Low Maintenance Flowering Bushes

Hydrangea

• Hydrangeas are a summer blooming bush growing up to 10 feet tall in some varieties, with flowers in shades of blue, pink or white. Interestingly, it is the pH of the soil that determines the color of the flowers, except for the white, which never change. If the soil's pH is more acidic, the bush will produce bluer flowers, and if the pH is more alkaline, the flowers will be pink. Hydrangeas need full sun all day and well-drained soil that does not become soggy. They are hardy in growing zones 5 to 9.

Spirea

• Growing up to 5 feet tall and about 6 feet wide, spirea is a hardy bush in zones 5 to 8, producing small, white, fragrant flowers in the spring against a backdrop of yellow/green leaves, whose color changes in the autumn to a bright yellow/orange. This colorful bush prefers full sun daily with moist, rich soil that is well drained. Spirea can be planted as a hedge with several other bushes, or grown by itself either trimmed to keep it shaped or untrimmed for a more wild look.

Lilac

• Lilac is an old-time favorite bush in the home garden, producing sweetly scented blue/purple, pink, white or yellow blooms from late spring into summer. It grows best in zones 3 to 7, reaches heights from 8 to 30 feet in some varieties and loves full sun all day for the best growth. Well-drained soil is important so that the roots do not sit in soggy soil and it only needs to be lightly pruned in late summer after it is done blooming. Lilacs attract butterflies and bees, which makes it highly valued in gardens where pollination of other plants is important.

Forsythia

• Forsythia is a deciduous flowering bush hardy in zones 4 to 8 and one of the earliest spring bloomers, with bright yellow flowers on upright arching branches. This fast-growing bush grows from 8 to 12 feet tall and prefers full sun for at least 6 hours of the day, tolerating some afternoon partial shade in hot climates. Forsythia needs loose, well-drained soil and can be pruned lightly just to shape after it is done blooming in late spring.

Dogwood

• Dogwood is often considered a tree, but the cultivar 'Elegantissima' redtwig dogwood is a bush that blooms in the spring, with lightly scented white flowers against variegated leaves and red twigs appearing in the fall after the leaves drop. A deciduous bush that grows up to 10 feet tall and wide and is hardy in zones 2 to 8, redtwig dogwood does best in full sun for at least half of the day with some late afternoon shade and consistently moist soil .