Bushes with flowers provide structure and color to your yard, and you can use them as hedge plants, groundcovers, or as nice focal points to draw people’s eyes. It’s very easy to fill your garden with ornamental shrubs that will start blooming in the early spring months and continue well into the fall until the first frost. Some even go into the winter months after the first hard frost hits. You can find bushes with flowers that release a fragrant perfume into the air to help create a relaxing area around your pond or your patio.
Whatever you want, there are bushes with flowers that will help to spruce up your area and attract pollinators to your yard. Since I know how challenging it can be to find the correct bushes with flowers, especially if you’re not sure where to start, I’ve put together a list of several different types of bushes with flowers for you to browse. You can take a look, see what they can add to your landscape, and mix and match to create a calming and neat design throughout your space.
1. Sweetshrub
This pretty bush with flowers is a native shrub that offers glossy leaves that have a tropical look and feel to them. The unique flowers and seed capsules on this plant give you multi-season interest, and you may have heard it called sweet bubbly, strawberry bush, or Caroline allspice. It works very well in borders around your yard, and it offers pretty and eye-catching flowers that have a very strong and floral fragrance. It grows best in zones five to nine, and you want to put it in an area that gets partial shade to full sun with soil that drains very well between watering sessions.
Calycanthus sweetshrub by Martin LaBar / CC BY-NC 2.0
2. Azalea
The Azalea plant is a bush with flowers that gives you very glossy leaves. During the spring months, it produces flowers that come in shades of white, purple, peach, coral, and purple. You can get specific varieties that will re-bloom several times throughout the season into the summer months. They come in deciduous and evergreen species, so you want to pay close attention to the label. They grow well as a low hedge in partial shade to full sun in rich but well-draining soil. You can plant it en masse for an eye-catching design, and it can grow several feet wide.
Azalea by matthew mclalin / CC BY 2.0
3. Lilac
Lilac are popular bushes with flowers that like plenty of sunlight to grow. You should space this plant slightly away from your home or any obstacles to give it room to grow and spread out. This will also let air circulate and reduce the chances that your plant develops powdery mildew. They make a very fragrant accent plant, or you can grow them right in the middle of your yard. During the early spring months, the bushes produce sprays of very fragrant flowers in purple, white, pink, or blue hues. You can get plants that are very cold hardy, and they grow well in zones two to eight in full sun and well-drained soil.
lilacs by Samantha Fosberg / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
4. Butterfly Bush
The butterfly weed or butterfly bush is a brilliant bush with flowers that is known as the summer lilac. This is a very sturdy flowering shrub that can withstand neglect and drought without a problem, and it will bloom throughout the summer months to help attract pollinators. Dwarf varieties won’t take over the area you plant it in, but some will. They work well in mass plantings or as border flowers, and they come in white, purple, and pink flowers. They grow well in partial shade or full sun in zones five to nine, and the soil should be rich but drain very well.
Swallowtail on Butterfly Bush Blooms by SparkyLeigh / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
5. Caryopteris
Caryopteris is a bush with flowers that adores full sunlight for at least four to six hours each day, and it will produce stunning blue flowers starting in the later summer months and heading into the fall. Butterflies and bees are very attracted to this plant, and it works well as a border for your garden or yard. You can also plant large masses of it to create a nice focal point, and it grows well in zones five to nine. You can cut the flowers off to get pretty flower arrangements, and it grows well if you put it in an area that has well draining soil with routine watering.
Caryopteris by Katie Dalton / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
6. Camellia
This pretty bush with flowers gives you a host of brilliant blooms in a range of jewel tones, and Camellia offers glossy green foliage that helps offset them. This plant has a nice scent, and it usually starts blooming in the mid-winter months around the holidays in December into the early spring. You should plant them by your patio or your entertainment area. It grows best in zones seven to nine, and they like to be in a semi-shaded area under other trees or larger bushes. They require well-draining soil that is slightly acidic, and you should let it get slightly dry between watering sessions.
Camellia by CACJ; in the PNW / CC BY-SA 2.0
7. Weigela
Weigela is a bush with flowers that will start blooming during the late spring months, and you can easily encourage it to re-bloom until the first frost comes though by cutting the blooms off when they start to wilt. To ensure you get the best flowering possible, plant it in a full sun location that gets between four and six hours of sunlight a day. If you’re in a hot climate, put it in a place that gets partial shade to prevent scorching. This plant makes an attractive and fragrant privacy screen, especially if you live in zones four to eight. They flower in shades of red, purple, white, and pink.
Weigela by Jocelyn Eskine-Kellie / CC BY-SA 2.0
8. Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a very common bush with flowers that will produce very showy flowers in shades of pink, white, purple, or yellow. The deep coloring on the leaves helps to set off the plant’s flowers and highlight them even more when they bloom. You should plant it in an area that gets dappled shade as a nice hedge, especially if you live in zones four to nine. Some newer varieties of this bush can survive in colder environments, and it can flower well into the fall months. The soil should be one that drains very well, and it can be slightly more acidic to encourage good coloring.
