Vermont's Flowering Shrubs

Less Than 6 Feet

• For a Vermont native shrub that grows less than 6 feet tall, plant summersweet clethra (Clethra alnifolia). This deciduous shrub reaches heights from 4 to 6 feet with a similar spread and blooms with sweetly scented pink, red or white flowers in summer. It's hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Another low-growing native shrub, the bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), blooms with white-pink flowers in late summer. Hardy in USDA zones 2 to 6, this evergreen grows to 1-foot tall and prefers moist soil with and acidic pH.

6 to 10 Feet

• For a midsize shrub, plant buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), a deciduous shrub that grows from 6 to 10 feet tall with a similar spread. In late spring, buttonbush blooms with round, white blossoms that age to red-brown. This native shrub is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 10 and prefers moist sites. The winterberry also grows to 10 feet tall. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, this deciduous native shrub produces white flowers, followed by clusters of bright-red berries.

10 to 15 Feet

• The American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) grows quickly to 12 feet tall. It blooms in summer with large, white flowers, followed by edible black-purple fruits. This deciduous shrub is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Another deciduous shrub, the arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), grows to 15 feet tall. It's hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8 and blooms in summer with clusters of white flowers. It also produces black fruits after flowering.

More than 15 Feet

• Large native shrubs include the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), a deciduous shrub that grows to 25 feet. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8, this shrub blooms with panicles of yellow-green flowers in summer, followed by red, fuzzy, long-lasting fruits. Staghorn sumac foliage puts on a brilliant show in autumn with red, orange, yellow and scarlet tones. The red elderberry (Sambucus pubens) is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 6. This deciduous shrub grows to 25 feet tall and wide and blooms with panicles of yellow-white flowers. It produces red fruits that attract wildlife.