Spring is finally here! With the new season, we welcome back fresh air, fragrant blooms, earthworms…in other words, gardening!

Disciplined gardeners are already outside pruning and getting a jump on general yard maintenance. They’re also already thinking about planting, since early spring is the ideal time to install most shrubs and trees.

If your yard needs some pops of color, native flowering shrubs offer the perfect solution. But with so many options, it can be difficult to decide what will work best with your soil and sun conditions. Here are five great flowering shrubs for the New England climate: 

1. Happy Face Bush Cinquefoil Potentilla

Happy face whah? Don’t be intimidated by the name! With its large, bright yellow flowers that produce all summer long, this shrub is truly a stunner. Even better, it’s also low maintenance. It prefers moisture but can tolerate dry conditions once established. It stands between 24 and 36 inches in height, requires full sun, and blooms throughout summer and fall.

2. Viburnum - Blue Muffin Arrow-wood

This shrub is all about variety: white flowers in the spring, blue fruit during the summer, followed by great fall colors. It stands between four and six inches tall, growing three to five inches apart. It is also very hardy, able to withstand harsh New England winters. It enjoys sun or partial shade with normal moisture. It is great for borders, hedges, and foundations.

3. Bloomerang Purple Reblooming Lilac

Fragrant lavender blooms from spring to fall – it’s the beautiful lilac. Give it lots of sun and normal moisture, and this shrub will attract butterflies and birds. It is a taller shrub that works well for border or foundations.

4. Forsythia - Show Off

Fresh-cut flowers in April? The forsythia makes it possible. In exchange for moisture and sun, you’ll enjoy bright yellow flowers that start to bloom in early spring. It also stands between five to six feet in height, and is well-suited for borders and foundations.

5. Hydrangea - Little Lime Hardy

The last of the five great flowering shrubs for the New England climate is a smaller version of the hydrangea. It’s perfect for smaller areas and shrub groupings, but it’s no less striking than its well-known, blue-hued cousin. Once established, little lime hardy provides reliable soft green flowers in the spring, which turn to pink and then burgundy as the summer progresses. It can handle sun to partial shade, dry to normal moisture, and is quite drought-resistant.

Adding color to your garden also adds color to your life. The selections above are just a few of the many flowering, perennial shrubs that will transform a boring yard into a floral paradise. Gorgeous flowering shrubs can find a happy home—even in the fluctuating New England climate. But before you hit the nursery, call our professional team for plant selection tips and expert installation services.