Curated by real gardeners
Flowering Shrubs
The backbone layer: shrubs give a garden its structure, then hand you flowers on top. From hydrangeas to viburnums, ranked by real popularity.
The 24 most-saved picks
#1 most savedPugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii 'Pugster Amethyst'
#2 most savedPugster Pink Butterfly Bush
Buddleia davidii 'Pugster Pinker'
#3 most savedIncrediball Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
Trio Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii 'Trio'
Plum Rosy False Indigo
Baptisia x hybrida 'Plum Rosy'
Bicolor Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii 'Bicolor'
Green Velvet Boxwood
Buxus sempervirens 'Green Velvet'
Flutterbye Rose
Rosa x hybrida 'Flutterbye'
Joseph's Coat Rose
Rosa x floribunda 'Joseph's Coat'
Pawpaw
Asimina triloba
Limelight Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
Variegated Rue
Ruta graveolens 'Variegata'
In Your Eyes Rose
Rosa x hybrida 'In Your Eyes'
Bobo Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bobo'
Little Lime Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Lime'
Twilight Zone Rose
Rosa x grandiflora 'Twilight Zone'
Bloomstruck Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bloomstruck'
Fun in the Sun Rose
Rosa x hybrida 'Fun in the Sun'
All Summer Beauty Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla 'All Summer Beauty'
Green Mountain Boxwood
Buxus sempervirens 'Green Mountain'
Virginia Sweetspire
Itea virginica 'Little Henry'
Blue Spire Russian Sage
Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Blue Spire'
Annabelle Hydrangea Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
Melissa Lilac Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia 'Melissa Lilac'
Flowering shrubs questions
When do I prune flowering shrubs?
It depends on where they bloom: old-wood bloomers (lilac, oakleaf hydrangea) get pruned right after flowering; new-wood bloomers (panicle hydrangea, butterfly bush) in late winter. Pruning at the wrong time is the #1 reason shrubs skip a year of bloom.
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