, however, are its real show-stopping feature. The flowers start white or light pink and within one to three days, the color changes to a magenta pink and then a dark pink to red. The blooms last for several more days. The shrub usually will have flowers at various stages of the color-change process on it all at once, providing exceptional visual interest.
- Name: Cotton rose (Hibiscus mutabilis)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-11
- Bloom Time: Summer, fall
- Flower Color: White, pink, red
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Loamy, well-drained
- Mature Size: 6–15 ft. tall, 6–10 ft. wide
11 of 26
Daphne

The Spruce / K. Dave

Daphnes are relatively small, nicely rounded shrubs that are good choices for small yards. They produce white to light pink tubular flowers in spring or early winter in warm climates. The small, oblong, light green leaves are evergreen in warm climates. In cold climates, they are deciduous. Varieties such as 'Carol Mackie' are especially prized for their variegated foliage.
- Name: Daphne (Daphne spp.)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: White, pink
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 1–5 ft. tall, 2–6 ft. wide
- Toxicity: Toxic to humans and pets
12 of 26
Doublefile Viburnum

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Doublefile vibernum is a particular genetic form of V. plicatum that features flat-topped flower clusters forming two rows across the tops of the branches. Its white blooms appear in April and May. This fast-growing shrub gets rather large so give it a healthy pruning after flowering is over each spring to keep its size manageable. Its fall foliage and berries are nice bonuses.
- Name: Doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Mariesii')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Medium moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 8-16 ft. tall, 12-15 ft. wide
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13 of 26
Flowering Quince

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Flowering quince is another early bloomer for sunny locations. It usually blooms early enough to be in flower while forsythias are still blooming. If you grow these two shrubs next to each other, the yellow-orange combination makes for an eye-popping display. Flowering quince also comes in red varieties.
- Name: Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Early spring
- Flower Color: White, orange, red, pink
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Medium moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 3-10 ft. tall and wide
14 of 26
Forsythia

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Forsythia is a great vase-shape flowering shrub for very early-season blooms in sunny locations. Flowering is best in full sun but that is usually easy to provide. Because forsythia blooms so early, nearby deciduous trees don't yet cast any shade on the shrub when the vivid yellow flowers burst out in profusion. For many northern gardeners, forsythia is the first shrub that blooms each spring.
- Name: Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Bloom Time: Early spring
- Flower Color: Yellow
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Medium moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 2–10 ft. tall and wide
15 of 26
Fothergilla

The Spruce / K. Dave

If you see fothergilla at a nursery, it is usually one of two species, F. major or F. gardenii, or hybrids or cultivars of the two. Fothergilla is native to the southeastern United States. The shrubs are dense, multi-stemmed, slow-growing, and long-lived. A popular cultivar of F. gardenii is 'Mount Airy'. The showy flowers of fothergilla have a sweet, faint honey fragrance and they attract bees and other pollinators. The flowers typically last for two to three weeks.
- Name: Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained, acidic
- Mature Size: 3-5 ft. in tall and wide
16 of 26
Hardy Hibiscus

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The impressive size of its flowers (up to 10 inches across) has also earned hardy hibiscus the name dinner-plate hibiscus. It is a hibiscus for northern gardens that blooms in late summer, helping you plug a bloom sequence gap between the floral abundance of early summer and the onset of the fall foliage season. Hardy hibiscus is typically used in rain gardens and other moist areas.
- Name: Hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Flower Color: White, red, pink, blue
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Loamy, moist
- Mature Size: 3–7 ft. tall, 2–4 ft. wide
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17 of 26
Mock Orange

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

White flowers are especially desirable for those seeking to create moon gardens. But you don't have to be a "moonie" to admire mock orange. Mock orange blooms in May to June, taking over after the forsythias and flowering quince have ended their display. Many people grow this shrub because of the delightful citrus-like fragrance of its white flowers.
- Name: Mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Bloom Time: Spring
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Medium moist, well-drained
- Mature Size: 10–12 ft. tall and wide
18 of 26
Ninebark

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The shrub gets its name from its unique exfoliating bark, which peels back in thin layers as its branches mature. Ninebark flowers in late spring with clusters of spirea-like white or pink fragrant blooms. In late summer and autumn, it bears red fruit that attracts birds. The shrub is native to a wide geographical range from southern Canada south to Florida, and west to Oklahoma and Kansas.
- Name: Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-8
- Bloom Time: Spring, summer
- Flower Color: Pink, white
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Clay, loamy, well-drained
- Mature Size: 3-10 ft tall, 3-8 ft wide
19 of 26
Oleander

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Oleander is beloved for its long bloom period. The 1- to 3-inch, delicately shaped, showy, fragrant flowers appear from spring to summer and sometimes early fall and year-round in warmer climates. The evergreen foliage of the oleander plant is dense, leathery, and dark green. If your climate is too cold for oleander in a garden setting, plant it in a container and overwinter it indoors.
- Name: Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10
- Bloom Time: Spring, summer
- Flower Color: White, pink, red, yellow
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained, alkaline
- Mature Size: 8-19 ft., high, 6-10 ft. wide
- Toxicity: Toxic to humans and pets
20 of 26
Rockrose