Rhododendrons by Peter Miller / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
9. Beautyberry
This is another bush with flowers that loves to get planted in areas that get full, bright sun for at least four to six hours every day. It will produce a host of white blooms in the late summer months, and it’ll keep blooming into fall until the first frost hits. During the fall, the flowers give way to bright purple berries, and some varieties have a blue-black foliage to make it even more striking. It works well for any fall floral displays you want to have in your yard, or it’s a great accent plant. It should go in well-draining soil, and it does best planted in zones five to eight.
Beautyberry by Jenny Evans / CC BY-NC 2.0
10. Rose of Sharon
The Rose of Sharon is a very reliable bush with flowers that produces pink, white, purple, and every shade in between flowers. You can choose from more traditional forms that grow in a small, rounded form, or there are newer varieties that grow in pillar shapes and stretch up to add height to your landscape. You can use it as an accent plant, or it works very well as a thick hedge for privacy. It produces exotic-looking flowers when you live in zones five to nine, and you want to put it in a place where it gets full sun and the soil drains well between watering sessions.
Rose of Sharon by Bennilover / CC BY-ND 2.0
11. Pearl Bush
Pearl Bush is a very old and popular bush with flowers. During the spring months, it has a large amount of smaller white flowers that grow all over. These smaller flowers make it a good choice as a hedge or around the border of your yard, and you can get newer species that are far more compact to fit in a small garden or space. It grows well in dappled shade or full sun in a slightly acidic soil that drains well, and it likes to get slightly dry between watering sessions. For the best results, plant it outside in zones four to eight and watch it take off and bloom.
Pearl Bush by Buttontree Lane / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
12. Spirea
If you’re in the market for a bush that flowers that are very low-maintenance and hard to kill, Spirea is the perfect answer. You can find new varieties out today that will rebloom all summer long, and they start in the late spring months. You’ll see white, red, and bright pinks that stand out against the golden, lime-green, or dark green foliage. It grows well in zones three to eight, and this makes Spirea an excellent cold-hardy plant that you can use to line your walkways or around your foundations. It likes full sun but will tolerate part shade, and you can prune it to keep it looking tidy.
Spirea by aulusgellius / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
13. Buttonbush
Buttonbush is a cute bush with flowers that loves a lot of moisture. In fact, you can even plant it in a wet area in your yard like by your downspout on your house to keep it saturated. If you purchase the native variety of this plant, it can easily top 20-feet tall. This means that you want to be careful where you put it. There is a newer dwarf variety that produces white flowers, and the flowers switch over to red fruits in the fall for a nice showing. It grows best in zones 4 to 10 in well-draining soil that you keep evenly moist, and it likes partial shade but can grow in full sun.
Buttonbush by Manjith Kainickara / CC BY-ND 2.0
14. Quince
Quince is an easy-going bush with flowers that gives you very early spring color in your yard or garden, and it grows vibrant, large flowers in a range of shades. The newer varieties are thornless, and this plant rarely needs anything in the way of pruning. You can use it as an accent bush, and you want to plant it in a place that gets shade in the afternoon to help prevent scorching and make the flowers last longer. It grows in zones five to nine, and it can produce yellow fruit that has a very sour taste in the fall. The deep green foliage helps offset the flower coloring.
Quince by Lizbeth*King / CC BY 2.0
15. Ninebark
Ninebark is a native bush with flowers that can be a standout in your garden. It brings a unique burgundy foliage that will last well into the fall months, and the early summer brings creamy white flowers that pop against the darker leaf coloring. You’ll get a very graceful, arching shape that makes it nice for a dense border, and the plant is very cold hardy. It’ll do well planted in zones two to seven in a slightly acidic soil that drains well between watering sessions. You can give it full sun to partial shade, but it does better in full sun for flower production, and it can grow between 5 and 10 feet high.
Ninebark in Bloom by Marilylle Soveran / CC BY-NC 2.0
16. Hydrangea
Hydrangea are stunning bushes with flowers, and they’re one of the few types of plants that you can get and grow from coast to coast. It fits into most climates without a problem, and you can match the variety to your location. Some bushes like part sun conditions, but the majority of them like at least four hours a day to encourage impressive blooms. In the hotter parts of the country, plant this bush where it’ll get afternoon shade and morning sun. The flowers come in a huge range of color, and soil acidity plays a role. It should be in well-draining soil in zones 3 to 10.
Hydrangea by Syoko Matsumura / CC BY 2.0
17. Forsythia
This bush with flowers will alert you to the fact that spring is in the air because it’ll start blooming very early. It gets bright yellow flowers with bright foliage, and you can purchase newer varieties that give you more flower production. The tiny blooms on this plant form a neat hedge, and there are dwarf flowering shrubs that can fit into any garden size. You can use it as an accent or a hedge, and it grows well in zones five to eight. It’s one of the earliest blooming shrubs with flowers for full sun conditions, and you should water it regularly and plant it in a rich by well-draining soil.
