10 Flowering Shrubs That Are So Easy to Grow—Even for Beginners

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10 Flowering Shrubs That Are So Easy to Grow—Even for Beginners

Flowering shrubs are a great anchor for your landscaping, providing a backdrop for smaller, showy plants in the front—and filling in with the flowers when other parts of your landscaping go dormant. But some shrubs can be pretty particular about their growing conditions, or need a lot of pruning and fussing to keep them looking good.

If you don’t have time for trimming and aren’t exactly the best at figuring out whether your soil or light conditions are just right, there are plenty of gorgeous flowering shrubs that are known for being easy to care for—even for beginners. Try these tips to set up your easy-care garden, and consider a few of these stellar options to get your garden started.

Megan McConnell, horticulturist and plant information director at Monrovia
Kevin Lenhart, landscape architect and design director at Yardzen

Popular Easy-Care Flowering Shrubs

Crape Myrtle

A crape myrtle blooms along a pathway.
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While often grown as a tree, some varieties of crape myrtle are smaller and more like shrubs—and they can handle more extreme conditions. “They tolerate poor soils and have low water needs and love heat,” says Megan McConnell, horticulturist and plant information director at Monrovia. “The blooms are spectacular, and arrive later than many other shrubs, extending the season.”

Bloom time: Summer to fall
Light: Full sun
Hardiness zones: 6 to 9

Texas Sage

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If you’re looking for a low-maintenance plant for dry climates, this pretty shrub, with silvery foliage and bright magenta flowers, is a perfect pick, says Kevin Lenhart, landscape architect and design director at Yardzen. “In hot, dry climates, this Southwestern native fills a handy niche, as a scruffy but not-too-scruffy background plant, a privacy screen, or an eager resident of hot, dry spots that other plants dislike. Pruning is minimal, focusing on removing spent flowers and periodic thinning out of older branches to keep things looking fresh and full.”

Bloom time: Summer and fall
Light: Full to partial sun
Hardiness zones: 6 to 9

Panicle Hydrangea

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Hydrangeas tend to be a lower-maintenance shrub in general, needing little pruning or other attention, but panicle varieties in particular can stand up to a lot of variation in water, sun, and soil. “They can handle more sun and use less water,” McConnell says. “The flowers last on the plant for a long time and are beautiful in dried arrangements.”

Bloom time: Summer and fall
Light: Partial sun
Hardiness zones: 5 to 9

Serviceberry

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Native plants tend to be super easy to grow, as they’re meant for your climate—and Lenhart recommends this one in particular. “They are habitat powerhouses, widely available, adaptable to lots of climates and soil types, and quite attractive, with sculptural branching and lovely fall foliage.”

Bloom time: Spring
Light: Full to partial sun
Hardiness zones: 2 to 9

Camellia

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If you want an array of spring flowers, McConnell recommends planting this shade-loving flowering shrub right by a rhododendron. “The camellias bloom first, then the rhodies.”

Bloom time: Fall, winter, and spring
Light: Partial sun to full shade
Hardiness zones: 6 to 10

Rhododendron

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These pretty shrubs feature colorful blooms and can add color to the shadier spots along your house’s foundation. Depending on the variety, they can bloom any time from late winter until early summer. They require just a little bit of pruning for shaping and deadheading after the bloom season is over.

Bloom time: Spring and summer
Light: Partial sun
Hardiness zones: 4 to 9

Desert Willow

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This sun-loving plant is perfect for drier areas in the Western U.S., Lenhart says. “It performs wonderfully as a small-scale focal point, suitable for small and large yards alike,” Lenhart adds. It has bold, trumpet-shaped flowers ranging from creamy pink to deep magenta. If you want to help the wildlife in your area, it’s an essential plant for desert fauna.

Bloom time: Spring to early summer
Light: Full sun
Hardiness zones: 6 to 9

New Jersey Tea

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A popular bush along the Eastern U.S., the New Jersey tea shrub can handle poor soil and a variety of light conditions. “This little shrub typically stays under three feet tall, and boasts delicate white flowers that work well in virtually any design style,” Lenhart says. “Because it fixes nitrogen, it can handle depleted soils, and its deep roots give it excellent drought tolerance.”

Bloom time: Spring and summer
Light: Full to partial sun
Hardiness zones: 4 to 8

Flowering Currant

By Eve Livesey/Getty Images

Flowering currant is a fast-growing flowering shrub, offering pink and red flowers in the spring. It can handle a lot of different soil and sun conditions, making it a perfect, easy-care option for many gardens. Lenhart recommends it for dry, shady spots—and for attracting birds to your garden.

Bloom time: Spring
Light: Full to partial sun
Hardiness zones: 6 to 9

Elderberry

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Another native bush that can thrive throughout most of the U.S., the elderberry grows quickly and provides pretty white blooms, followed by dark purple and black berries later in the summer.

Bloom time: Spring and summer
Light: Full to partial sun
Hardiness zones: 4 to 8

Tips for Choosing Easy-to-Grow Flowering Shrubs

Shrubs are great for beginner gardeners as they generally require little care once established and cover a lot of ground in your garden. But there are a few thoughts to consider to ensure gardening success.

Give them the right growing conditions

Shrubs are an investment that’ll last you for years to come—but only if you give them the proper conditions to thrive. “Always begin by identifying the locations where plants will get the light, water, and soil they need to thrive,” says Lenhart. While these shrubs are easy-care and adaptable, giving them the right light and water conditions will help ensure success.

Consider bloom times

Many flowering shrubs have interesting foliage that adds texture to your garden, even when they aren’t blooming. But you may want to plant shrubs with different bloom seasons—such as rhododendrons and hydrangea—near each other, so that you always have something flowering. “Consider the early bloomers in your landscape and make sure you have shrubs nearby that bloom later in the season,” says McConnell.

Lenhart suggests putting the spotlight on different areas of your garden at different times of year through the use of flowering shrubs.

Pay special attention to water needs

Drought-tolerant shrubs are a great choice if you’re in an area that regularly has water restrictions in place during the summer months.

Plant your flowering shrubs in early fall

Autumn is the best season for planting new flowering shrubs, as it gives them the full fall, winter, and spring to settle into their spot before they face the summer heat and drought.

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