Evergreen plants are an invaluable component of gardens and landscapes, providing structure and color through the winter after other plants have gone dormant. Shrubs that stay green, or keep their leaves all year, provide background interest to other plants, lending year-round interest to foundation plantings, beds, borders and containers.
There are many choices of evergreen shrubs for even the coldest climates, as well as more temperate regions. The two basic types of evergreen shrubs are conifers, which produce needles, and broadleaf evergreens, which have foliage. Evergreen flowering shrubs bloom in different seasons, while other evergreen bushes produce insignificant flowers or no blooms at all. Try some of these evergreen shrubs in your landscape.
When it comes to choosing shrubs for your garden, finding varieties that can thrive in full sun conditions is key Full sun flowering perennial shrubs are an excellent option, providing year after year of vibrant blooms, interesting foliage, and structure to your outdoor space.
What are Full Sun Perennial Flowering Shrubs?
Full sun perennial flowering shrubs are woody plants that bloom repeatedly in areas receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Unlike annuals or perennials that die back each year, these shrubs maintain their structure over many seasons, filling out more and more with each passing year.
Full sun flowering shrubs are available in a diverse range of sizes shapes bloom times, and colors. From compact choices like dwarf spirea to large backdrop plants like rose of Sharon, you’re sure to find a full sun perennial flowering shrub perfect for your needs.
Benefits of Full Sun Flowering Perennial Shrubs
There are many great reasons to consider incorporating full sun flowering perennial shrubs into your landscape:
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Long blooming seasons – Unlike annuals that bloom for just one season, perennial flowering shrubs can provide weeks or even months of eye-catching color in your garden.
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Year after year enjoyment – Once established, full sun perennial flowering shrubs will come back reliably, blooming more abundantly each year.
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Low maintenance – These adaptable, carefree shrubs need little upkeep to continue thriving.
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Multi-season interest – In addition to flowers, many varieties also have attractive fruit in fall and winter along with interesting branch structure.
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Food and habitat for pollinators – The flowers provide much needed nectar for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
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Structure and focal points – Full sun shrubs bring height, dimension, and visual weight to garden beds and borders.
Best Full Sun Perennial Flowering Shrubs
Here are some of the top picks for flowering perennial shrubs that thrive in full sunlight:
Dwarf Spirea
One of the smallest options, dwarf spirea grows 12-24 inches tall and wide. It flowers abundantly in late spring to early summer. Varieties like ‘Little Princess’ and ‘Neon Flash’ give a big dose of curb appeal along walkways, in rock gardens, or at the front of flower borders.
Rose of Sharon
A classic flowering shrub, rose of Sharon explodes with color from midsummer into fall, bearing hibiscus-like blooms up to 4 inches wide. It grows 8-12 feet tall. Great for backgrounds, screening, hedges, and pollinator gardens.
Weigela
Weigela flaunts brightly colored trumpet shaped flowers in shades of pink, red, white, and more from late spring through midsummer. Most varieties reach 4-6 feet tall and wide, but you can also find more compact options.
Butterfly Bush
As their name suggests, butterfly bushes are a prime nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds. From summer into fall they produce long conical flower clusters in purple, pink, white, red and more. They grow fast, reaching 8-15 feet tall.
Hydrangea
A garden classic, hydrangeas bloom from early summer well into fall in white, pink, blue, and purple tones. Varieties like ‘Endless Summer’ and ‘Let’s Dance’ will reach 3-5 feet tall and wide. For smaller spaces, ‘Little Lime’ gets just 3 feet tall.
Spirea
A diverse group, spirea delivers fluffy plumes of white, pink, or reddish flowers in late spring/early summer. Heights range from 18 inches for ‘Goldmound’ to up to 6 feet for ‘Goldflame’. Prune annually right after blooming.
Flowering Quince
One of the earliest flowering shrubs, flowering quince bursts into bloom in early spring before its leaves emerge. It bears clusters of scarlet, pink, white, or orange blooms. Most varieties reach 4-8 feet tall and wide.
Ninebark
Ninebark is prized for its peeling papery bark, but it also blooms in late spring/early summer with dense white flower heads. Good for naturalizing. ‘Dart’s Gold’ and ‘Little Devil’ are compact, 3-5 foot tall varieties.
Bluebeard
An easy-care choice, bluebeard (or caryopteris) blooms with fuzzy blue flowers in late summer into fall. It typically reaches 3-4 feet tall and wide. Bees and butterflies adore it. Great for borders, beds, and cottage gardens.
Bush Cinquefoil
A North American native, bush cinquefoil bursts with hundreds of cheerful yellow buttercup-type blooms for weeks in late spring/early summer. It grows 2-4 feet tall and wide. Tolerates heat, drought, humidity, and poor soil.
Smokebush
Grown mostly for its cool, misty flower plumes, smokebush also has pretty pink, purple, or red blooms. The frothy blooms emerge in summer. Mature height is 10-15 feet, but you can find smaller varieties like ‘Grace’ at just 4-6 feet.
Tips for Growing Full Sun Flowering Shrubs
To help your full sun perennial flowering shrubs continue looking their best and blooming abundantly for years to come, follow these tips:
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Select a variety suited to your zone and site conditions. Always check the plant tag.
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Give shrubs ample space and full sun exposure (at least 6 hours of direct sun daily).
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Prepare soil well with compost or other organic matter to improve drainage.
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Water newly planted shrubs regularly until their root systems become established.
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Apply 2-4 inches of mulch around shrubs to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
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Prune spring and summer flowering shrubs right after they bloom. Prune fall bloomers in late winter/early spring.
