Early Spring Flowering Shrubs
Spring-blooming shrubs and bushes add color to backyards early in the season, attract pollinators and more.
1. Carnelian cherry dogwood
Cornus mas, zones 4 to 8
Size: Up to 20 feet tall and wide
Welcome spring with bright yellow flowers that appear earlier than those of forsythia. These spring-blooming shrubs prefer full sun or partial shade and prefer rich, moist, well-drained soil. Leaves turn purplish red in fall, and scaly bark adds winter interest.
Why we love it: Red fruits are edible, but they're also made into preserves, jellies and slices. Or leave them for the birds to enjoy.
2. Dwarf Russian Almond
Prunus tenella, zones 2 to 6
Size: 2 to 5 feet tall and wide
This moderate-sized shrub records the growing season with showy rose-red flowers and yellow-orange fall color. It prefers full sun, tolerates a variety of soil types and is very drought tolerant. Ruth's 100 produces lots of flowers on a small plant.
Why we love it: Flowers appear early and attract butterflies. Additionally, the plant provides food and cover for backyard birds and wildlife.
3. Vernal witch hazel
Hamamelis vernalis, zones 4 to 8
Size: 6 to 10 feet tall and wide
Enjoy seasons of color from this North American native plant. Fragrant flowers are golden yellow, orange or burgundy-red. Check out more yellow flowering shrubs.
Leaves appear reddish bronze, turning green in summer and turning yellow in fall. Best blooms in full sun, but the plant will tolerate partial shade.
Why we love it: This native tree attracts songbirds, but deer avoid it.
4. Paperbush plant
Edgeworthia chrysantha, zones 7 to 9
Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and wide
Leafless stems provide winter interest, while creamy yellow flowers with a spicy scent attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies in late winter or early spring. The Goldfinch variety tolerates humidity and heat, and the grandiflora has larger flowers.
Why we love it: The dark green leaves turn yellow in fall, adding year-round appeal. Its bark can be used to make paper, hence its common name.
5. Bush cherry
Prunus jacquemontii, zones 5 to 8
Size: 5 feet tall and wide
Here's a cherry that southern gardeners can enjoy. The rose-colored buds open to fragrant pink flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. The green leaves are a larval host for the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly and turn yellow in the fall. Grow these spring flowering shrubs in full sun with moist, well-drained soil.
Why we love it: The fruit, which ranges in color from red to plum purple, attracts birds to nature.
6. Dwarf Fothergilla
Fothergilla Gardenia, Zones 4 to 9
Size: 3 to 6 feet tall, 2 to 6 feet wide
Fothergilla is a beautiful white flowering shrub and slow grower that sends out extra shoots, forming a colony. Remove unnecessary stems to limit its size. Blue-green leaves turn vibrant reds, oranges and yellows in fall. Grow in full sun to part shade and in rich, moist, acidic soil.
Why we love it: The white, honey-scented bottlebrush flowers attract bees and other beneficial pollinators.
7. Daphne
Daphne, zones 4 through 8
Size: 6 inches to 3 feet tall, 2 to 3 feet wide
Choose from a variety of sizes and spring bloom times. Grow in full sun to partial shade to enjoy beautiful fragrant flowers. Daphnes prefer moist, well-drained soil and protection from winter wind and sun.
Why we love it: The lush foliage of some cultivars and the colorful leaves of Carol Mackie make dafness a welcome addition to any size home garden.
8. Pearlbush
Exochorda racemosa, zones 4 to 8
Size: Up to 15 feet tall and wide
Place this large shrub where you are sure to enjoy a spring flower display. The pearl-like flower buds open midway into white flowers, followed by interesting seed capsules. Use it as a hedge or add it to a mixed or shrub border. Prune immediately after flowering for best results.
Why we love it: Growing in full sun to partial shade, these spring-blooming shrubs are low-maintenance and heat and drought tolerant.
9. Flowering quince
Xenomeles speciosa, zones 4 to 9
Size: 6 to 10 feet tall and wide
The quince's white, pink, or red flowers turn yellow in the fall to apple-like fruit (which can be preserved and made into jellies). The leaves emerge bronze-red before turning green in summer. Grow in full sun for best blooming.
Why we love it: Colorful flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
10. Japanese Pieris
Peiris japonica, zones 4 to 7
Size: 9 to 12 feet tall, 6 to 8 feet wide
Grow as a large shrub or small tree in full sun to part shade. It prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soil and a location where its lush foliage is protected from winter winds.
Why we love it: Attractive buds that form in late summer add beauty to the winter garden before opening into white flowers in early spring.
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