After a long winter, we all look forward to the first signs of spring One of the best ways to celebrate the changing seasons is with bushes that bloom in spring Their colorful flowers and sweet fragrances bring hope after the cold dormancy of winter.
Spring blooming bushes come in a wide range of sizes colors and flowering times. This diversity allows you to extend the spring floral display in your yard from late winter through early summer. Read on for an overview of some top options for bushes that bloom in spring.
Early Bloomers
Some of the first bushes to flower are witch hazels, flowering quince, and forsythia. Their early blooms are a welcome sight after winter.
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Witch hazel blooms as early as January with spidery, fragrant yellow or red flowers. Common witch hazel grows 10-15 feet tall and wide, but dwarf cultivars like ‘Arnold Promise’ stay under 6 feet. Give them full sun to part shade.
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Flowering quince bursts forth with showy blooms in March or April, often before its leaves emerge. Popular varieties like ‘Double Take Scarlet’ have camellia-like double flowers. These hardy, easy shrubs reach 4-5 feet tall and wide.
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Forsythia is synonymous with spring. Its bright golden yellow flowers appear in March or April, signaling warmer weather ahead. Grow forsythia in full sun and prune after flowering. Cultivars range from large 8-10 foot shrubs to compact dwarfs under 3 feet.
Mid-Spring Bloomers
The flowering spectacle continues into mid-spring with azaleas, viburnums, lilacs, and more:
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Azaleas and rhododendrons light up shade gardens with their colorful spring blooms. Azalea ‘Golden Oriole’ has large golden yellow flowers in late spring. Give azaleas rich, acidic soil and afternoon shade.
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Viburnums like Korean spice viburnum perfume the spring air with white flowers arranged in snowball-like clusters. Most viburnums grow 6-15 feet tall and wide. Prune after flowering.
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Lilacs are spring classics, valued for their sweet scent. Common lilac can reach 15 feet, but dwarf varieties like Bloomerang dwarf lilac stay under 3 feet. Give them full sun and prune each spring.
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Deutzia, spirea, and weigela shine with abundant spring blooms. Look for compact cultivars perfect for smaller spaces, like 3-foot tall Yuki Cherry Blossom deutzia.
Late Spring into Summer
Extend the spring flowering season into early summer with these beauties:
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Mockorange bursts with fragrant white blooms in late spring. New cultivars like ‘Illuminati Tower’ have larger, showier flowers and stronger scents, on tidier plants.
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Rose bushes bloom repeatedly from late spring through fall. Shrub roses like Knock Out and Drift roses flower spring through frost with minimal care needed.
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Broom plants like Scotch broom brighten sunny spots with golden yellow pea-like flowers in late spring. Most brooms grow 5-10 feet tall and wide. Avoid invasive types.
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Beautybush struts its stuff with dramatic pink flower spikes in early summer. This large 8-10 foot shrub does best in part shade and moist soil. Prune right after flowering.
Do a little planning and you can have bushes that bloom in spring, one after another, for months of floral color. Visit your local nursery and select a few spring bloomers that catch your eye. Then stand back and watch your landscape come to life!
Favorite Spring-Blooming Shrubs (Zones 6-
Worth growing for its fragrance alone, you will also love the classic beauty of Pink Dawn viburnum. In early spring its clusters of hot pink buds open to reveal showy cotton-candy pink flowers. This is before the new leaves begin to unfurl. The Pink Dawn Viburnum is even more beautiful in the fall, when its leaves turn bright red and purple. Up to 10 tall, 8 wide. Zones 5-8.
Companion Plant Idea
Keep the fragrance coming in your garden by pairing Pink Dawn Viburnum with Little Darling® Lilac. A dwarf lilac that blooms in both spring and autumn.
Enchanted Forest® Impish Elf™ Pieris is among the most adorable evergreen spring-flowering shrubs. The bright pink, bell-shaped blooms open from pink-purple buds and hang gracefully above its foliage. After its flowers fade, its new leaves emerge a rich shade of red. Up to 5 tall and wide. Zones 6-8.
Companion Plant Idea
Accent Pieris with rich-purple Heuchera, such as Sirens’ Song™ Dark Night. In mild-winter areas, this perennial’s evergreen foliage is an ideal foil for Pieris blooms.
This shrub is spectacular in all seasons as its dark green foliage is boldly variegated in creamy yellow. Moonlight Parfait® Winter Daphne delights in early spring with its scented rose-pink flowers. At a tidy 4 feet tall and wide, it is perfect for planting along shaded walkways. Here you can take advantage of its luscious scent. Up to 4 tall and wide. Zones 6-9.
