Spring-blooming shrubs

Flowering quince does well in acid or heavy clay soil and is a pollinator favorite — expect to see lots of bees and hummingbirds visit its heavy-flowering branches.

Blooms Single or double pink, red-orange or white blooms in early spring Light Full sun to part shade Size 2 to 8 ft. tall, 2 to 10 ft. wide Hardiness Cold-hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8

Get interesting foliage — green leaves have white to creamy yellow margins — and fragrant clusters of blooms with daphne. Just prune back the tips of branches after flowering finishes for more side branching and flowers next spring.

Blooms Fragrant pink blooms open to white in midspring Light Part shade Size 3 to 4 ft. tall, 3 to 6 ft. wide Hardiness Cold-hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8

The spicy, exotic fragrance of a gardenia makes this late-spring shrub worth growing. scent can be overpowering if you have a lot of plants. Plant only one or two plants near a seating area or window, so you can enjoy the wafting fragrance without being overpowered by it’s strength. If you live where it won’t survive the winter, grow it in a large pot and bring it inside before frost.

Blooms White flowers in late spring Light Part shade Soil Moist, acid, well-drained Size 3 to 8 ft. tall, 3 to 6 ft. wide Hardiness Cold-hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11

Of all the fragrant flowering shrubs, lilacs are some of the best loved. And common lilacs are the most fragrant group in the family. Their scent can’t help but trigger warm childhood memories. Head outdoors after a rain when common lilac’s strong, sweet fragrance hangs in the air the longest. Lilacs need at least six hours of sun each day to produce the most blooms. In spring, loads of large, red-purple flowers form on the long stems of ‘Monge’, shown above.

Type Shrub Blooms Red, purple, blue, pink or white flowers in late spring Size 8 to 15 ft. tall, 6 to 12 ft. wide Light Full sun Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

Once shade-tolerant forsythia’s finished flowering, its pest-free foliage will look good all summer long — some varieties even turn purple in fall.

Blooms Yellow or white flowers in early spring Light Full sun to part shade Size 1 to 10 ft. tall, 2 to 12 ft. wide Hardiness Cold-hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

First pop out the white bottlebrush flowers with a slight honey scent. Then the leaves unfurl quickly so you have both flowers and foliage. In fall comes a second wave of stunning color as the leaves turn the flaming orange and red tones you see in the inset photo above. You just can’t miss it!

Blooms White flowers in midspring Light Full sun to part shade Soil Moist, well-drained Size 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide Hardiness Cold-hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8

The shrub-form relative of the beloved herbaceous peony, the tree peony boasts large single, semi-double or double flowers in white, green, pinks, purple, yellow, orange and rosy reds in late spring into summer. Often fragrant, the blossoms are big and flashy. If the stems are saggy, stake the branches that are heavy with blossoms and remove the wilting flowers.

Type Shrub Blooms Pink, red, white, green, purple, yellow, peach or salmon in spring Light Full sun to part shade Size 4 to 7 ft. tall, 4 to 5 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

Native to the Eastern United States, mountain laurel is a compact evergreen shrub with contorted branches and with clusters of pink flower buds that look like perfectly pipes sugar icing and open into cup-shaped clear pink to white flowers in late spring into summer. Mountain laurel prefers acidic soil and can be difficult to get established.

Type Shrub Blooms Red, pink and white in spring Size 3 to 15 ft. tall, 3 to 15 ft. wide Light Full shade to full sun Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9