Ranging from pale pink to deep purple, the conical blooms of this old-fashioned spring bloomer are intoxicatingly fragrant. Lilacs make a great hedge or accent and also attract butterflies. New types are more compact and rebloom throughout the season, so they're great for smaller gardens.

Abelia has beautiful pink, purple, or peachy bell-shaped flowers in late spring. New types are more cold hardy. Plant it in a mixed border alongside perennials.

Showy spring flowers in purples, pinks, yellow, and white pop against the glossy green foliage of this shrub. New varieties of rhododendron are more cold tolerant, but make sure it gets dappled shade.

In late summer when many other flowering shrubs have lost steam, this plant is in its full glory with pink, white, lavender, or even blue flowers that bloom well into fall. New types grow in a column (pillar) shape that's sized right for small gardens.

This spring-blooming shrub has a mounded form with gracefully arching branches. Some types are low growing and work well as a beautiful ground cover too.

This native plant has elegant arching branches dotted with clusters of creamy white or pink flowers in late spring. It's fast growing and can become quite large, so give it plenty of room or look for dwarf varieties if you're tight on space. Some types have beautiful wine-colored or golden-orange foliage.

Some like it hot! These lovely shrubs ignore the heat and bloom all summer long with frilly, vibrant flowers in shades of white, purple, crimson, or pink. Some types become small trees; others are dwarf varieties that remain three to four feet tall and wide.

As the rest of your garden winds down, this little beauty is taking off. This sun lover, also called bluebeard, has charming blue blooms from late summer to fall. Plus, bees and butterflies love it! Plant it in masses along borders for maximum impact.

This reliable bloomer rarely needs your attention. New types maintain their mounded shape without pruning. Long-lasting clusters of red, white, or pink flowers offer beautiful contrast against lime green, deep green, or gold foliage. It's equally at home in mass plantings, as a low hedge, or alongside perennials.

This stunning shrub is one of the few plants that can be grown in almost every climate. You'll get three seasons of display: bright flowers in summer, faded tones in fall, and papery dried blooms that linger on the plant over the winter. These shrubs are categorized into types (panicle, smooth, oakleaf, bigleaf, and mountain) that have different needs, so read the plant tag before buying.