These 7 bushes bloom all summer long and delight the eye!

In addition to perennials and ground cover, flowering shrubs are an important element of a diverse and attractive garden design. Not only do they give shape and structure to the landscape, they also add color to the garden and attract butterflies and other pollinators. Here we introduce you to the most beautiful shrubs that bloom splendidly all summer long and delight plant lovers and bees.

Buddleia / butterfly bush: flowering time from July to October

The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is a summer flowering shrub with an upright, loosely overhanging habit and impressive flowers, but it has a mixed reputation. It is easy to care for and produces showy flower spikes all summer long. There are many varieties of Buddleia in many flower colors, including purple, pink, yellow, white, and multicolored. And as the name suggests, this shrub is known as a magnet for butterflies. Red-flowered butterfly bushes even attract hummingbirds in America.

Botanical name: Buddleia davidii

Location: sun to partial shade

Height: varies depending on the variety

Butterfly bushes are cultivated to suit many different gardening preferences. Some can grow up to 4 meters tall and form very large flower spikes, while others are relatively small. Butterfly lilac was first brought to England from Asia in 1774 by the botanist Adam Buddle (after whom the plant was named).

But while the butterfly bush is admired by many for its brightly colored flowers and long flowering period, it has an equally large number of opponents. It is considered an invasive plant in many areas of the United States – one that does not naturally grow in a particular region, but is so widespread that it is displacing native plants. Many plant experts warn that invasive plants are problematic because they can alter ecosystems and damage existing flora and fauna. Although not invasive everywhere, the butterfly lilac has gotten a bad rap. Several US states have now classified it as a harmful weed.

Butterfly bush should be planted with caution and only when you are ready to remove the flower heads in time to avoid the seeds from spreading. While there are many popular Buddleia varieties, including ‘Black Night’ (Flower color: dark purple) and Pink Delight (Flower color: pink), but newer, less vigorous varieties are enjoying increasing popularity. For example:

• Buddleia x ‘Blue Chip’ is a compact variety, 90 to 180 cm high.
• Buddleia ‘Miss Violet’ is another free-flowering, compact variety that grows to 120 to 150 cm tall and wide.
• Other hybrid strains that were bred to be seedless are ‘Asian Moon’, ‘Ice Chip’ and ‘Purple Haze’.

Hydrangeas: flowering from June to September

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) Have been popular garden plants for decades. Her flowers now come in a variety of colors, including bright blue, deep red, and light green. Some hydrangeas have large, spherical flowers, while others have smaller, flatter, more delicate flowers. The foliage also varies depending on the species. These versatile shrubs also thrive in less nutrient-rich locations such as sandy coastal soils and shady forests. To give hydrangea bushes time to develop a healthy root system before they bloom, it is best to plant them in autumn or early spring. Once planted, hydrangeas grow quickly, averaging 60 cm or more per year.

Depending on the shape of the inflorescence, a distinction is made between ball hydrangeas, plate hydrangeas and panicle hydrangeas. The most popular hydrangea varieties that have a long flowering period in summer include:

• the Endless Summer® hydrangea ‘The Original’ and all varieties from the group of the same name such as Twist’n Shout ’ (pink), ‘The Bride’ (pure white) and ‘Summer Love’ (raspberry red)
• Ball hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ (Hydrangea arborescens) – flower color white
• Panicle hydrangea ‘Limelight’ (Hydrangea paniculata) – flower color initially greenish, later white
• Ball hydrangea ‘Snowball’ ® (Hydrangea macrophylla) – flower color white
• Panicle hydrangea ‘Grandiflora‘(Hydrangea paniculata) – flower color white
• Ball hydrangea ‘Tovelit’ (Hydrangea macrophylla) – flower color pink

Ball hydrangea ‘Annabelle’

Garden hibiscus / hibiscus: flowering period from June to September

Bring a Mediterranean flair to your garden with this beautiful summer flowering shrub! The garden hibiscus, also known as the garden hibiscus, enchants from July until well into autumn with its wonderful display of flowers. The color palette ranges from purple and pink to white and red, depending on the variety.

