Flowering shrubs for April gardens in the UK (US Zone 9)

April is probably the most exciting month of the year in the gardening calendar. Things suddenly begin to look green and vibrant and the warmer days and lighter evenings can gladden the heart of every gardener. Here are some ideas for flowering shrubs for April colour, scent and foliage.

🌸Blackthorn – sloe, is a native/shrub tree to the uk and makes a wonderful deciduous wildlife hedge. According to the RSPB it’s one of the best hedges for birds in the UK. Its very sharp black thorns provide an impenetrable barrier.

🌸Chaenomeles japonica – the Japanese quince is very easy to  grow and very showy flowers. There are many varieties and shades of colour, including the crimson-flowered ‘Nicoline’ and the white-flowered ‘Nivalis’.

🌸Pieris – lily of the valley bush has clusters of bell-shaped flowers which look a bit like lily of the valley flowers, there are several varieties, ‘Purity’ has gorgeous white flowers,  and ‘Passion’ are deep pink. All need an acidic soil or plant in containers of ericaceous compost.

🌸Ribes – flowering currants are some of the earliest and easiest flowering spring shrubs, providing a valuable nectar source for foraging bees early in the year. They look great in a shrub border, underplanted with spring bulbs or grown as  an informal hedge.

🌸Daphnes not only look beautiful but smell amazing! Grow close to the house, or a pathway leading to a door to enjoy its scent.

🌸Koreanspice viburnum – viburnum carlesii  is a member of the elderberry family and very easy to grow. Highly scented and very attractive to butterflies and caterpillars in the autumn it produces beautiful foliage. 

General care advice for flowering shrubs in April gardens

All plants need nutrients to survive, but there’s no need to feed absolutely everything every year.  Shrubs will grow quite happily for years, provided the ground is prepared properly when planting. With these all these flowering shrubs, all that is necessary is to apply some fertiliser in the first two or three years after planting. After that, unless there is some obvious deficiency, they’ll cope well on their own. 🌺

Other ideas for flowers in spring

If you have the space, and want to invest in a tree for spring flowers take a look at trees for spring blossom!