> Landscaping Shrubs> Flowering Shrubs

Red Twig Dogwood Shrubs
Red twig dogwood shrubs (or "redtwig" dogwoods) are so named for the color of their bark in winter. But red twig dogwood shrubs offer much more than just colorful winter bark....

Oakleaf Hydrangeas
Oakleaf hydrangeas are native to the southeastern U.S. Grown especially for their fall foliage, oakleaf hydrangeas do, nonetheless, produce flowers worthy in their own right.

Pictures of Flowering Shrubs
Pictures of flowering shrubs can give you ideas for your own landscaping. Browse my pictures of flowering shrubs to view photos of some of the finest blooming bushes of spring and summer.

Arrowwood Viburnums
Arrowwood viburnums grow in wetlands in the wild. This makes these versatile plants a good choice for wet areas in the landscape. Arrowwood viburnums are also bird magnets.

"That Twisted Little Bush," Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
This one's a real whacko, as its branches twist every which way. It looks like the type of tree that the Addams family would plant! Nevertheless, it can serve a very important function in landscape design: namely, because of its interesting branching pattern, it can provide much-needed visual interest for the winter landscape.

Landscape Color for Late Spring: Lilacs
Common lilac bushes bloom in late spring, unlike many of our most popular bushes, which bloom earlier in the spring. Plant lilac bushes in conjunction with the latter, to extend the period that your yard experiences eye-catching color.

Loropetalum Shrubs
Chinese loropetalum shrubs (also called "fringe flower") are evergreen shrubs for planting zones 7-10. Chinese loropetalum's flowers, which for such types as 'Burgundy' and 'Ruby' are pink, give the plant away as a member of the witch-hazel family.

"Living Wall" Privacy Screens
Bushes can be planted together closely in rows and pruned to form dense privacy screens. Alternatively, they can be planted more loosely to form borders that also shelter your backyard from prying eyes. This article looks at both evergreen and deciduous shrubs, according to height. These bushes, whether evergreen or deciduous, can make striking specimens as well as affording privacy.

Rose of Sharon
Although some people think of it as a "tree" (because it gets tall and can be pruned so as to have a single trunk), rose of sharon is, in fact, a flowering shrub. The fact that it blooms relatively late -- and for a long time -- makes it a valuable plant for those looking to distribute their yard's color display throughout the growing season.

Crape Myrtles
Crape myrtles are a popular tree choice for Southerners, with their long blooming period (mid-summer to fall). Northerners can sometimes get away with treating them as flowering shrubs that die back in winter but come back in spring. In the latter case, their size will be limited (perhaps 4'), but you still get to enjoy their fantastic floral clusters!

Growing Mountain Laurels
Don't confuse mountain laurels with the more famous laurel, "bay laurel." While bay laurels are famous in cuisine (bay leaf), myth and Greco-Roman history, mountain laurels will impress you with their display of spring or summer flowers. Find out where and how to plant them, and how to care for these delightful flowering shrubs.

Cotoneaster Shrubs
Rock cotoneaster shrubs are popular for their branching pattern, small leaves, fall foliage and attractive berries.

Forsythia for Privacy Screens, Specimens
When the forsythia flowering shrubs come into bloom, you know spring has arrived! This profile of forsythia flowering shrubs discusses the classification, characteristics and uses for the shrub. Also learn about pruning forsythia -- the when, what and why. By forcing branches from forsythia flowering shrubs, you can even enjoy its blooms prematurely....

Care for Azalea and Rhododendron Bushes
This article introduces azalea and rhododendron flowering shrubs, followed by an introduction to their taxonomy. The article concludes with care instructions for these beautiful flowering shrubs. Azalea and rhododendron bushes make fine specimens, foundation plants and hedges. Besides blooming beautifully, many of these bushes are (broadleaf) evergreen shrubs.

Fall Foliage Bushes and Vines
The ten top fall foliage bushes and vines to plant on the landscape to achieve maximum autumn interest. Color can be provided by berries as well as by leaves in fall. Berries can have the added value of being edible for humans or of attracting birds.

Shrubs and Trees for Winter Landscape Interest
Each of the 10 has at least one of the following characteristics, which lend your landscaping winter interest: 1. contains colorful berries for attracting birds; 2. readily catches snow in its branches; 3. exhibits a delicate structure; 4. is clad in an attractive bark; 5. bears evergreen foliage; 6. has an interesting branching pattern.

Attracting Birds With Dogwood, Other Flowering Trees, Shrubs
Birdwatching and landscaping can complement each other beautifully when you plant your landscape with flowering shrubs and trees. Read why dogwood makes #1 on my Top 10 list. Descriptions accompany all 10 of my top picks for spring shrubs and trees, many of which provide hours of birdwatching fun with their colorful berries.

Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bush is more than just a butterfly magnet, as it bears blossoms attractive in their own right. Learn about the characteristics, caveats and growing requirements for butterfly bush in this plant profile.

Hydrangeas
"Hydrangeas are experiencing a resurgence of interest by both gardeners and breeders," states Marie Iannotti, About's Gardening Guide. Learn about the newest varieties of one of the old-time favorites among flowering shrubs.

Viburnums
Viburnums are one of the most popular flowering shrubs. "There are over 150 species of Viburnum," writes Marie Iannotti, About's Gardening Guide. "You can find a variety to suit any garden need: wet or dry, sun or shade, natural or formal, shrub or tree, native or exotic, USDA Zones 2-9. Bloom times span early spring through June and are followed by attractive fruit and outstanding fall foliage."