Botanical name: Hibiscus syriacus

Location: sun to partial shade

Height: 150 to 200 cm

The most popular garden hawk varieties that bloom all summer include:

• ‘Red Heart’ (white flowers with red center)
• ‘Blue Bird’ / ‘Oiseau Bleu’ (blue violet)
• ‘Woodbridge’ (pink)
• ‘Hamabo’ (light pink flowers with a red center point)
• ‘Marina’ (dark blue)

Abelie: flowering period from June to October

The Abelia (Abelia x grandifolia) is a hybrid, developed from the wild species Abelia chinensis and Abelia uniflora, and can be either a deciduous or evergreen shrub, depending on how warm your climatic region is. It has an overall spherical habit and grows rather slowly.

Botanical name: Abelia x grandiflora

Location: sun to partial shade

Height: 150 to 300 cm 

The shrub blooms for many weeks in the summer and forms many tiny pink flowers that are popular with butterflies, bees, and bumblebees. In autumn, the leaves change color to bronze, red or purple, depending on the variety.

A variety with a particularly interesting appearance is the Abelia x grandiflora ‘Francis Mason’. The shrub presents itself with yellow-green foliage and forms light pink flowers from July.

Finger shrub: flowering period from June to October

The finger shrub is a compact, flowering shrub with blue-green foliage. It becomes approx. 60 to 120 cm high and a little wider. In summer, it blooms with showy, five-petalled flowers for several weeks. For an optimal flowering time, the shrub should be in a sunny spot, although it can also tolerate some shade. A cut back for shaping should be done in late winter.

Botanical name: Potentilla fruticosa

Location: sun to partial shade

Height: depending on the variety

The five-petalled flowers appear in June and bloom until the first frost. They are very similar in appearance to their cousins, the strawberries (Fragaria spp.). The different varieties have different flower colors and heights. Here are some examples:

• ‚Abbotswood‚- white-flowering, 80 to 100 cm in height
• Potentilla fruticosa Princess® – rose-blooming, stature height 50 to 80 cm
• ‘Danny Boy’ – pink, height 120 to 150 cm
• ‘Summer pile’ – yellow, height 80 to 100 cm
• ‘Gold Star’ – yellow, height 70 to 90 cm
• ‘Pink Lady– pink, height 60 to 80 cm
• ‘Red Ace’ – orange-red, height 45 to 55 cm
• ‘Gold carpet’ / ‘gold cushion’ – yellow, height 40 to 50 cm
• ‘Manchu’ – white, height 30 to 50 cm

Long flowering roses

The rose is the summer bloomer, because most rose varieties have their main blooming season in June and July. But there are also roses that bloom more often, produce flower after flower all summer long and even tirelessly sprout buds until the first frost. Here are some types of roses that have particularly long flowering times:

• Shrub rose ‘Angela’: Flowering time June – September, height 80 to 120 cm, flower color strong pink
• Ground cover rose ‘Ballerina’: Flowering period June to September, height of growth 60 to 100 cm, flower color white-pink
• Shrub rose ‘Ghislaine de Feligonde‚: Flowering time May – September, height 150 to 200 cm, flower color creamy white to apricot
• Shrub rose ‘Rose de Resht’: Flowering period June to September, height 90 to 120 cm, flower color bright red to purple-red
• Floribunda rose ‘Rotilia’ ®: Flowering period June to October, stature height 50 to 80 cm, flower color bright carmine red
• Shrub rose ‘Snow White’ ®: Flowering period June – September, height 100 to 120 cm, flower color snow-white
• Floribunda rose ‘Sommerwind’ ®: Flowering period June – beginning of October, height of growth 40 to 60 cm, flower color pink

Ground cover rose ‘Ballerina’ 

Beard flower: flowering from July to September

The beard flower (Caryopteris x clandonensis) looks like a perennial at first glance, but is in fact a subshrub because it is woody at the base. The plant originated in England in the 1930s from an accidental crossing of C. incana and C. mongholica and has since been bred into several popular varieties.

Botanical name: Caryopteris x clandonensis

Location: sun to partial shade

Height: 80 to 100 cm

The beard flower is one of the most beautiful summer bloomers. Its fragrant, nectar-rich flowers are also very tempting to butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. The compact growth and the silver-gray leaf color make the beard flower a good choice even for a small garden. The varieties with the longest flowering time are ‘Ferndown’, ‘Blauer Spatz®’ and ‘Pink Perfection’.

Ideally, the plant should be planted in spring or autumn, provided that your area doesn’t get too cold. Clandonensis hybrids typically grow between 45 and 75 cm per year. Once established, the garden plant requires very little water. Just make sure that beard flowers are only partially hardy.

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