Companion Plant Idea
Ivory Prince Hellebore also offers evergreen foliage and an early-season bloom time. Both plants prefer a shaded spot with moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter.
It is hard to name a time when Razzleberri® Fringe Flower does not delight in the garden. It begins blooming in early spring and extends its show of spidery, raspberry-red blossoms into the summer. When not in bloom, you are sure to love the rich burgundy-purple tones of its new growth. This happens as it pushes out new leaves. Up to 6 tall, 5 wide. Zones 7-9.
Companion Plant Idea
For a look you will love all year long, pair Razzleberri® Fringe Flower with Double Shot® Watermelon Azalea. Both bear eye-catching pink blossoms and evergreen foliage and appreciate a partially shaded spot.
Favorite Spring-Flowering Shrubs (Zones 4-
Among the most reliable flowering evergreen shrubs for Northern gardens, P. J. M. Elite Rhododendron is also one of the most beautiful. It delights in early spring as the big buds unfurl to reveal lovely clusters of lavender-purple blossoms. Being smaller in stature than many other Rhododendron varieties, you can tuck P. J. M. Elite in your garden with early-season perennials. Up to 5 tall and wide. Zones 4-8.
Companion Plant Idea
Enjoy P. J. M. Rhododendron under the shade of Royal Star Magnolia. A magnificent large shrub or small tree that shows off a profusion of starry flowers in early spring.
Forsythia is one of spring’s most iconic shrubs. Fresh selections like Springshine™ make it easier to use in garden design than ever. Springshine™ bursts into bloom in early spring like old-school varieties. On the other hand, it has golden-yellow flowers from the very top of the stems all the way down to the bottom. Its dwarf habit allows it to fit anywhere in your garden. Up to 2 tall, 3 wide. Zones 4-9.
Companion Plant Idea
Site Springshine™ Forsythia with Carsten’s Wintergold Mugo Pine. This low-maintenance evergreen offers golden-yellow needles throughout the winter. It starts to go green after Forsythia ends its show.
There’s no better way to welcome spring than with happy, fragrant flowers, and Jelena Witch Hazel is just that. It makes the garden look beautiful even on the gloomiest days. Spider-web-like blooms in copper color cover the stems, giving the bush a unique look that you can see from yards away. Get closer to it to take in the blossoms’ delightful form and spicy fragrance. Up to 20 tall, 15 wide. Zones 5-9.
Companion Plant Idea
Enjoy Jelena Witch Hazel with Little Rascal® Holly. This no-fuss dwarf evergreen shrub turns a lovely shade of purple-green over winter. It accents the Witch Hazel flowers perfectly.
This low-growing, underappreciated evergreen shrub will make any shaded area brighter with clusters of golden-yellow flowers in early spring. If you want to add more North American native plants to your garden, don’t forget to include it. When pollinated, they form attractive clusters of blue-purple fruits that bring birds and other wildlife into your garden. Up to 2 tall, 4 wide. Zones 5-9.
Companion Plant Idea
Dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea is a North American native plant that enjoys similar growing conditions. The Dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea has white flowers in the summer, and in the fall, its leaves turn beautiful shades of mahogany purple.
Top 10 Spring FLOWERING Shrubs That Will Leave You BREATHLESS! – REVOLUTIONIZE Your Garden!
FAQ
What bushes bloom in early spring?
What is the easiest flowering bush to grow?
What is the pink blooming bush in early spring?
What bush has white flowers in early spring?
What are spring flowering shrubs?
Spring flowering shrubs mark the arrival of warm weather by bringing light, colors, and vitality to your garden after all winter’s dreary browns and grays.
What flowers bloom in spring?
Covered in pink, white, red, lavender or peach blooms, azaleas are one of the most beloved shrubs of spring. New varieties keep blooming from spring to fall so you’ll enjoy their flowers for months. 13. Hydrangeas Beautiful, bouncy and abundant, hydrangeas are versatile shrubs, Sears shares.
When do spring flowering bushes come out?
Spring flowering shrubs mark the arrival of warm weather by bringing light, colors, and vitality to your garden after all winter’s dreary browns and grays. Early spring blooming bushes like forsythia, and flowering quince wake up as soon as winter is over, around March and April, when the temperatures rise and the days slowly begin to lengthen.
Do shrubs bloom in spring?
Evergreen or Deciduous, white or colorful bloom, fragrant or not, for Sun or shade, the varieties of shrubs that bloom in spring (sometimes from early spring through early summer) is endless. So get ready to welcome it, light up your garden or spring container, and help your imagination…
