> Next: Seasonal Color in Gardens
Colorful Flowering Trees
and Shrubs
Match trees and shrubs to your site by their time of bloom, sun exposure, and foliage, but only after you choose their bloom and foliage color:
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- When blooms appear and when they fade,
- The sun exposure or shade required for the plant to flower, and
- How distinctive the plant’s foliage will be when bloom ends.
GrownByYou’s Best
Whether they’re landscape trees or woody shrubs, big and small flowering plants make every yard a place for colorful blooms and delightful fragrances—from spring to summer, and beyond into autumn.
Here are our experts’ top picks of flowering trees and shrubs:
America's Top 10 Most Popular Trees & Shrubs
Explore All Choices
You’ll find estimates of bloom times for all our plants on plant tags and in the guide sections for trees and shrubs [see Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, Ferns, and Cactus].
Climates vary widely. An azalea that blooms in February in Florida, for example, may bloom in April in Vancouver or May in Virginia.
If you feel unsure, consult the experts: You’ll find advice at your local university’s agricultural extension or in your local garden store.
Make sure to select trees and shrubs with foliage characteristics that are attractive in the landscape after the plants’ blooms fade. Take time to study the shape, texture, color, and overall effect of the foliage of each tree or shrub you consider.
Blooms of Landscape Shrubs
ornamental tree trees shrub shrubs flowering tree flowering shrub trees with flowers shrubs with flowers flowers on trees flowers on shrubs flowers tree flowers shrub landscape plants plantings yard backyard front yard flower flowering flowers bloom blooms bloom period duration length color texture sun shade exposure full sun part sun filtered sun part shade partial shade full shade species needs requirements site placement plant tags university cooperative extension nursery garden store staff azalea Florida Vancouver British Columbia Virginia foliage characteristics leaves texture shape hydrangea crape myrtle lilac Lagerstroemia indica Hydrangea species spp. Syringa vulgaris trees with white flowers trees with pink flowers trees with red flowers trees with orange flowers trees with purple flowers shrubs with white flowers shrubs with pink flowers shrubs with red flowers shrubs with orange flowers shrubs with purple flowers