Listed below are some flowering shrubs that offer more than just color to your garden. They're relatively low maintenance and turn your garden into a visual treat. Layering them with perennials and annuals will mean vibrant color in spring or fall and a garden that is alive all year through.

1. Weigela: (Hardy to Zone 4) 'Wine and Roses' or Weigela florida has an interesting foliage and flower color combination. The foliage is a dark purple and the flowers are a deep, vivid red. With a long flowering season, this gives your garden a dramatic appeal. If planted during summer, the intensity of foliage color will stand out. When fully grown, it reaches a height of 4-5 feet, while the 'Midnight Vine' variety reaches a height of two feet tall at maturity. They can either be mixed into your flower border or grown in pots. They need average, well-drained soil.

2. Lilacs: (Hardy to Zone 3) For flowering borders, choose dwarf lilacs like 'Tinkerbelle' which is about 4-6 feet tall. The blossoms are a lovely shade of pink and have a spicy fragrance. 'Miss Kim' is another variety that is about 3-5 feet tall. The blossoms of this are an intense lilac blue that turn red in the fall. Both these varieties need average soil and good drainage.

3. Small oak leaf hydrangea: (Hardy to Zone 5) 'Little Honey' Hydrangea quercifolia grows to a height of 3-4 feet and has large leaves of a marvelous creamy yellow color. The white blossoms bloom during late summer and turn pink. The leaves also graduate from the soft summer yellow to an exquisite fall burgundy. This plant requires excellent drainage, good soil and full sun or mild shade.

4. Arrowwood viburnum: 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum dentatum at its maturity reaches 5-7 feet. During spring, small, pretty white flowers peep out from between dark verdant leaves. Midsummer, you'll see blue berries, which add a whole new look to the plant. You can either plant this summer shrub in the front of your house or in your border. The mix of green, blue and white has the most dramatic effect on your garden, wherever it is placed. Another variety is the 'Cardinal Candy' or Viburnum dilatatum, with flat star-shaped flowers that bloom between spring and summer. Berries of this variety are a bright red. They need soil that retains water and good drainage. Neither of them requires a male pollinator.

5. Hibiscus: (Hardy to Zone 5) 'White Chiffon' Hibiscus syriacus is known for its large white multi-petaled flowers, resembling a large rose. It has a considerably long season of bloom, stretching from summer to fall.

6. Winterberry holly: Many of the varieties of this species average about 9 feet in height. 'Berry Nice' attains a maximum of 6 feet while 'Red Sprite' stops at 3 feet. Female plants need a male plant for pollination. You can differentiate a female plant from a male one as only the female plant bears berries. They have serrated or ridged leaves and the red berries are seen when the plant sheds its leaves during late fall, making it a Christmas treat.

7. Crabapple: (Hardy to Zone 4) 'Tina' Malus sargentii is a relatively small variety that is 5 feet tall at maturity. It is the daintiest of all crabapples and bear white flowers and small, red fruits. This is the perfect choice formal gardens and patios.

If you like artciles about trees & shrubs....These pages might also interest you:

Guide to Conifers & Evergreens, How to Prune Shrubs, Gardening With Viburnum, Gingko Trees, Growing Magnolias, Japanese Barbury, Katsura Trees,Shrubs as Garden Borders,The Weeping Atlas Tree, Tough Trees, Great Birch Trees, Growing Citrus Trees, How to Prune Shrubs,How to Start Seedlings, Lustrous Abelia, Popular Shrubs, Shrub Winter Care Guide, Shrubs With Berries, Summer Hydrangeas