If you have a sunny location and want a beautiful flowering shrub for your yard, try one of the many hardy varieties of rhododendron. These are excellent plants for shade and can survive temperatures as low as -30 degrees F. Bright lavender-pink flowers appear in the spring and rebloom in the fall. They grow well in both acidic and well-drained soil and will have a compact growth habit. As the name suggests, the leaves turn deep purple in the winter.
Laurels
Laurels are a group of shade-loving shrubs with glossy, green, smooth-edged leaves and fragrant, sticky flowers. They bloom in late spring and may be in a variety of colors. Despite their name, laurels will grow best in a shady location and require acidic soil. Pruning is required each season to maintain their compact size.
Mountain Laurels are excellent choices for this part of the United States. They produce pink flowers in late spring and early summer. They require a moist, acidic soil and a layer of mulch to retain moisture. Because of their large blooms, Mountain Laurel is the best plant for a zone 7 garden. Hydrangeas require regular watering and will flower from July to September.
Kerria is another popular flowering shrub. Kerria’s bright green leaves and stems complement its sunny yellow flowers. Kerria is a remarkably hardy shade-tolerant shrub that grows to about 6 feet tall. The flowers are 1 inch wide and are highly fragrant. You can buy double-flowering cultivars, like the Pleniflora, to give your garden more color.
Boxwood
There are two basic types of boxwood flowering shrubs: English and European. The former is an evergreen shrub that grows to be as high as ten feet and the latter is a smaller, dwarf variety. Both varieties are hardy and can tolerate some shade. The foliage of both is leathery and lance-shaped, and some varieties have colorful foliage. Boxwoods can tolerate some shade and are great for foundation planting and hedges.
Both full-sized and dwarf boxwoods can improve a garden. Common boxwoods tolerate a range of light and soil conditions, but they grow best in partial shade. They are also suitable for gardens that get a little shade or full sun. If you’re growing your new boxwood in a shaded area, consider planting it in a container. Using a container to display it year-round will give you the opportunity to enjoy its blooms and fragrance all year-round.
Boxwood flowering shrubs for shade zone seven are slow-growing, but they do bloom. They can add color to your landscape and privacy to your yard. They also smell good, which is always a bonus! If you’re planning to plant a large shrub in your garden, be sure to consider how wide your property is before planting. Also, take into account the neighbors’ property and the size of your garden before choosing a plant.
Emerald n Gold Euonymus
The Emerald ‘n Gold euonymus is a variegated groundcover or hedge that has a striking gold and green color contrast. The plants bloom in winter and produce a yellow flush of growth in spring. The foliage is evergreen and is very hardy in Zones 5 through 9.
This flowering shrub is tolerant of a wide range of soil types, but will struggle in soggy soil. The Emerald n Gold Euonymus flowering shrubs for shade zone 7 can be planted in medium-moisture soils. Euonymus are drought-tolerant and thrive in both full sun and partial shade. However, be sure to fertilize them after planting to prevent scale infestation.
Besides blooming in the summer, this plant will attract pollinators and provide an attractive ground cover. The fragrant blossoms will make your garden look gorgeous and will attract many pollinators. It can survive in zones 7 and 8, and is hardy to -20 degrees F. It also tolerates low-poison soil and requires little water and care. Ensure you can plant it in a narrow strip between the road and a sidewalk, and consider the zone in which it’s grown.
Oakleaf hydrangea
If you want to grow a hydrangea in your garden but do not want to be limited to a container, you can try oakleaf varieties. These shrubs are hardy in zones 7 and 8 and can be planted in sunnier locations. The most common disease affecting this type is bacterial leaf spot. This disease can be controlled by mulching the base of the shrub and limiting water loss. It is also important to prevent soil splash onto the leaves. Oakleaf hydrangeas can be grown in containers and as single specimens, and the larger cultivars are good focal points.
