Easy To Care For Flowering Bushes

Flowering shrubs are a joy in the landscape, but many gardeners worry about taking on too many maintenance responsibilities. If that sounds like you, low maintenance flowering bushes might be the best bet. Read on for ideas on easy to care for flowering bushes.

Easy to Grow Shrubs

Most gardeners have, at one time or another, brought in an utterly beautiful plant only to find that it required daily nurturing. This gets old fast. Easy to grow shrubs tolerate a variety of growing conditions and are vulnerable to relatively few insect pests and diseases. 

Choosing Flowering Bushes

When you shop for flowering bushes, low maintenance is important. Always take your hardiness zone and the size of the site into consideration. Low maintenance flowering shrubs can be tall or small, so pick one that fits your site. 

Here are three easy care flowering bushes with a mature height of under 6 feet (2m.).

1. Fragrant honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
   If you’d like a honey-sweet perfume with your flowering shrub, this short honeysuckle bush with white spring flowers is one to consider. It likes a sunny site but accepts partial shade and almost any type of soil
2. Hills of Snow hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens grandiflora)
   Most hydrangeas produce a prolific crop of flowers and need little care. Hills of Snow is short and grows mounds of huge white flower clusters. Plant in sun for best blossoms.
3. Persian lilac (Syinga xpersila)
   Lilac is a popular, easy care, and very recognizable shrub with fragrant spring flowers ranging in color from white to purple. Persian lilac is a small plant that overflows with flowers in late springtime.

Tall Easy-Care Shrubs

Taller shrubs that produce flowers can make a wonderful focal point in a large backyard. Although some tall plants require kid-glove treatment, there are many that only need an appropriate site and occasional water to do well. Here are three tall, undemanding shrubs.

1. Butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.)
   Butterfly bush can get to 12 feet (4m.) tall and, in a full sun location, offers long-lasting blooms bright shades of purple, pink, or red. Newer varieties bloom continuously during the growing season since they don’t set seeds.
2. Japanese kerria (Kerria Japonica)
   Looking for a flowering shrub for heavy shade? Kerria charms with unique foliage and large, yellow, April flowers. Growing to 10 feet (3.1m.) tall and wide, kerria needs no coddling. 
3. Purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria purpureus)
   Plant smoke bush anywhere, in any soil, and it will thrive. It offers unusual plume-like purple flowers and eye-catching purple-green foliage that puts on a fiery fall display.