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Flowering Trees and Shrubs to Grow in your Garden

If you have space, plant a thicket of shrubs in your garden so the birds can find a safe haven

Trees and shrubs are the backbone of your landscape.

They are used as screens, backgrounds and accents. Trees are used for shade and for fruit. Flowering shrubs provide long lasting, beautiful blooms which brighten even the gloomiest of days.

Because the cultural needs, size, and structure can vary so greatly, even within different varieties of the same species of trees and shrubbery, I recommend visiting a local botanical garden or arboretum before deciding on your choices. Even a leisurely stroll through your own neighborhood will provide you with a great deal of insight into what you like, and what grows well in your area. Trees and shrubs live and grow for many years, so the effort it takes to make an informed choice is well worth the time that it takes.

(Besides, it's a great way to spend the day!)

Common Name:
Angel's Trumpets
Botanical Name: Brugmansia
Height: 6-12 ft.
USDA Zones: 9-12
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis plant needs a thorough, deep weekly watering, Double icons require boggy or wet conditions Some or all parts of this plant may be toxic or poisonous White flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plantYellow flowering plant
From early summer until fall, mature Angel's Trumpet's produce waves of large, very fragrant, downward hanging, trumpet shaped, 6"-10" long flowers. In frost free regions, they may bloom all year long.
Common Name:
Azalea
Botanical Name: Rhododendron
Height: 1-8 ft.
USDA Zones: 6-8
Requirements & Benefits: This plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant may not tolerate any direct sunlightThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis plant needs a thorough, deep weekly watering, Double icons require boggy or wet conditionsHummingbird PlantSome or all parts of this plant may be toxic or poisonousWhite flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plantYellow flowering plantblue flowering plantPurple flowering plantorange flowering plant
Azaleas must be grown in an acid soil, with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5. The buds for next years blooms will be formed this year, so it important that the faded blooms are removed
Common Name:
Beauty Berry
Botanical Name: Callicarpa bodinieri
Height: 6-8 ft.
USDA Zones: 6-8
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the day This plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringBird Plant or FlowerWhite flowering plantPink flowering plantPurple flowering plant
Beautyberry grows to a height of 6-8 feet. The foliage is a beautiful bronze color as it emerges in spring. Small lavender flowers in mid-summer produce clusters of intensely purple berries in the Fall
Common Name:
Bluebeard
Botanical Name: Caryopteris clandonensis
Height: 2-3 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-9
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic watering Butterfly FlowerNo Deer White flowering plantPink flowering plantblue flowering plant
Bluebeard plants are low growing shrubs that are covered with fragrant, blue flowers in late summer and early fall. The silvery green, 1"-2" leaves have a light aroma of Eucalyptus when rubbed. Bluebeard flowers are a favorite food for butterflies and bees.
Common Name:
Butterfly bush
Botanical Name: Buddleia davidii
Height: 6-15 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-10
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayOnce established this plant requires little or no supplemental wateringThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis plant needs a thorough, deep weekly watering, Double icons require boggy or wet conditionsHummingbird PlantButterfly FlowerNo DeerWhite flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plantblue flowering plantPurple flowering plant
The Butterfly Bush is a fast growing, profuse blooming, deciduous shrub that will grow in almost any type of soil. Prune hard in early spring and remove spent flowers promptly.
Common Name:
Butterfly Gaura
Botanical Name: Gaura lindheimeri
Height: 2-4 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-10
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires shade during the heat of the dayOnce established this plant requires little or no supplemental wateringThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringHummingbird PlantButterfly FlowerBird Plant or FlowerNo Deer White flowering plantPink flowering plant
Butterfly Gaura are shrubby, perennial wildflowers that are closely related to the Evening Primrose. From late spring until first frost, they produce 8"-24" spikes of 1" flowers that are white when they open at dawn and fade to rose-pink as the sun sets.
Common Name:
Camellia
Botanical Name: Camellia
Height: 2-3 ft.
USDA Zones: 7-10
Requirements & Benefits: This plant requires shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis plant needs a thorough, deep weekly watering, Double icons require boggy or wet conditionsWhite flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plant
Camellias are long lived evergreen shrubs or small trees that can grow anywhere from 6-20 feet tall with up to a 10 foot spread, depending on the species and cultivar. They have glossy, dark green, 2"-4" foliage that is attractive even when the plant is out of bloom. The flower colors range from pure white to deep, dark red and there are even some bi-colored varieties.
Common Name:
Witch Hazel
Botanical Name: Hamamelis mollis
Height: 10-15 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-9
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringRed flowering plantYellow flowering plant
Witch Hazel is a low maintenance deciduous shrub which is one of the earliest blooming shrubs, providing you with lots of showy, fragrant flowers beginning in early February