If you are not sure which variety to choose, it is important to remember that this flowering shrub prefers a drier soil, and it does not tolerate a soggy root system. Therefore, you should avoid placing it in a wet area, where the roots are susceptible to rot. This shrub prefers a well-drained, sandy soil. In addition, it can tolerate acidic soils.
A good selection of oakleaf hydrangea flowering plants for shady areas is the ‘Little Honey’ variety. This variety is about four feet tall and wide, and it has yellow spring foliage. The cone-shaped flowerheads on these shrubs will turn burgundy in fall. This shrub is easy to transplant and has a coarse texture.
American Beautyberry
If you’re looking for a shade-tolerant shrub that will still produce beautiful flowers, you’ll want to consider the American Beautyberry. This shrub grows well in light shade and tolerates poor soils, although it will still need good drainage. You can plant it in spring in zones 7 and higher, or in the fall in zones 6 and lower. Planting in early spring is recommended for more adventurous gardeners, so you can get the plant established before winter.
American Beautyberry is a deciduous tree with lilac or pinkish flowers and berries that can be harvested by hand. Its handsome foliage makes it an excellent choice for border plants. The shrub is low maintenance and needs little water, so you’ll want to keep it pruned only once a year. It will grow back neat and compact if you cut it back to ground level every year.
You can use the American beautyberry as a specimen plant, or group it in groups of three or more. It will blend in well with landscaping shrubs, pines, and hardwoods. It is easy to prune back to one-third before it flowers, and the resulting bushes look beautiful and lush. In addition to offering nectar for pollinators, American beautyberry is also beneficial for wildlife. It is a host to the Spring azure butterfly, and its berries are an important protein source for baby birds.
American Mulberry
The American Mulberry is a shade-loving everbearing shrub that can thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 9. These plants thrive in partial shade and grow quickly, so you can create a beautiful wooded area in just five years. Mulberries reseed without much effort, making them an ideal choice for landscape design. Mulberry trees need a bit of care once established.
This plant is quite resilient to pests and disease, and is relatively easy to maintain. The only pests it can’t stand are aphids and borers. White mulberries may be susceptible to popcorn disease, which causes the fruit to appear with popcorn-like growths. Infected fruit should be removed. There are several varieties, and the most common and hardy is ‘Illinois Everbearing.’ White varieties include ‘Oscar’ and ‘Clear Sky’, and are suitable for areas with light shade and moderately acidic soil.
Listed in USDA’s plant hardiness zones, two cultivars of the American Mulberry will thrive in your yard. The Red Mulberry, native to the eastern half of North America, bears fruits in late July and September. The White Mulberry, introduced to North America in colonial times from China, is the same plant as the red, but the white cultivar was originally brought from China, where it was a source of food for silkworm caterpillars. White Mulberry can be weedy in some states and can stain wooden decks and pavement.
Tea Olive
Planting Tea Olive requires well-drained soil. To ensure a healthy plant, choose a container that has drainage holes and material around the base. Terracotta or clay pots work well because they wick away moisture. When selecting a container, consider the size of the root ball. Tea Olives like a pot eight to twelve inches wider than their root ball. It is fine to increase the size as the plant grows.
While tea olives are hardy in shade zones seven and eight, they require some soil amendments. A basic mix of organic matter and compost can help ensure the proper nutrient delivery. Tea Olives come in many varieties. One variety, fudingzhu, has longer flowering periods than other varieties, but is smaller than other varieties. Some varieties can tolerate acidic soil, but don’t overdo it.
If you don’t like the look of a dense hedge, consider planting a Fragrant Tea Olive instead. This fragrant shrub grows 12 inches annually, and can be planted a few feet apart. Be sure to plant it in a healthy, well-drained spot. Make sure to carefully cut it back after flowering to maintain a neat shape. Also, tea olives do not like cold winters, so if you don’t have a landscape where freezing temperatures are common, consider planting a food forest or mulching to protect the roots.
