Looking for that amazing “pop” of color in your garden or landscape? A plant that makes a statement and really stands out against your backdrop?
Enter… flowering perennial shrubs (or bushes). Perennial shrubs add balance and color to your landscape.
I love flowering shrubs because they can really catch the attention of passerbys. If you’re following my garden pyramid for planting success, you have already chosen your ornamental tree(s) and evergreen shrubs.
Flowering shrubs make the perfect choice for right in front of your evergreen backbone planting. So, place your perennial shrubs in front of a row of evergreens to really make them POP.
These flowering bushes can add lots of long-lasting color and personality and are large enough to make a big statement. In fact, a lot of the perennial shrubs I’ll mention bloom for weeks and even months on end.
And… when they are done blooming, your sturdy evergreen foundation will keep your garden from looking bare and messy. Once you choose the perennial shrubs that are right for your garden, you’ll see your landscape really start take shape.
Quick Tip:My landscape layering post will show you how to create a beautiful, four-season landscape, even if you’re a beginner gardener!
The best perennial shrubs for color and texture
Let’s get to the fun stuff! These are my picks for the BEST perennial shrubs to add color and texture to your landscape.
- Perennial shrubs with winter interest
- Flowering shrubs
- Fast growing perennial bushes
- Deer-resistant perennial shrubs
Long Blooming & Easy-Care Perennial Shrubs
Here are some of my favorite perennial shrubs that you can plant in your own garden. I really love these options because not only do they bloom for weeks and sometimes months on end, but they don’t require much effort at all.
The only maintenance you’ll need to do is watering and fertilizing. After planting these shrubs you should supplement their water supply until the roots get established. Beyond that, they should be able to handle the weather if you get about an inch of rain each week.
Many people find flowering shrubs to be difficult to grow. The biggest issue that I see, is that most people do not fertilize flowering shrubs at all or enough. Any plant, shrub or tree in your garden that is a prolific bloomer needs to be fertilized.
It takes a lot of energy for her to look so beautiful for you every day! So… you should pick up some flower fertilizer and follow the feeding instructions provided. My favorite is Espoma Rose-Tone Rose and flower food if you are looking for a specific recommendation!
Ok – onto my recommendations for the best perennial flowering shrubs for you to try in your own garden!
Perennial Shrubs To Add Color and Texture To Your Garden
Knockout Rose Bush
Zones: 5-11 | 3-4’W x 3-4’W | Full Sun
Knockout or double knockout roses are easy to grow, don’t require special care and bloom up to 9 months of the year — literally from spring until the end of fall when it starts to frost.
Knockout roses come in a couple different variations of color. Most are in the hot pink (Rosa PINK KNOCK OUT ‘Radcon’) to blush pink (Rosa x ‘Radgor’), or yellow family (Rosa SUNNY KNOCK OUT ‘RADsunny’) .
Spirea ‘ Superstar’
Zones 3-8 | 1′-8’ H x 6’ W (varies by variety) | Full Sun
With so many varieties to choose from, you won’t have a hard time finding a spirea that you will fall in love with. Spirea are classified as spring-blooming or summer-blooming.
The pink blooming spirea pictured is called Superstar (Spiraea x bumalda ‘Denistar’). This is a compact (2-3’H x 1-4’W) variety with blooms of apple-pink blossoms that cover the plant all summer long. In addition to the blooms it also has beautiful fall foliage.
**NOTE** Spiraea japonica is invasive in certain areas of the US. Please do your research before planting.
What Blooms with What?
Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!
Elderberry ‘Black Beauty’
Zones: 4-7 | 8-12′ H x 5-6′ W | Full to Part Sun
The Elderberry ‘Black Beauty’ (Sambuscus nigra ‘Gerda’) has exotic, fern-like deep purple foliage with purple young stems. In spring, pink blooms with a lemony scent envelop this unique shrub, attracting butterflies. It also bears yummy fruit (elderberries) in the summer that both people and birds love.
Quick Tip: If you like the elderberry, check out these 15 plants and shrubs with burgundy red foliage.
Indian Hawthorne ‘Pinkie’
Zones 7-11 | Part-Full Sun | Shrub: 3-4’ H x 3-6’ W (varies by variety) | Tree: 15-25’ H x 8-10’ W
Indian Hawthorne is a double bang-for-your-buck plant because it’s technically an evergreen shrub but is just as beautiful as the other perennial shrubs in this list. ‘Pinkie’ (Rhaphiolepis indica ‘Pinkie’) is a good variety to check out for its compact size (Zones 7-9).
The Indian Hawthorne is a no-fuss small and slow-growing shrub native to southern China and Japan. It bursts with pink or white clusters of flowers in spring, which give way to dark blue berries that attract birds and other wildlife the rest of the year.
Beyond Midnight Bluebeard
Full Sun, 2-3′ W x 2-3′ H, Zones 5-9
Beyond Midnight Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis) is a lovely vibrant green shrub, with a naturally rounded shape. Beyond Midnight adapts to a variety of soils and is drought resistant once established. Even though wildlife love it, destructive deer will pass it by. Its true value is seen as the season progresses. In late summer, long stems shoot up above the glossy, dark-green foliage COVERED in deep-blue flowers. There are so many blue blossoms shooting from these long wands that it has the effect of turning the shrub into a big blue ball in your landscape. So cool!
