FLOWERING SHRUB Facts

COLORS

Varied

LIGHT

Partial shade to full sun

SOIL

Well drained

WATER

When soil becomes dry during the first year

pH

5.5 to 7.5

HARDINESS

Varies with selection

USES

Foundation beds, boundaries, specimens

TIP

Instead of planting one of this and one of that, plant three or more of the same flowering shrub together for a larger mass and greater impact in the landscape.

FLOWERING SHRUBS

You can easily choose flowering shrubs to bring color and fragrance to your yard at different times of the year. Forsythia and lilac in spring may be followed by viburnum, hydrangea, or late-blooming abelia. You can incorporate flowering shrubs into foundation plantings dominated by evergreens or set them off separately in plantings or mixed borders. Sometimes very large, showy shrubs, such as snowball viburnum, are used like small trees to bring balance to home landscapes. Most flowering shrubs bloom once a year and shed their leaves in winter.

You can incorporate flowering shrubs into foundation plantings dominated by evergreens or set them off separately in plantings or mixed borders.

FERTILIZING FLOWERING SHRUBS

Most flowering shrubs benefit from yearly fertilization for the first five years after they are planted. After that, their root systems become so extensive that they often do a good job of gathering sufficient nutrients from soil. However, if your soil is very porous and infertile it is a good idea to give flowering shrubs a little fertilizer every year. The best time to fertilize most flowering shrubs is immediately after they bloom. However, species that bloom in late summer, such as hydrangea, are best fertilized in spring, just as new leaves appear.

Use a plant food containing coated timed-release fertilizer for gradual feeding that lasts many weeks. Vigoro® Tree and Shrub granules or plant spikes are a good choice for most flowering shrubs. Starting 6 inches away from the base of the plant, scatter the fertilizer evenly all the way out to the "drip line" -- the outside perimeter where water might drip down from the plant's leaves. Then cover the fertilized area with a 2- to 3-inch deep layer of pine needles, rotted leaves, or other mulch.

If you must prune a flowering shrub, do so right after it blooms. If you prune too late, plants may not bloom the following year.

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