15 Spring-Flowering Shrubs That Bloom Just When You’re Officially Sick of Winter

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8

This pretty shrub is one of the first to bloom in spring. Its canary yellow blooms appear long before the foliage. New varieties stay more compact and neater for smaller gardens.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7

This old-fashioned shrub can live for decades, and its lovely spikes of purple, pink or white flowers have the sweetest, most romantic scent. Look for reblooming dwarf types, which only top out at 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, if you’re short on space.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8

This lovely shrub blooms funnel-shaped flowers in late spring. Butterflies and hummingbirds love it! Many new varieties stay compact or have eye-catching variegated foliage, and some types also rebloom in mid-summer.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: partial shade
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9

Daphne shrubs have a sweet, fruity fragrance and delicate white, pink or lavender blooms in late winter or early spring. They’re not very cold hardy, but they are a lovely addition to the garden in warm climates. Many species are evergreen.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8

This pretty shrub has the most darling little bell-shaped flower clusters that appear in late winter to early spring. It’s one of few shrubs that tolerates mostly shade.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Showy flowers appear in lovely shades of red, salmon and pink on this old-fashioned favorite. Older types have thorns and fruit, but new varieties are thornless and do not fruit. They bloom in early to mid-spring, and the branches make pretty cut flowers, too.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full to partial sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

This lesser-known shrub deserves a place in your garden for its profusion of elegant pink or white bell-shaped flowers that cover this shrub in late spring. Dwarf types make an excellent groundcover, too.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full to partial sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10

This Southern darling has deep burgundy, green, or variegated foliage and fun, little fringe-y flowers in spring. Place it up close by a patio or at the front of borders along walkways so you can enjoy the quirky blooms.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun to partial shade
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8

This shrub makes a great privacy hedge, and the spicy-sweet scent of the flowers in mid-spring are delicious. Dwarf types offer the same lovely scent but in a smaller profile that tops out around 5 feet tall and wide.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: partial sun to partial shade
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9

These evergreen shrubs have eye-catching red, white, or pink blooms that resemble peonies or roses. Their sweet fragrance is intoxicating. Varieties may bloom from late winter, spring or fall, so read the tag to be sure about what type you’re buying.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7

This native shrub has clusters of pink or white fragrant flowers in mid to late spring. The foliage may be wine-colored, deep green, or orange. It’s also available in dwarf form, but no matter what size you plant, give this shrub plenty of space to show off its graceful arching habit.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: partial shade to filtered sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10

Covered in pink, white, red, lavender or peach blooms, azaleas are one of the most beloved shrubs of spring. New varieties keep blooming from spring to fall so you’ll enjoy their flowers for months.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8

Beautiful, bouncy and abundant, hydrangeas are versatile shrubs, Sears shares. They function well as a hedge, or you can set them out in planters around the garden. “They come in a variety of blue, white, pink and green shades, and their flowers will last through fall and winter after they bloom in the summer, so you’ll have beautiful flowers in your garden for most of the year.”

You can get away with having hydrangeas in partial shade but be sure to research your particular variety, as some will need full sunlight. For the best results, Sears recommends weekly waterings to foster root growth.

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 to 7

If you want an easy spring shrub, go for potentilla. According to Sears, this shrub is drought-tolerant and adaptable to various soil conditions, provided the drainage is good. Potentillas will yield yellow, orange, red or white flowers from late spring through the fall. “When growing potentilla, keep an eye on its leaves, as yellowing could indicate an iron deficiency in your plant,” she advises. “To ensure your soil pH is within potentilla’s standards (5 to 7), a soil testing kit can help you determine its levels within minutes.”

• Amount of Sunlight Needed: full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9

Butterfly bush is a versatile shrub that comes in many colors with the ability to grow at various heights and produce different flowers and flowering spikes. It’s also an easy plant to care for and will attract pollinators, says Sears. Keep your shrub in full sun, lest it become weedy in the shade.