Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Shrubs 13 Summer-Flowering Shrubs That Are Super Easy to Grow By Andrea Beck Andrea Beck Andrea Beck spent more than three years writing about food for Better Homes & Gardens before serving as the assistant digital garden editor. Now, she writes about lifestyle topics, including food, garden, home, and health for Hy-Vee's Seasons magazine. Her work has appeared on Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, MyRecipes, and more. Andrea holds a double degree in Magazines and English, with a minor in politics from Drake University. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 30, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Robert Cardillo Enjoy flowers all summer long when you add a few low-maintenance, easy-growing blooming shrubs. Most of these gorgeous, yet undemanding plants will also attract birds and butterflies, turning your green space into a wildlife haven. 01 of 13 Bluebeard Peter Krumhardt Airy clusters of beautiful blue blooms give Bluebeard its name. The flowers appear in late summer, just when many other shrubs and perennials are fading. This shrub is easy to grow and will take all but the worst heat and drought. In addition, all kinds of pollinators, including hummingbirds, love the flowers—but deer leave it alone. Bluebeard makes a great cut flower, too. Growing Conditions: Full sun in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Midnight Bluebeard ($19, The Home Depot) 02 of 13 Butterfly Bush Jay Wilde Think of a Butterfly bush as a summer-flowering lilac. Its blossoms appear in similar colors (purple, lavender, blue, pink, and white) and are deliciously fragrant. Butterfly Bushes will bloom from summer into autumn, especially if you deadhead the old flower clusters as they start to fade. This also will prevent them from self-seeding everywhere, especially in regions where they are invasive. Growing Conditions: Full sun in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 10 feet tall or more Zones: 5-9 Buy It: 'Miss Molly' Butterfly Bush ($30, The Home Depot) 03 of 13 Carolina Allspice Marty Baldwin This underused gem offers beautiful deep red flowers from late spring into midsummer. Carolina allspice flowers may not be very showy, but they do have a powerful, spicy fragrance you can enjoy throughout the yard. It's also a tough, low-care plant native to areas of North America. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 8 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Carolina Allspice Plants ($12, Etsy) 04 of 13 Paniculata Hydrangea Bill Stites One of the easiest hydrangeas to grow is the paniculata hydrangea, also known as the Limelight. In late summer and autumn, this rugged shrub produces fluffy clusters of white flowers that fade to shades of dusky pink and green. Many cultivars, such as the Tardiva, can be successfully trained into a miniature tree form, perfect for a large container or just about any landscape spot. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 10 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-8 Buy It: 'Limelight' Hardy Hydrangea ($33, The Home Depot) 05 of 13 Oleander Chipper R. Hatter An exceptionally easy to care for subtropical shrub, oleander produces summertime flowers in shades of pink, red, purple, lilac, yellow, and white. In fact, it's so foolproof that in many warm-weather areas, it's grown along the sides of highways. Take care if you grow it in your garden, though, especially if kids or pets are around: Oleander is extremely poisonous if eaten. Growing Conditions: Full sun in well-drained soil with regular moisture Size: To 10 feet tall, depending on species Zones: 10-11 Buy It: Pink Oleander ($37, The Home Depot) 06 of 13 Potentilla Stephen Cridland Grown for its cheery yellow, orange, red, or white flowers, the potentilla is one of the most common and easiest shrubs to grow. It's not picky about soil and can tolerate drought well. Its blooms start opening in late spring and continue through autumn, drawing numerous pollinators, like butterflies. Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to moist soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 3-7 Buy It: Gold Drop Potentilla Shrub ($30, The Home Depot) 07 of 13 Reblooming Hydrangea Blaine Moats While most bigleaf hydrangeas flower on last year's branches (leaving them susceptible to injury from cold winter temperatures), reblooming varieties, such as 'Endless Summer,' produce flowers on fresh growth. This ensures lots of blooms throughout the summer. Growing Conditions: Part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Buy It: 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea ($24, The Home Depot) 08 of 13 Rock Rose Mike Jensen As its name implies, the rock rose has rose-like flowers that bloom throughout the summer in a wide range of colors, from pink to purple, to lavender and white. Because it tolerates drought so well, this shrub is easy to grow in warm climates. Growing Conditions: Full sun in well-drained soil on the dry side Size: To 5 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Buy It: Rock Rose ($10, Etsy) 09 of 13 Rose of Sharon Helen Norman You can rely on a rose of Sharon to provide lots of color during the hottest months. From midsummer to early autumn, this shrub erupts in tropical-looking blooms in shades of pink, lavender-blue, and white. Test Garden Tip: When shopping for rose of Sharon, look for sterile varieties, such as 'Minerva,' that won't fill your garden with a ton of weedy seedlings. Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to moist, well-drained soil Size: To 10 feet tall and wide Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Lavender Chiffon Rose of Sharon ($46, The Home Depot) 10 of 13 Shrub Rose Rob Cardillo Not all roses are finicky, high-maintenance plants. Modern shrub roses flower all summer long and into autumn on disease resistant, easy to grow plants. The flower colors differ by variety, but you'll most commonly see shrub roses in shades of pink, red, white, and yellow. Test Garden Tip: Even modern shrub roses have thorns, so plant them away from sidewalks and pathways. Growing Conditions: Full sun in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet tall and wide, depending on type Zones: 3-9, depending on type Buy It: Knock Out Double Rose Plant ($43, The Home Depot) 11 of 13 Smoke Bush Todd Dacquisto While the smoke bush blossoms in pretty pink plumes all summer, it's the foliage that's really spectacular. Most common types have dark purple leaves that in fall turn colorful shades of yellow, orange, and red. Growing Conditions: Full sun in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 10 feet tall Zones: 5-8 Buy It: Winecraft Gold Smokebush ($37, The Home Depot) 12 of 13 Spirea Lynn Karlin There's a good reason the spirea bush is a common sight in city plantings, at restaurants, and even gas stations: It's a no-brainer to grow. And spirea is beautiful; in late spring to midsummer, it produces clusters of raspberry-rose flowers. Many varieties, such as 'Goldmound,' also offer attractive golden or lime-green foliage. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Double Play Doozie Spirea ($37, The Home Depot) 13 of 13 Summersweet Robert Cardillo Grown in partial shade, the summersweet lights up in summer, when its pink or white flowers appear. The fluffy-looking blooms also have a wonderful fragrance. Add to these attributes the summersweet's golden leaf colors in fall, and you have an ideal shrub. Test Garden Tip: Look for cultivars, such as 'Ruby Spice', that offer an extra-long bloom season. Growing Conditions: Part to full shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall Zones: 3-9 Buy It: Ruby Spice Summersweet ($40, The Home Depot) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit