8 Flowering Shrubs That Bloom All Summer – To Vamp Up Borders & Sweeten Your Curb Appeal

There is something both glorious and very reassuring about flowering shrubs that bloom all summer. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like some kind of flowers – and by using bushes that bloom all summer, you can have a constant supply of color, scent and texture. Flowering bushes that flower all summer also add dimension to the garden with prostrate, erect and almost tree-like forms.

Some of the best flowering bushes are low maintenance, while others will require a little cutting back to encourage more blooms. But these summer flowering shrubs are all guaranteed to liven up your yards, pathways and borders – and provide a beautiful display for months. So take your pick, and enjoy the show!

Choosing Bushes That Bloom All Summer

Bushes that flower all summer can encourage pollinators to come to your yard and can even serve as host plants for important butterfly and moth caterpillars. Some also produce berries after bloom, providing food for birds and local wildlife. They may even produce food for home-growers in the form of fruits and rose hips.

Provided you have the right site and soil type, any of these listed shrubs will be easy to grow. Once they are established, these easy care flowering bushes need little special attention, apart from pruning out dead wood and old flowers and an annual feed for the best blooms. Here are some of the most enduring, prolific and reliable summer flowering shrubs for you to feast your eyes on.

1. Rose Palustris

This rose is a North American native flower that lives in marshy and damp sites. It is also called the swamp rose and can grow up to 6ft (1.8m) tall. This low maintenance shrub is a favorite of wild animals, since it naturally forms thickets which make ideal cover. This rose also produces a hip or fruit that many birds and other animals eat.

Bright pink flowers arrive in June and continue well until fall. This bush is tolerant of full sun and partial shade and any type of soil, provided it drains well. Rose Palustris, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, is hardy to USDA zones 4-9.

2. ‘Annabelle’ Smooth Hydrangea

This shrub forms a rounded mound as it matures, covered with virtually 1ft (30cm) wide clusters of bright flowers and large, pointed green leaves. It blooms from June until September, producing huge bundles of cloudlike white hydrangea flowers. This was a sport that was discovered accidentally in a home garden. It is tolerant of most soils and can bloom even in a partially shaded location.

The flowers of this smooth hydrangea variety are so large it is recommended you put a support cage around the plant to keep the stems from snapping from their weight. Beautiful ‘Annabelle’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, is hardy to USDA 3-5. For anyone keen to grow the best hydrangeas by growing zones, it’s a perfect option for northern gardeners.

3. Blue Mist Spirea

This gorgeous plant produces a halo of periwinkle blue blooms all summer long. Blue mist spirea (Caryopteris) is a drought and heat tolerant plant that thrives in the hot months. It is an herbaceous perennial that usually dies back to the ground in winter.

Cut back the old growth and a brand new flush will appear in spring, rapidly growing to 3-4ft (90cm-1.2m) in height. The leaves are gray and striking against brilliant cobalt blue flowers which attract butterflies and other pollinators. This gorgeous spirea variety will thrive in USDA zones 5-7.

4. ‘Apricot Drift’ Rose

Drift roses are a cross between miniature roses and regular ground cover roses. ‘Apricot Drift’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, is a low growing, compact, spreading plant that will brighten the garden from May through to fall. These tough, disease-resistant shrubs are also some of the easiest roses to grow and perfect for filling an empty ground space.

This romantic rose variety produces lush double blooms in soft apricot tones for months. At maturity, it can reach 2ft (60cm) tall and 3ft (90cm) wide. Plant ‘Apricot Drift’ in groups for outstanding low-maintenance ground cover in even the most northern gardens.

5. ‘Invincibelle Spirit II’ Smooth Hydrangea

This second-generation smooth hydrangea has been bred with stiffer stems and larger flowers than the first. Suitable for a dedicated hydrangea landscape or a specimen border planting, it thrives in part to full sun. ‘Invincibelle’ will grow 4ft (1.2m) tall with a similar spread. It thrives in USDA zones 3-8, making it an excellent choice for gardeners everywhere.

In spring, it begins to produce huge, rounded clusters of bright pink flowers. Pretty ‘Invincibelle Spirit II’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, will rebloom over and over. This is especially true if you deadhead the spent blooms, which turn a lovely shade of green as they age.

6. Rose of Sharon

If you want a plant that has flowers similar to a tropical hibiscus, Rose of Sharon is your gal. As well as developing some of the best pink flowers you’re likely to see in a garden display, you can also get intriguing purples and blues. This shrub can mature up to 12ft (3.6m) high, but is easily kept in check by pruning in early spring.

Plant Rose of Sharon in full to partial sunlight, where the soil is slightly acidic and well draining. Make sure the shrub is well watered, and it will keep delighting with a proliferation of cheerful blooms from spring until fall.

7. Bottlebrush Buckeye

This is an amazing plant with charming flowers that resemble white, slender brushes. It’s an understory plant that prefers moist, well-draining soil in full sun or partial shade. Palmate leaves create the perfect foil against its fluffy long flower clusters.

Hardy to USDA zones 4-8, this unique native shrub is also deer and rabbit resistant. Several species of butterfly consider this a host plant. Bottlebrush buckeye is tolerant of many different types of soil and can reach 12ft (3.6m) high when mature.

8. ‘Quick Fire Fab’ Panicle Hydrangea

This charming panicle hydrangea variety produces vibrant flower clusters which are conical rather than round. ‘Quick Fire Fab’ boasts one of the earliest bloom times in the group, and is distinctive for its soft pink and white flowers.

This shrub can get quite tall at 8ft (2.4m) and requires full sun. Still, ‘Quick Fire Fab’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, is easy to care for, provided the soil is evenly moist. The flowers will start to show in early spring and will keep on going until the first frost.

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