California Lilac
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, cold-hardy to zone 7 and 6–20 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Mar through May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–20 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
- Home
- Collections
- Flowering shrubs
Collection
Native Flowering Shrubs
Native shrubs that flower for pollinators, fruit for birds, and give the garden its year-round backbone and structure.
Tip: open your state below for the version of this list filtered to plants native to your region and hardy in your zone.
The plants
23 native species in this collection.
Shrubs are the bones of a garden — they hold their shape through winter, screen what you would rather not see, and pack flowers, berries, and fall color into a single long-lived plant. Give them room to reach full size rather than shearing them into boxes, plant in fall for the best root establishment, and choose species suited to your light and moisture so they thrive on near-zero care.
Red-Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, happy in rocky and loam soil and cold-hardy to zone 5, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, spreading 3–6 ft and hardy in zones 5–9, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
A shrub that gives the border its bones, spreading 2–3 ft and cold-hardy to zone 7, and it blooms Apr through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Oct
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, for clay and loam ground and good through zone 8; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A four-season shrub — bloom, fruit, and winter form — for clay and loam ground and creamy white flowers; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
A four-season shrub — bloom, fruit, and winter form — 4–8 ft tall and good through zone 9; it blooms May through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
A woody native that holds its shape through winter and flowers in season, good through zone 10 and 3–5 ft wide — it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Structure year-round and flowers in season — a native shrub, cold-hardy to zone 6 and for sand, clay, and loam ground; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Structure year-round and flowers in season — a native shrub, hardy in zones 5–9 and happy in clay and loam soil, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Flame Acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii
The kind of native shrub a border is built around, 3–4 ft wide and orange-red flowers — it blooms Jun through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Oct
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A four-season shrub — bloom, fruit, and winter form — reaching 3–5 ft and hardy in zones 3–9, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A shrub that gives the border its bones, white, red berries flowers and for clay and loam ground, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
A four-season shrub — bloom, fruit, and winter form — yellow catkins flowers and reaching 2–6 ft, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Hairy Manzanita
Arctostaphylos columbiana
A woody native that holds its shape through winter and flowers in season, cold-hardy to zone 7 and reaching 3–9 ft — it blooms Mar through May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 3–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Oregon Grape
Berberis aquifolium
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, spreading 3–5 ft and reaching 3–6 ft, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Flowers, then berries for the birds, on a long-lived native shrub, reaching 6–12 ft and chartreuse-gold flowers, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Structure year-round and flowers in season — a native shrub, 4–8 ft wide and 4–8 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
A shrub that gives the border its bones, for sand, rocky, and loam ground and spreading 2.5–4 ft, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A shrub that gives the border its bones, white to pink flowers and for clay, rocky, and loam ground, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — 6–10 ft wide and white, white berries flowers; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Flowers, then berries for the birds, on a long-lived native shrub, cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 6–12 ft, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, cold-hardy to zone 7 and 8–15 ft wide, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Browse by state
Flowering shrubs, near you.
Native ranges differ across the country — open your state for the list that actually applies to your yard.
AlabamaALArizonaAZArkansasARCaliforniaCAColoradoCOConnecticutCTDelawareDEFloridaFLGeorgiaGAIdahoIDIllinoisILIndianaINIowaIAKansasKSKentuckyKYLouisianaLAMaineMEMarylandMDMassachusettsMAMichiganMIMinnesotaMNMississippiMSMissouriMOMontanaMTNebraskaNENevadaNVNew HampshireNHNew JerseyNJNew MexicoNMNew YorkNYNorth CarolinaNCNorth DakotaNDOhioOHOklahomaOKOregonORPennsylvaniaPARhode IslandRISouth CarolinaSCSouth DakotaSDTennesseeTNTexasTXUtahUTVermontVTVirginiaVAWashingtonWAWashington, D.C.DCWest VirginiaWVWisconsinWIWyomingWY
Sourcing
Where to find flowering shrubs plants
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.