Evergreen Flowering Shrubs

How wonderful to have a garden that is always green. How wonderful to look at the pretty flowers swaying softly in the mild breeze. And how wonderful it is to see the bees and butterflies flitting around it, reveling in the wonderful fragrance. Are you wondering how to have this wonderful garden for yourself? Don't worry! All you have to do is read this article on some wonderful flowering bushes and shrubs and rush out and get them for yourself! The ones mentioned here are of the evergreen variety and will make your garden the green haven that you want it to be.

All About Evergreen Flowering Shrubs

Shrubs and bushes have always been an excellent option for gardening and landscaping. They act as hedge plants and also as privacy screens. They beautify gardens with their petite but pretty structure. Evergreen shrubs and bushes, as the name suggests, are those which remain green throughout the year. Hence, they obviously are a hit among all the gardening fans out there. Among evergreen shrubs is a category of flowering shrubs. Shrubs which bear flowers are called flowering shrubs. Even among these, there are different categories like the ones that grow in the sun, the ones that are more suited for shade, and others. There is also another way to categorize shrubs which is based on which climatic zones are best suited for them to grow in. Read ahead for information on the different climatic zones and the kinds of shrubs that can be grown there.

Climate Zones

We always use the terms Zone 'X' is perfect for this plant or this plant grows well in Zone 'Y', but for people who have no idea what these 'zones' are, here's a little help. Let us see the different zones and then you can decide which flowering shrub is best for your garden depending on which zone you fall under. Basically, there are 11 hardiness zones according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They begin with the coolest and move up, serially to the warmest parts of the country. Refer to the table below for a quick glance of the zones.

Zone	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Temperature (in ºC)	> -46	-46 to -40	-40 to -34	-34 to -29	-29 to -23	-23 to -18	-18 to -12	-12 to -7	-7 to -1	-1 to 4	< 4

As you can see, as the temperature increases, the zones change. Hence, it is only natural that different plants will grow in these different zones. Given below are some shrubs that can be grown in some of the climate zones.

*Click on images to enlarge

Zone 5
Viburnum
	The viburnum shrub belongs to the honeysuckle family. They can grow up into trees but they are kept short by pruning, so that the splendor of their brilliant green foliage and pretty pink or white blossoms can be fully seen and appreciated. The flowers are very fragrant and grow in clusters or umbels. They are extremely popular landscaping plants. Moderately fertile soil with a soil pH level between 5.6 and 6.6 is favorable. When it comes to these shrubs, full sun is what is ideally is required, though they can tolerate partial shade too.
Camellia
	The camellia plant is a perfect plant if you wish to spruce up your garden with a dash of brilliant color. This shrub enhances the beauty of a flower garden with its pink, yellow and red shaded flowers. I don't need to tell you how pretty these flowers look against the glossy green tones of the leaves. This shrub grows well in loam or slightly acidic soil and areas that receive trickled sunlight.
Others: Flowering Almond, Brick Red Azalea, Bollywood Azalea, Magnolia Virginiana, Serissa, etc.

Zone 7
Gardenia
Gardenias are pretty flowers that are as white as snowflakes! They have dark shiny leaves and are perfect shrubs to border your house or your garden with. They can grow in full sun and can also bear partial shade. The soil that best suits gardenia bushes is one with a pH level of 5.0 - 6.0. They requires regular watering and fertilizers during the blooming month.
Stokes' Aster
This pretty shrub is a member of the aster-daisy family and bears flowers of different colors like pink, blue, lavender or white. It requires acidic soil and full sunlight. This shrub is characterized by long leaves that are about 7 inches long. It is one of the easiest evergreen flowering shrubs to grow.
Others: Kalmia latifolia, Lagerstroemia indica, Pyracantha X, Forsythia, Buckeye, etc.

Zone 8
Skimmia
	These shrubs of Oriental origin have a glossy foliage and bear flowers and berries as well. The interesting thing about these flowers is that while the buds are red in color, the fully developed flower is white! The flowers have a lovely fragrance and the berries, which show themselves in October and stay on till spring, are bright red. These shrubs require moist soil, rich in humus. They are flowering bushes that grow best in a shaded area.
Kerria Japonica
	This is a very hardy shrub that produces gorgeous honey gold blooms in summer and towards fall, is totally laden with them. It grows just up to 5 feet and looks absolutely gorgeous. It requires loamy or humus enriched soil and grows well in partial shade. It may tolerate the sun, but that will cause its flowers to fade away, reducing the grandeur of its appearance. Hence it is best grown in an area that receives mild sunlight. So if you're looking for a shrub to flaunt to all your neighbors, this is definitely the one!
Others: Daphne, Hydrangea, Rose of Sharon, Lilac, Rhododendron, etc.

These were some of the evergreen flowering shrubs that you can plant to transform your garden into a beautiful palette of colors. Try them and you'll definitely have the prettiest garden in the neighborhood!