Hydrangea ‘Little Quickfire’
Zones 3-8 | 3-5’ H x 3-5’ W | Full to Part Sun
If you’re looking for a flowering perennial shrub that can tolerate some shade, Hydrangea ‘Little Quickfire’ is a great option. White blooms appear in early summer – about 1 month sooner than other hydrangeas. As the blooms age, they fade to a pink color (like in the photo). Little Quickfire is a more petite version of Quickfire, which gets 6-8′ tall and wide.
Wrapping Up
For a 4-season layered landscape, plant your perennial shrubs IN FRONT OF your evergreen shrubs. Evergreen shrubs are the perfect backdrop for these blooming pops of color. There are even some flowering evergreen shrubs, like the rhododendron and Indian Hawthorn.
A must have flowering shrub for any garden is the “knockout” or “double knockout” rose bush — these can bloom up to 9 months of the year and are very easy to care for.
Spirea are prolific spring or summer bloomers, depending on the variety. With so many options you’re sure to find a spirea that’s right for you!
Elderberry ‘Black Beauty’ is another great shrub with showy pink blooms in spring. What’s unique about this shrub is that it has deep burgundy fern-like foliage that gives it interest in multiple seasons, even when it’s not in bloom. It also produces berries in summer that birds love.
Do you live in a warmer climate and are looking for something no-fuss? The Indian Hawthorne is a no-fuss perennial shrub that is actually evergreen. It looks just as beautiful as other deciduous shrubs that lose their foliage in winter. Hawthorns come adorned with pink or white flowers and even have berries in the summer that attract birds.
If you are feeling more adventurous, try the ‘Beyond Midnight’ Bluebeard. Beautiful mound-like green perennial shrubs, bluebeards burst with blue blooms on long stems in late summer, giving them the appearance of a big blue ball in your landscape.
Finally, ‘Little Quickfire’ Hydrangea is a flowering perennial that can tolerate a bit of shade. It has a petite size and also blooms about one more earlier than other hydrangeas (in early summer). The blooms start out white then fade to a rosy red color that’s really attractive. The stems are also red which adds interest in the fall.
And, be sure to keep reading this guide as we’ll be talking about using perennial plants and flowers in the landscape next!
In my perennial garden plan, I’ll go over landscape layering and give you some suggestions for each of the 5 layers:
Layer 1: Ornamental Trees
Layer 2: Evergreen Shrubs
Layer 3: Perennial Deciduous Shrubs
Layer 4: Perennial plants and flowers
Layer 5: Groundcovers, Vines and Grasses
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What Blooms with What?
Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!
I love all of your ideas. However I need help layering for a almost completed shaded front landscaping plan. Any ideas?
Hi Camille! Sure— rhododendrons do great in the shade and there are many varieties to choose from… I like the PJMs and they come in a few colors, mostly pinks, purples and whites. Also try hostas, sedum “autumn joy” and cinnamon ferns. My ebook has a lot of ideas if you are interested (https://www.prettypurpledoor.com/shop/designing-landscape-layers-ebook/) — at the very least grab the plant pairing guide and get on the email list to learn more: https://www.prettypurpledoor.com/guides/
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Hi. I see that some of your recommendations are not native North American plants. Any concerns with invasive species? I have fire bush all over my new yard and while I appreciate the color and how it provides much needed privacy, I’ve been advised here in Indiana to remove it. It certainly has bamboo-like characteristics in that it seems to take over everything.
Hi Sarah, thanks for the question… it’s a good one. First, “invasive species” is sort of a tough topic as a species may be invasive in one zone, while fine in another zone. So it really depends on where you live. This may not be in the case in Indiana… but I’d like to point out that firebush, or burning bush, is a pretty general term and there are many varieties that are considered non-invasive. What most nurseries grow and sell today is a variety of burning bush that is known as “Dwarf Compact Burning Bush” (Euonymus Alatus Compacta) not the “Winged Burning Bush” (Euonymus Alatus) which is considered to be more invasive. Calling the former “compact” is really misleading, because it grows to 12 feet tall. This article seems to be really helpful as well is this Indiana invasive plant list. My advice would be to determine whether seedlings are spreading the bushes and causing problems. If they are, you should probably remove them to save you from having to constantly prune and maintain the area. If you do end up removing them, the Red Chokeberry is a good alternative to provide a similar look without the invasive properties. I always recommend using plants that are native to your area and that you can find readily at your local garden center. These are the most likely to thrive in your particular climate. Hope this helps!
always beautiful. Too bad I live in Zone 3!!! Never any ideas on that!
Thanks Cheryl, yes I’m in Zone 5 but Zone 3 can be tough to find hardy plants for. I would recommend looking at the Korean Barberry, Golden-Twig Dogwood, Russian Olive, Bush Cinquefoil, Redleaf Rose, Dwarf Purple Osier, Cutleaf Golden Elderberry and Coral Embers Willow. These are all hardy in zone 3 and are great options for deciduous shrubs that have multiple seasons of interest. Hope that helps!
Perennials are some of my favorite’s to work with!
I loved the perennial garden plan that by signing up I was able to download. Unfortunately I didn’t have colored ink in my printer. When I tried to print again it said I was alread a member and wouldn’t allow me to reprint. Can you help me? thanks.
I sent you an email regarding this.