We have always strived to create beauty out of nature’s bounty, and these top ten plants do just that. In this blog, we cover what flowering shrubs to include in your garden in the summer to brighten up your space with a pop of color! 

 

Camellias 

Say hello to jaw-dropping blooms and themes of ‘pretty in pink’ with the camellia shrub. Popular varieties include japonica, sasanqua, and reticulata for their staggered blooms that last through to autumn. Plant in areas of full or partial shade, and keep the soil moist to keep this flowering shrub happy. 

 

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Azaleas

Create a multi-colored garden bed using just azalea shrubs! These flowering shrubs are available in all colors of the rainbow, including white, pink, purple, yellow, and orange. Four hours of sun or partial shade is ideal for this shrub with rich, naturally acidic soil. 

 

Roses

As Matshona Dhliwayo’s saying goes, “roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.” But boy, when they do bloom, are they ever beautiful! Orange roses symbolize energy, green roses symbolize growth, yellow roses symbolize joy, and pink roses symbolize elegance. Roses are surprisingly drought-tolerant, so water sparingly only when soil is dry. 

 

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Gardenias

There’s no such thing as a boring-looking gardenia flower. If you’re looking to create a statement, fill your garden with gardenia varieties like ‘Radians’, ‘Frost Proof’ and ‘August Beauty’. These flowering shrubs are known to be especially fragrant, so they’ll also make your backyard a refreshingly-scented place to be. Plant gardenias in organically-rich soil with optimal drainage and partial to full sun. 

 

Sweet Olive

These gorgeous evergreen shrubs add pleasant accents of natural green tones to your landscape design, and are capable of growing to 25 feet tall! With fragrant, sweet-smelling leaves and delicate white flower buds, this shrub would look good in relatively any space in your backyard. For best results, however, plant in a space with plenty of room that is sunny.

 

Pine Hills Nursery-Mississippi- Flowering Shrubs for Colorful Interest-Loropetalum
Loropetalum

‘Red Diamond’ or ‘Purple Diamond’ varieties of loropetalum offer four seasons of purple foliage color! Also known as the Chinese fringe flower, this flowering shrub sure knows how to own its spot in the garden—you won’t be able to take your eyes off its spectacular blooms! Plant in partial to full sun areas with well-drained, slightly acidic soil. 

 

Indian Hawthorn 

If you’re looking for a flowering shrub that isn’t too large in size while still offering a statement of color in the garden, look no further. Indian hawthorn grows two to five feet in width and offers delicate, sweet-pink or white blooms. Plant these flowering shrubs in moist but well-drained soil and in a full to partial sun area. 

 

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Butterfly Bush 

Attract all the pollinators to your garden with these fluffy purple or pink flowers. This beautiful shrub is a fast-growing plant that usually reaches its mature size within a single growing season! To get the best results, plant butterfly bush in a full sun location with acidic to moderately alkaline soil. Birds and butterflies will come flocking. 

 

Hydrangeas

With good care, hydrangea shrubs come back every year to steal the show in your garden. It will only be a matter of deciding which color to plant out of all the shades of pink, white, purple, blue and more! Plant hydrangeas in partial sun and acidic soil to make their colors pop even brighter. See our care guide here!

 

Creating a rainbow of color in your garden is easy with flowering shrubs. For more inspiration, visit our team at Pine Hills Nursery! We’ll answer all your plant care questions and help you decide which shrub is best for your garden.

 

Rachel Bond

Rachel Bond

I grew up around our family garden center, Pine Hills Nursery while attending Mississippi State University and studying Horticulture. Now I work there full-time and love it!

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