Early Summer Flowering Shrubs

The unusually hot April this year has meant that many flowering shrubs which would normally have flowered in mid-summer are already in full bloom.  The pastel coloured flowers of the magnolias from early spring have now mostly finished, and the stunning vibrant coloured flowers of the azaleas and rhododendrons are appearing – these are particularly spectacular this year.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons at Paramount Plants Nursery

Azaleas and Rhododendrons prefer an ericaceous soil and cope well in shadier areas in the garden, with moist soil conditions, where they can create a colourful display.  They work especially well alongside Japanese Acers for the best displays of colour and shape. For climbing plants in flower in early summer the Chinese Wisteria, Wisteria Sinensis, is a twining climber with pendant clusters of lilac blue or white flowers.  It is an elegant climber and its magnificent displays of flowers hanging from houses heralds the start of the summer months.

Laburnum Watereri Vossi | Rhododendrons | Wisteria Sinensis

A bright and cheerful tree flowering late spring and early summer is the Laburnum Watereri Vossi which loves a sunny sheltered position.  It is recommended to keep this tree pruned and shaped as otherwise can reach up to 9m in height.  This variety is excellent for producing an abundance of yellow clusters of flowers.  The seeds of this tree are poisonous but are not as abundant as on other varieties of Laburnum and can be removed to get better flowers the following years.

Photinia Red Robin have produced many white flowers this year – they often do this when they are in a sunny area or in hot weather conditions.  It is probably a good idea to prune back the flowers in the next couple of weeks to ensure that they do not take too much energy from the plant which can cause gaps in the areas where the flowers were produced.

A final plant which is recommended for early Summer is the Ceonothus with its beautiful blue or pink flowers it works well as an evergreen shrub or climber.