Many species of flowering trees and shrubs can be planted to create a colorful, showy garden that produces flowers all season long. Try viburnum, crabapples and roses!
Try planting trees and shrubs with beautiful, showy flowers to add color, intrigue and fragrance to your garden. There are many varieties of flowering trees and shrubs that grow well in our area. They can be used as a border or background. Use them to line your property to invite guests and neighbors with a cheery, colorful welcome!
The flowering crabapple (Malus sp.) grows well in our area and lights up the spring with deep red buds that open to become fragrant pink blossoms that bloom before the foliage. This small, deciduous tree likes full sun and can grow in most soil types, though it does benefit from fertilization. The knock-out rose (Rosa ‘Radrazz’) is a beautiful, prolific shrub that will produce bright red to hot pink flowers right up until the first frost. This variety is particularly disease-resistant, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance. Blue muffin, an Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), is a low-lying, hardy shrub that can be pruned into a hedge or just planted as a bush. It offers beautiful bunches of white flowers in the spring but the real show lies in its bright blue berries that develop in summer and linger into the fall.
Hardy summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) is a worry-free, sweet-smelling shrub that makes a lovely addition to a colorful garden. Its pink, white and rose-colored blooms permeate the garden all summer long. Try growing weigela (Weigela sp.) for a cascade of color each spring. This lovely shrub usually grows to 6-8 feet tall and, depending on the variety, produces red, pink, peach or lavender flowers that announce their presence with a lovely trumpet shape that often attracts hummingbirds. Forsythia (Forsythia sp.) adds a cheery yellow disposition to the garden rainbow each spring. This small, deciduous shrub blooms early in the year, before leaves appear, making it an eye-catcher and a great way to welcome the changing season.
By planting the right species of trees and shrubs, your garden can be an explosion of color all season. Try planting some early spring bloomers and well as a few that flower later in the summer and into the fall, for a continued show that will be a delight to all who visit your home.
