Spring-blooming shrubs
By: Garden Gate staff
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Spring-blooming shrubs
Keep spring-blooming shrubs in mind to put together beautifully timed combinations in borders with early perennials and bulbs, such as tulips (Tulipa spp. and hybrids) and daffodils (Narcissus spp. and hybrids). Plant spring-blooming shrubs as a hedge to add color along the edge of your property or as a screen around a patio. And grow a few shrubs that’ll bloom from early spring until later in the season and you’ll have practically nonstop color in your garden. Here are three terrific options that provide long-lasting color and are easy to care for.
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NinebarkPhysocarpus opulifolius
Ninebark has beautiful white or pink blooms in spring and several options for summer and fall foliage color. Prune ninebark after it flowers by up to half to keep it smaller. If you have a cultivar with colorful summer foliage, pruning will also stimulate lots of fresh, colorful new growth.
Blooms White or pink in late spring
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Well-drained
Size 1 to 8 ft. tall, 2 to 8 ft. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 2 to 8
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1
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AzaleaRhododendron spp. and hybrids
Some are evergreen, some are deciduous, but all azaleas produce masses of spring blooms in a variety of colors that show well in the landscape, even from a great distance. Deadhead by plucking off the spent flower heads.
Blooms Red, orange, purple, pink, white or yellow in spring
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Well-drained, acid
Size 2 to 15 ft. tall and 3 to 15 ft. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 11
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 11 to 1
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DeutziaDeutzia gracilis
Add deutzia to the front of your spring borders or along a path for a carpet of white or pink flowers in spring. It may need some spring pruning to remove dead stems and tidy up the plant so it looks its best for blooming.
Blooms White or pink in early to midspring
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 1 to 3 ft. tall and 1 to 5 ft. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 5 to 8
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1
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