I’d originally planned on writing about tomatoes this week, but I changed my mind. Sorry about that. Instead, I decided to shift gears and discuss summer-blooming shrubs, and here’s why: I take my granddaughter Enza on walks in the stroller a few times a week through the neighborhood, and I’ve noticed a lot of summer-blooming shrubs. So why not focus on them now, given that there’s still plenty of time to get them in the ground?  

I’ll get back to tomatoes next week. Promise.

There was a time when there was only one Abelia on the market. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. There are now over a dozen cultivars of this beautiful evergreen summer bloomer, and two in particular – Rose Creek and Kaleidoscope – are hard to beat. Rose Creek grows to about three-feet tall and wide, has dense green foliage and produces a profusion of white flowers. Kaleidoscope is a variegated variety that’s a tad smaller. It too produces white flowers.

Better known as Rose of Sharon, this deciduous shrub is as tough as it is beautiful, and its okra-like flowers (it’s actually related to okra) appear non-stop from summer to fall. Flowers are available in a variety of colors, including white, pink, red, violet, and blue. Most will grow to at least eight-feet tall, although smaller varieties -- including dwarfs -- are available, as are those that grow in columnar form.

Although more of spring to early summer bloomer, the purple flowers of this underused native shrub give way to green berries that turn stunning clusters of purple fruit that birds find irresistible. Although it can grow to 10’ or so, it commonly stays about half that tall and wide. Flowers best in full sun, but filtered light is fine, as are moist soils.

Encore and Rebloom azaleas have taken the world by storm because rather than one burst of color in spring, the repeat bloomers put on sporadic displays in the summer and fall (even into winter in some cases). They have the same requirements as traditional azaleas, especially their need for acidic soil and protection from afternoon sun.

These are the most popular butterfly attractors on the market. But even if that weren’t the case, they’d be worth growing for their gorgeous colorful flowers that linger into fall and smell great. Plant in full sun, and prune back hard in early spring. These beauties make great specimens, whether in the ground or in containers.

Beyond the incredible selection of foliage and flower colors available these days, you can also get crape myrtles in a variety of sizes, including the dwarfs that range from a mere 2’ to 7’, any one of which would fit the generally accepted definition of a shrub, and make nice container plantings.

Blooming from spring through summer with large, orchid-like flowers, this drought-tolerant beauty makes a great specimen. Yes, it can get rather large for a shrub, as in 20-feet tall, but something so beautiful deserves to get big, don’t you think? And by the way, the Desert Willow isn’t a willow at all.

I brag about this shrub often, but so does just about everyone I know who grows it. Seriously, this is a hydrangea that tolerates sun, produces jaw-dropping white flowers, and is about as easy to grow as crabgrass. Oh yeah, and its fall color is pretty nice, too. If I could only have one shrub in my landscape, this would be it.

You get the classic hydrangea look in terms of the leaves, the rounded form, and the magnificent blooms not just in spring but throughout the summer as well. For the most abundant blooms, make sure to plant them in a spot that gets a few hours of morning sun followed by shade the rest of the day, or in dappled light, such as that beneath the shade of large trees.

Nearly all modern shrub roses will repeat bloom throughout the summer with some periods of rest in between, as will some climbers, and Knockout roses bloom pretty much continuously. Although the dreaded Rose Rosette virus hasn’t been eradicated, it hasn’t been as prevalent in the past couple of years, and I wouldn’t hesitate to plant away.

I know, I’ve mentioned this shrub quite a few times, but that’s only because I adore it. It blooms throughout the summer, and it’s pretty much always covered with bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and moths. If you’ve got a spot available in full sun. this may be the plant you’ve been looking for, and I’m pretty sure you won’t regret getting one. 

Two of the best and newest summer-blooming Spirea are Double Play Doozie and Candy Corn and you can’t go wrong with either. The former has gorgeous spring foliage and non-stop purple red flowers, while the latter produces pineapple yellow and orange foliage and dark purple flowers. Both are deciduous, seedless, and grow to about three-feet tall and wide.

Although they bloom primarily in spring, these popular shrubs are known to occasionally repeat bloom in summer. Wine and Spirits produces white flowers, while Wine and Roses offers rosy pink blooms. Both do best in full sun, and can grow to about 5’.