Growing Shrubs in Full Sun
Below you will find a list of flowering shrubs from our plant database that can grow in full sun. If you click on any of the photos, you will see a Virtual Plant Tag that may contain plant descriptions, usage suggestions and a link to where you can buy that plant for your landscaping. The concept of a shrub can be difficult to define since different people might consider the same plant a groundcover, broadleaf evergreen, bush or tree.
Uses for these bushes that flower vary by variety, and may also thrive in partial shade, partial sun or even full shade. Blooming shrubs that flourish in sunny areas may do equally well in wet soil, average moisture or dry conditions.
Suggested native plants for sunny spots are Benjamin Bush or Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) that is admired for its winter blooming and red berries; known the most for their spectacular winter red, orange or yellow fruiting display is Common Winterberry, Black Alder, Coralberry, Michigan Holly or Ilex verticillata and new cultivars and Possumhaw (I.decidua) better for alkaline soils; Bog-rosemary or Marsh Andromeda (Andromeda polifolia and A. glaucophylla) are good for the wetter, northern garden; Northern Bayberry and Southern Waxmyrtle (Myrica pennsylvanica and M. cerifera) are known for their Bayberry candle scents, white and blue winter fruits and are salt-tolerant; Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and Indiancurrant Coralberry or Buckbrush (S. orbiculatus) and hybrids are best appreciated for their winter fruits.
As long as the plants aren't invasive, non-native or introduced plants can add a new look to the landscape garden. The many species, cultivars and hybrids of Forsythia now include dwarfs, variegated leaves, greatly increased flower bud hardiness for consistent blooming even after severe winters, weeping forms and spreading groundcovers; each with the rich yellow blooms that herald springs' arrival; Cape Jasmine or Gardenia jasminoides has lovely fragrance; Fragrant Viburnums (V. x burkwoodii, V. carlesi also known as Koreanspice, Carlcephalum, x juddii, farreri and the many cultivars) perfume the air for weeks; Heavenly Bamboo or Nandina domestica has had many improved selections made that add the spectacular fruiting colors of red and white, and now has red and purple leaves too.
Don't forget about roses when you are considering sun-loving shrubs. A huge movement in rose breeding is bringing pest-free and disease-free landscape roses. To get a flowering shrub that flowers spring through frost and is low maintenance is exactly what today's busy homeowners are looking for. Look at the Rose section to see the many great varieties.