Gardens are one of the most important aspects of your home in terms of aesthetic value. The first thing that people see when they approach the house is the landscape and to make a great impression of your house, your garden should be vibrant. There is no better way of making a garden stunningly beautiful than adding brilliant colors amidst the green backdrop and this can be done by planting flowering shrubs.

What Are Flowering Shrubs?

The term flowering shrubs refers to a particular group of flowering foliage whose stems are woody and whose branches form an intricate network as opposed to the single-trunk structure of trees. Shrubs typically grow to about 10 to 20 feet, and can serve as great focal points for any garden with the stunning color of their flowers that could hover over a landscape.

What Flowering Shrubs Are For

Flowering shrubs are planted in home gardens for a variety of reasons. They make great garden borders when planted side-by-side or in between other types of plants. Other people plant them mainly for their aromatic flowers especially shrubs like purple leaf sandcherry, lilac and viburnum. Some homeowners plant shrubs to establish some privacy by shielding the home against prying eyes. Flowering shrubs can also help control noise with their rich leaves that absorb sound.

What Flowering Shrubs Need to Grow

Most popular flowering shrubs are not really difficult to grow and maintain. They are hardy plants and usually just need regular watering, some fertilizing and the occasional pruning. Shrubs may also be trained to follow certain directions of growth to define a certain look in the landscape. While shrubs may indeed grow practically on their own, you could expect more progress if you take more care of them.

What Flowering Shrubs Are Available

There are many popular flowering shrubs, each having their on characteristics that make them ideal for different kinds of situations. Here are some of them:

1. Viburnum Shrub - viburnums are among the easiest of flowering shrubs to grow and maintain. While there are over 150 species belonging to the viburnum genus, it is not commonly seen in home gardens. Most viburnums are found in arboretums and botanical gardens. Viburnums are very hardy plants, a lot of them are quite resistant to diseases and pets, making them quite self-sustaining.

2. Weigela Shrub - weigela shrubs are very popular in both home and public gardens. This deciduous plant grows with an upright weeping tendency. They can add a lot of color to any garden. The leaves themselves can become purple, dark green or even bright yellow. The flowers colors can range from milky white to bright ruby red. Weigela are also very attractive to butterflies, so if you like beautiful critters aside from beautiful blooms, this type of shrub may be right for you.

3. Forsythia Shrub - forsythias are another popular type of shrubs. This deciduous plant typically grows to about 8 to 12 feet with upright or arching branches. Forsythias are quite easy to grow as they do well with most types of soil, although they thrive best in rich loose soil, needing only the occasional pruning after flowering. This shrub produces vibrant yellow flowers during early spring.

4. Hydrangea Shrub - this is another popular kind of flowering shrub that can also come as trees or vines. Hydrangeas can produce different kinds of flower colors that can be modified by altering the pH level of the garden soil. Basic soils result into pink flowers, while acidic soils result into blue flowers. Hydrangeas that have white flowers usually do not get affected by the soil pH level, but are nevertheless attractive shrubs.

5. Lilac Shrub - lilac shrubs are among the most favorite home flowering shrubs. While the term lilac usually refers to purple with pinkish tinge, lilac flowers may come in a variety of hues including blue, red, pink, white, and of course, lilac. Lilac shrubs like sunny weather and soils that drain well. They attract butterflies and bees. This resilient plant needs only occasional pruning after flowering and some mulch as fertilizer.

Flowering shrubs are good additions to any landscape. They provide shade and color that can make any garden look vibrantly beautiful.