Forsythia by Richard Ellis / CC BY-NC 2.0
18. Koreanspice Viburnum
Koreanspice Viburnum is an excellent bush that flowers to have in your yard if you have a deer or rabbit problem because they act as natural repellents. They are hailed as being some of the toughest bushes you can buy, and they bloom in the early spring months with pinkish-white and white blooms. They release a spicy scent when they bloom, and it slowly turns over to a red-hued fall foliage. They can tolerate a little shade but prefer sun, and they should be in zones four to eight for the best results. You can plant them by your patio or incorporate them into a living border.
Viburnum carlesii 紅蕾莢蒾 by beautifulcataya / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
19. Deutzia
This is a mounded bush with flowers that has gracefully arching branches and looks very full. It will load itself with blush or white colored flowers in the early spring months, and the foliage takes on a gorgeous burgundy hue in the fall to add splashes of color to your yard. They grow best in zones five to eight in partial to full sun, and they work beautifully as a foundation plant or a ground covering to help fill in any bare spots. There are over 60 species to choose from, and they can grow anywhere from 3 to 12 feet tall, so make sure you read the label before you buy.
Deutzia by Richard Due / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
20. Shrub Rose
The Shrub Rose is a bush that flowers that allows you to get the beauty of roses in your yard without worrying so much about when to plant them. This plant takes all of the hardiest roses’ best traits and combines them with minimal upkeep and repeat blooming. They can get between one and four feet tall, and they start blooming in the early summer until the fall. You’ll do best with them if you live in zone five to nine, and they produce flowers in yellow, red, pink, white, and peach. You should mulch the beds and water regularly, and they like partial shade eto full sun.
Shrub Rose ~ Michigan by j van cise photos / CC BY 2.0
21. Cinquefoil
Cinquefoil’s perky yellow blooms will start to brighten up your garden during the late spring months, and this bush with flowers will continue to bloom through the fall months. This shrub has very good drought tolerance, little need for maintenance, and it has excellent winter hardiness when you grow it in zones two to seven. It can get between two and four feet tall and wide, and the flower colors range from white and orange to yellow and pink. They need to get afternoon shade in warmer climates with a well draining soil, and they do very well a as a groundcover or shrub border.
Cinquefoil by MerelyRachel / CC BY-ND 2.0
22. Summersweet
Summersweet is one of the bushes with flowers that will grow well in shade areas, and it prefers to have soil that is constantly wet and never dries completely out. You can prune it in the late winter months to keep it tidy, and it grows well in zones three to nine. It has a spicy scent that attracts pollinators to your butterfly gardens, and the flowers come in white or pink. During the fall months, the leaves go from a glossy green to a golden brown or shade of yellow. It has a slow-growing nature and a more compact design that makes it a nice pick for small gardens, patios, or pathways.
DSC03447 by geneva_wirth / CC BY-NC 2.0
23. Abelia
Abelia is a nice bush with flowers for people who want a shade-tolerant plant that is very easy to care for, and it gives you a hit of late-season fragrance. It’ll produce a lot of rose-tinged white flowers that start blooming in the early summer and go through the fall, and it has graceful branches that arch. The glossy leaves turn a bronze color in the fall. It can get three to six feet wide and tall in zones five to nine, and it needs well-drained soil in the full sun or partial shade. You can prune or shape it in late winter to encourage new, healthy growth in the spring months.
Abelia by manuel m.v. / CC BY 2.0
24. Loropetalum
As a member of the Witch Hazel family, Loropetalum is a popular bush that flowers in zones 7 to 10. It loves warmer climates, and it’ll start to bloom in the middle of spring before reblooming all year. It can get between 1 and 15 feet tall and 3 to 10 feet wide, and it likes full sun to light shade. It produces ribbon-like petals in clusters, and it has fragrant red blooms. The foliage comes in shades of green, chartreuse, purple, and burgundy, and deer leave it alone. It’s non-toxic to cats and pets, and you want to plant it in an area where the soil drains very well after watering.
Loropetalum by chapstickaddict / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
25. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle can be an arching bush with flowers or a climbing vine, and it prefers full sun to shade, but it can do okay if you only have areas of partial shade. If you grow the vine, you’ll need to give it something to grow on for support. You’ll get deep green foliage with fragrant white flowers that bloom all summer long, and they attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. You want to have it in a well-draining but rich soil that you add a layer of compost to, and you should practice lightly pruning the plant to help it keep a tidy shape.
Honeysuckle by Kimm / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Bottom Line
These 25 long-lasting bushes with flowers can help you easily fill in your yard or garden. I’ve showcased bushes with flowers that grow in all different zones and conditions, and this makes it easy to pick ones that match your environment to ensure they do well. I invite you to take a look at the list of bushes with flowers, mix and match them, and decide which ones would enhance your landscape the best. Chances are, you’ll find one or two that will fill in your dead spaces to give your garden a very full and lush look.