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

If your soil is poor and you have trouble growing other plants, try rockrose—it often survives in locations where other plants can’t. These fast-growing evergreen shrubs from the Mediterranean have dense green foliage, delicate, papery flowers, and aromatic leaves. They are hardy, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and withstand extreme heat.
- Name: Rockrose (Cistus spp.)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-10
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Flower Color: Pink, yellow, white
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained
- Mature Size: 3-5 ft. tall and wide
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21 of 26
Rose of Sharon

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Another type of hibiscus that tolerates cold and blooms in late summer and fall is the rose of Sharon. Cultivars popular at garden centers include 'Sugar Tip' (light pink flowers, variegated leaves) and 'Blue Chiffon' (lavender-blue flowers). Rose of Sharon flowers from early summer through midfall. It is typically used in informal hedges or screens, or in naturalized masses.
- Name: Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Bloom Time: Summer, fall
- Flower Color: Pink, purple, lavender, red, blue, white; often with dark throats
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Medium moist, well-drained
- Mature Size: 8–12 ft. tall, 6–10 ft. wide
22 of 26
Summersweet

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Native to the eastern and southern United States, summersweet is a medium-sized deciduous shrub that adds color and fragrance to your garden in July and August. The flowers are notable for their size and sweet fragrance. This is a versatile shrub that thrives in most climates and is suitable as a specimen plant or a hedge. It also attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
- Name: Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Flower Color: White, pink, rose
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Loam, clay, sand, acidic
- Mature Size: 3-8 ft. tall, 4-6 ft. wide
23 of 26
Sweetbay Magnolia

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Sweetbay magnolia, also known as swamp magnolia, is native to the eastern United States. It is deciduous in the northern part of the hardiness range and evergreen in the south. Creamy white, lemon-scented flowers appear at the end of spring or in early summer. Each flower will open in the morning and close at night, lasting for around two or three days before falling from the tree. Sweetbay magnolia grows at a moderate rate, usually adding 1 to 2 feet per year.
- Name: Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-10
- Bloom Time: Late spring, early summer
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist, rich, acidic
- Mature Size: 10–35 ft. tall and wide
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Tea Olive

The Spruce / Krystal Slagle

Also known as fragrant tea olive, this evergreen broadleaf shrub flowers in the spring and sometimes again but less profusely in the fall. The white flowers are extremely fragrant. The plant is one of about 15 species of tea olives, most of which are native to Asia and grow in warm climates. For gardeners who prefer a plant that is native to North America, O. americanus is a good alternative though its flowers are less showy.
- Name: Tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11
- Bloom Time: Spring, fall
- Flower Color: White, yellow
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained
- Mature Size: 20–30 ft. tall, 10-14 ft. wide
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25 of 26
Virginia Sweetspire

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Native to the woodlands of eastern North America, this shrub is a good choice for woodland borders. It has a rounded habit and produces small yet showy, fragrant drooping flower racemes in May and June. In the right conditions, the shrub spreads and fills in quickly via suckering roots, making it good for erosion control. It has a long period of good autumn color with leaves that turn shades of red, orange, and gold.
- Name: Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Bloom Time: Spring, summer
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist but well-drained, acidic
- Mature Size: 4 to 8 ft. tall and wide
26 of 26
Weigela

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The straight species of weigela is an old-fashioned favorite, but there are plenty of new cultivars on the market. The popular 'Wine & Roses' excites people with its dark leaves, against which the rosy-pink flowers stand out sharply. Other types have variegated foliage or golden leaves. Weigela flowers from April to June. It is an excellent shrub for borders, screens, or foundation plantings.
- Name: Weigela (Weigela florida)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Bloom Time: Spring, early summer
- Flower Color: Pink
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Medium moist, well-drained
- Mature Size: 6–10 ft. tall, 9–12 ft. wide

Benefits of Full-Sun Flowering Shrubs

Planting a sun-loving shrub in an empty spot of your yard does more than please the eye, it benefits your landscape in various other ways:

It increases biodiversity by attracting pollinators, beneficial insects, and other wildlife that use the shrub as a food source, for shelter, and other ways.
Shrubs that tolerate full sun tend to be resilient, hardy, low-maintenance, and often drought-tolerant.
The deep roots of many sun-tolerant shrubs, which they develop to reach the water in the soil, prevent soil runoff and erosion.
Lots of sunlight means vigorous growth—with many sun-loving shrubs, you won’t have to wait long until they create a natural privacy screen.

Learn More

For shrubs to bloom to their fullest potential, they not only need to be planted in the right location, they also need routine care such as fertilizing, pruning, and mulching.

30 Best Shrubs for Shade in Your Yard

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