Summer-blooming shrubs are very easy to grow

 Summer-blooming shrubs

These low-maintenance shrubs bloom during the warmer months of the year. Enjoy flowers all summer long when adding low-maintenance, easy-to-grow flowering shrubs. Many of these beautiful, but unnecessary plants will attract birds and butterflies, turning your green space into a haven for wildlife.

1. Bluebeard

The airy clusters of beautiful blue flowers give bluebeard its name. Flowers appear in late summer, when many shrubs and perennials have faded. This shrub is easy to grow and takes all but the worst of heat and drought. Plus, all kinds of pollinators, including hummingbirds, love the flowers — but deer leave them alone. Bluebeard makes an excellent cut flower.

2. Butterfly bush

Think of a butterfly bush as a summer blooming lilac. Its flowers appear in similar colors (purple, lavender, blue, pink and white) and have a delicious fragrance. Butterfly bushes bloom from summer to fall, especially if you remove the old flower clusters as they begin to fade. This will prevent self-seeding everywhere, especially in areas where they are invasive.

3. Carolina Allspice

This underutilized gem offers beautiful deep red flowers from late spring to mid-summer. Carolina spice flowers may not be very showy, but they have a powerful, spicy scent that you can enjoy throughout the yard. It is a hardy, low-maintenance plant native to parts of North America.

4. Japanese spirea

There's a good reason Japanese spirea is a common sight in urban plantings, restaurants, and even gas stations: It's a very low-maintenance shrub. and spirea produce clusters of raspberry-rose flowers in late spring to early summer. 'Little Princess', shown here, is a smaller variety, about 2.5 feet tall.

5. Oleander

An exceptionally easy to care for subtropical shrub, oleander produces summer flowers in shades of pink, red, purple, pink, yellow and white. In fact, it is so stupid that in many warm climates, it is grown on the sides of highways. Be careful if you grow it in your garden, especially if children or pets are nearby: oleander is highly poisonous if eaten.

6. Panicle hydrangea

One of the easiest hydrangeas to grow is the panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata). In late summer and fall, this rugged shrub produces fluffy clusters of white flowers that fade to pale shades of pink and green. There are also popular varieties such as 'Limelight' which turns green and 'Vanilla Strawberry' which has a lovely pink color.

7. Potentilla

Grown for its cheerful yellow, orange, red or white flowers, potentilla is one of the most common and easy-to-grow shrubs. It is not fussy about soil and tolerates drought well. Its flowers begin to open in late spring and continue into fall, drawing numerous pollinators such as butterflies.