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Apply a general purpose, slow-release shrub fertilizer each spring to nourish your shrubs.
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Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing/rubbing branches to keep plants healthy.
With the right selection and care, full sun perennial flowering shrubs will beautify your landscape for years to come! They provide color, structure, and multi-season interest along with supporting pollinators. Be sure to make room for a few of these shining stars in your upcoming garden plans.
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What evergreen shrubs stay small?
There are lots of options for evergreen shrubs that take up little space in the landscape, including:
- Narrow shrubs that naturally grow as a column, like Stonehenge Skinny® or Aquavita™
- Dwarf types that grow as tidy little globes, like Tater Tot® arborvitae
- Low-growing evergreens excellent for edging or groundcover, like Montana Moss® juniper
What shrubs stay green in winter?
Some shrubs such as conifers will stay evergreen in most climates, while others such as abelia are considered semi-evergreen, shedding some or all of their leaves in colder areas.
7 Best Shrubs for Full Sun ☀️✨ // Low Maintenance Shrubs // PlantDo Home & Garden
FAQ
What flowering perennials grow in full sun?
- ‘Mango Tango’ agastache. Photo by: Proven Winners. …
- ‘Leading Lady Pink’ bee balm. Photo by: Proven Winners. …
- Canterbury Bells campanula. …
- Photo by: Janet Loughrey. …
- ‘Kobold’ blazing star. …
- Toucan® Yellow canna. …
- ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ catmint. …
- Summersong™ Firefinch™ coneflower.
Which flowering shrubs bloom the longest?
| Let’s Dance Can Do!® Reblooming Hydrangea | Oso Easy Peasy® Rose |
|---|---|
| Double Play Doozie® Spirea | Pugster Pink® Butterfly bush Others in this series – Pugster® Amethyst, Pugster Pinker®, Pugster Blue®, Pugster White® and Pugster Periwinkle® |
| Happy Face® Potentilla | Sonic Bloom® Weigela series |
What flowering shrub blooms all summer?
- 1.) Perfecto Mundo® Reblooming Azaleas. (Rhododendron sp.) …
- 2.) Butterfly Bush. (Buddleia sp.) …
- 3.) Panicle Hydrangeas. (Hydrangea paniculata) …
- 6.) Bloomerang® Lilacs. (Syringa sp.) …
- 7.) Double Take™ Flowering Quince. (Chaenomeles speciosa) …
- 8.) Rose Of Sharon. (Hibiscus syriacus) …
- 9.) Landscape Roses.
What is the longest blooming perennial?
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‘Moonbeam’ Tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’):This variety is known for its extended bloom time, starting in early summer and continuing until the end of fall.
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Catmint (Nepeta):This perennial offers a long bloom season, with multiple reblooms, and its fragrant leaves make it a great choice for borders or rock gardens.
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Coneflowers (Echinacea):Coneflowers, particularly the purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), are known for their long bloom times and attract pollinators.
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Blanket Flower (Gaillardia):These perennials offer a long bloom season with vibrant, daisy-like flowers.
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Bee Blossom (Gaura):Another option for long-lasting blooms, offering delicate, airy flowers.
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Lavender (Lavandula):While some lavender varieties are annuals, perennial types like Sweet Romance® Lavender offer a long bloom season and a lovely fragrance.
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Salvia (Salvia):Salvia, with its spiky flower stalks, can provide a long season of color, often blooming from early spring through mid-summer.
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Daylilies (Hemerocallis):These tough perennials are known for their ability to bloom all summer long, even in hot, dry conditions.
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Asters (Symphyotrichum):Asters, also known as Michaelmas daisies, bloom from summer into late fall, providing late-season color and attracting pollinators.
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Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum):This native plant is known for its long-lasting blooms and licorice-scented flowers.
Do Flowering shrubs grow in full sun?
Flowering shrubs that flourish in full sun are the cornerstones of any vibrant garden. These sun-loving plants are not just resilient; they are the bringers of color, fragrance, and life to any outdoor space.
Are shrubs perennials?
Shrubs are considered perennials; some offer greenery year-round, while others shed leaves when the cold weather arrives. In addition to their green foliage, there are flowering shrubs for full sun that bloom in various hues, bear fruits, or feature compelling bark textures.
Are flowering bushes good for full sun?
Flowering shrubs for full sun bring your yard or landscape to life with their colorful blooms and foliage; some have berries that attract charming songbirds and other wildlife. You can find flowering bushes that flourish in a variety of climates and soils and in sizes that suit almost space you have, even if it’s only a container.
Do full sun perennials grow in shade?
These full sun perennials are all outdoor plants that like direct sunlight and are perfect for those sunny spots in your garden. Lately we’ve been talking a lot about perennials that grow well in the shade and part shade. However, if you live further south like I do (in South Carolina), it seems like almost anything will grow in part shade.
Which flowering shrubs will bring your sun-drenched garden to life?
Now, let’s explore a list of flowering shrubs that will bring your sun-drenched garden to life: Philadelphus coronarius (Mock Orange) is a robust, rounded shrub known for its stiff, upward branches and dense growth. In late spring, it showcases fragrant, white, cup-shaped flowers in abundant clusters, set against dark green, serrated leaves.
What shrubs withstand heat?
Whether you are looking for low-growing shrubs for the front of the house, evergreen hedges for living privacy or just want abundance of flowers and beautiful fall colors, these carefree shrubs will flower and flourish in full Sun also resist well to heat. 1. ‘Blue Moon’ Hybrid Tea Rose (Rosa ‘Blue Moon’)