Your landscape is one of the most important aspects of your home to add visual appeal and increase property value. The first thing that people see when they approach the house is the landscape. To make a great first impression to your visitors, you should have at least a few plants in your landscape that stand out. One of the best ways to highlight areas of your landscape is to add flowering shrubs.
Flowering Shrubs
The term flowering shrubs refers to a particular group of flowering foliage whose stems are woody and whose branches form an intricate network as opposed to the single-trunk structure of trees. Flowering shrubs, depending on variety, can grow anywhere from 3 feet to 15 feet tall. Therefore, it is important to select the right flowering shrubs for different locations in your home landscape. Some flowering shrubs produce their flowers in the spring while others flower during the summer and fall seasons. Typically, you will consider planting some shrubs that flower in the spring and others that flower during the summer and fall to add color to your landscape throughout the growing season.
Uses for Flowering Shrubs
Flowering shrubs are planted in home landscapes for many reasons. The effect you are looking for will determine the type of flowering shrubs you plant. Planting a number of low flowering shrubs along a walkway provides a nice, colorful border. Other flowering shrubs, like viburnum, grow larger and make good specimen plants or anchor plants near a corner of your home. Other flowering shrubs, like lilac, grow quite large and, when planted in a row, can make a great privacy screen.
Other flowering shrubs are grown specifically for their flowers. Roses, for example, have beautiful and fragrant flowers. Almost everyone likes them. They are probably the most popular flowering shrub.
Flowering Shrub Growing Requirements
Most popular flowering shrubs are generally easy to grow and maintain. Generally, they are hardy plants and usually just need regular watering, some fertilizer, and occasional pruning. Shrubs may also be trained to follow certain directions of growth to define a certain look in the landscape. While shrubs may indeed grow practically on their own, you could expect more progress if you take more care of them.
Popular Flowering Shrub Choices
There are many popular flowering shrubs, each has its own characteristics that make it ideal for different kinds of situations. Below is a list of some popular shrubs. Before selecting one, be sure that it will grow in your climate. Just as important, be sure the shrubs you plant are appropriate in both size and growing needs for the location in your yard where it will be planted. If you plant a large shrub too close to the house, you will regret it and will probably be digging it out a few years later.
Viburnum
Viburnums are among the easiest of flowering shrubs to grow and maintain. While there are over 150 species belonging to the viburnum genus, it is not commonly seen in home gardens. Most viburnums are found in arboretums and botanical gardens. Viburnums are very hardy plants, a lot of them are quite resistant to diseases and pets, making them quite self-sustaining.
Weigelia
Weigelia shrubs are very popular in both home and public gardens. This deciduous plant grows with an upright weeping tendency. They can add a lot of color to any garden. The leaves themselves can become purple, dark green or even bright yellow. The flowers colors can range from milky white to bright ruby red. Weigela are also very attractive to butterflies, so if you like beautiful critters aside from beautiful blooms, this type of shrub may be right for you.
Forsythia
Forsythias are another popular type of shrubs. This deciduous plant typically grows to about 8 to 12 feet with upright or arching branches. Forsythias are quite easy to grow as they do well with most types of soil, although they thrive best in rich loose soil, needing only the occasional pruning after flowering. This shrub produces vibrant yellow flowers during early spring.
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas can produce different kinds of flower colors that can be modified by altering the pH level of the garden soil. Basic soils result into pink flowers, while acidic soils result into blue flowers. Hydrangeas that have white flowers usually do not get affected by the soil pH level, but are nevertheless attractive shrubs.
Lilac
Lilac shrubs are among the most favorite flowering shrubs. While the term lilac usually refers to purple with pinkish tinge, lilac flowers may come in a variety of hues including blue, red, pink, white, and of course, lilac. Lilac shrubs like sunny weather and soils that drain well. They attract butterflies and bees. This resilient plant needs only occasional pruning after flowering and some mulch as fertilizer.
Conclusion
Flowering shrubs are great additions to any landscape. There are many more choices than those listed here. If you visit your local garden center, you are sure to find flowering shrubs that you will like.
I have several Lilac bushes in my yard and they look and smell wonderful!