Common Name:
Cinquefoil
Botanical Name: Potentilla fruticosa
Height: 2-3 ft.
USDA Zones: 2-7
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringButterfly FlowerNo DeerWhite flowering plantPink flowering plantYellow flowering plant
Potentillas prefer well-drained, reasonably rich soil, but will tolerate clay, rocky, or even slightly alkaline soils as well. Loads of pink or yellow 'buttercup' flowers in June.
Common Name:
Cotoneaster
Botanical Name: Cotoneaster
Height: 3"-15 ft.
USDA Zones: vary
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires shade during the heat of the dayOnce established this plant requires little or no supplemental wateringThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic watering Hummingbird PlantBird Plant or FlowerNo DeerWhite flowering plantPink flowering plant
Cotoneaster is an extremely diverse genus of plants which includes ground covers, dwarf sized bushes and large sprawling shrubs. The flowers are generally small and appear from spring to early summer followed by bright red or orange berries for the birds to eat in winter.
Common Name:
Coyote Brush
Botanical Name: Baccharis pilularis
Height: 2-3 ft.
USDA Zones: 7-10
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayOnce established this plant requires little or no supplemental wateringThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringNo DeerWhite flowering plantYellow flowering plant
Coyote Brush is a fast growing evergreen shrub with small, bright green leaves. It blooms from July through October with clusters of tiny flowers. The male flowers are yellow, female flowers are white
Common Name:
Elderberry
Botanical Name: Sambucus
Height: 10-20 ft.
USDA Zones: 4-10
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringSome or all parts of this plant may be toxic or poisonousBird Plant or FlowerNo DeerWhite flowering plantPink flowering plantYellow flowering plantPurple flowering plant
Elderberries are fast growing, low maintenance, multi-stemmed deciduous shrubs with deeply veined, serrated foliage. They produce large flat clusters of flowers in late spring to early summer, followed by small berries which may or may not be poisonous, by species
Common Name:
Exbury Azalea
Botanical Name: Rhododendron
Height: 4-12 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-9
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis plant needs a thorough, deep weekly watering, Double icons require boggy or wet conditionsButterfly FlowerNo DeerSome or all parts of this plant may be toxic or poisonous White flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plantYellow flowering plantorange flowering plant
Deciduous Exbury Azaleas bloom in late spring or early summer, producing clusters of 7-18 large, 2"-3", often very fragrant, often bi-colored flowers in shades of yellow, orange, pink, red and white.
Common Name:
Flowering Plum
Botanical Name: Prunus blireiana
Height: 15-20 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-9
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis plant needs a thorough, deep weekly watering, Double icons require boggy or wet conditionsPink flowering plantPurple flowering plant
Flowering Plums seldom produce fruit due to a lack of pollinators when they bloom, but the dark purple plums are edible. The fragrant, one inch, pink flowers appear in early spring followed by purple foliage which turns green by mid-summer
Common Name:
Flowering Quince
Botanical Name: Chaenomeles speciosa
Height: 3-10 ft.
USDA Zones: 4-8
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires shade during the heat of the dayOnce established this plant requires little or no supplemental wateringThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringHummingbird PlantBird Plant or FlowerNo DeerWhite flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plantorange flowering plant
Flowering Quince is a twiggy, rounded upright deciduous shrub. The 1" foliage opens to a beautiful reddish bronze color before turning dark green by mid summer. Showy cup shaped flowers cover each stem in the spring before turning to an edible fruit by summers end
Botanical Name: Ribes sanguineum
Height: 6-10 ft.
USDA Zones: 5-8
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringHummingbird PlantButterfly FlowerBird Plant or FlowerWhite flowering plantRed flowering plantPink flowering plant
This 6-10 foot tall deciduous shrub is hardy in USDA Planting Zones 5-8 In early spring it produces pendulous clusters of red or pink flowers that attract and feed hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. The small bluish-black berries are eaten by a wide variety of wild birds.
Common Name:
Gardenia
Botanical Name: Gardenia jasminoides
Height: 6 ft.
USDA Zones: 9-10
Requirements & Benefits: This plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the dayThis plant may not tolerate any direct sunlightThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringThis can be grown as a House PlantWhite flowering plant
Gardenias should be planted in well conditioned soil containing peat moss and compost. Keep the soil moist, cool and weed free. Proper temperatures are necessary for a gardenia to bloom. May be grown as a house plant
Common Name:
Golden Bells
Botanical Name: Forsythia
Height: 1-10 ft.
USDA Zones: 4-9
Requirements & Benefits: This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires or will tolerate shade during the heat of the day This plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringWhite flowering plantYellow flowering plant
One of the earliest signs that spring has arrived, is when the Forsythia bursts into a profusion of yellow blossoms spreading from the ground to the tip of each graceful, cascading branch. Forsythias will grow in almost any soil or growing condition


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