A&M Enhanced Lawncare Inc

Nothing says “spring” like that first bright pop of canary-yellow forsythia. Older types get leggy, so keep them manageable by pruning immediately after flowering (if you wait too long, you’ll cut off next year’s blooms). Newer varieties are more compact for small gardens.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
Varieties to try: Show Off Sugar Baby, Show Off Starle

2 lilac

Best for: Fragrance

Ranging from pale pink to deep purple, the spikey blooms of this old-fashioned spring-bloomer are sweetly fragrant. Lilacs make a great hedge or accent and also attract butterflies. New types are more compact and rebloom throughout the season.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8

Varieties to try: Miss Kim, Bloomerang Dark Purple Reblooming

3 Azalea

Best for: Shade to Part Shade

This attractive shrub boasts glossy leaves and late spring flowers that come in nearly every shade including red, purple, pink, orange, and coral. Some types rebloom. You’ll find both evergreen and deciduous types (which drop their leaves in winter), so read the plant description before buying. They make a lovely low hedge.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9

Varieties to try: Golden Lights, Bloom-A-Thon Lavender

4 Rose of Sharon

Best for: Full Sun

In late summer when many other flowering shrubs have lost steam, this plant is in its glory with pink, white, lavender or even blue flowers that bloom well into fall. New types grow in a column (pillar) shape that's sized right for small gardens.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Varieties to try: White Pillar, Blue Chiffon

5 Butterfly Bush

Best for: Butterflies and Hummingbirds

Aptly named because its numerous spiky, fragrant blooms of white, pink or purple attract butterflies (and hummingbirds!), this sturdy shrub is deer-resistant. It’s also called summer lilac. New varieties are more compact and non-invasive, so they play well with other perennials in mixed borders.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Varieties to try: Pugster Blue, Miss Ruby

6 Ninebark

Best for: Cold Climates

This native plant has elegant arching branches dotted with clusters of creamy white flowers in late spring. It’s fast-growing and can become quite large, so give it plenty of room. Some types have eye-catching wine-colored foliage. Look for dwarf varieties if you’re tight on space.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7

Varieties to try: Summer Wine, Tiny Wine

7 Crape Myrtle

Best for: Hot Climates

These lovely shrubs ignore the heat and bloom all summer long with frilly, vibrant flowers in shades of white, purple, crimson, or pink. Some types become small trees; others are dwarf varieties that remain 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 10

Varieties to try: Berry Dazzle Dwarf, Midnight Magic

8 Caryopteris

Best for: Late Blooms

As the rest of your garden is winding down, this little beauty is taking off. This sun-lover, also called bluebeard, has charming blue blooms from late summer to fall. Plus, bees and butterflies love it! Plant in masses for maximum impact in borders.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Varieties to try: Beyond Midnight, Blue Balloon

9 Spirea

Best for: Low Maintenance

This reliable bloomer rarely needs your attention. New types maintain their mounded shape without pruning. Long-lasting clusters of red, white, or pink flowers offer beautiful contrast against lime green, deep green or gold foliage. It’s equally at home in mass plantings, as a low hedge, or alongside perennials.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8

Varieties to try: Double Play Candy Corn, Neon Flash

10 Hydrangea

Best for: Three-Season Interest

This stunning shrub is one of the few plants that can be grown in almost every climate. You’ll get three seasons of display: Bright flowers in summer, faded tones in fall, and papery dried blooms that linger on the plant over the winter. These shrubs are categorized into types (panicle, smooth, oakleaf, bigleaf and mountain) which have different needs, so read the plant description before buying.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 10

Varieties to try: Little Lime, Incrediball, Ruby Slippers, Cherry Explosion, Tiny Tuff Stuff