Nothing reenergizes the spirit in Spring like a big, blooming plant! While Camellias, Dogwoods, and Magnolias all take center stage, there are some fantastic unsung heroes in the world of flowering trees and shrubs that deserve a place in your garden and aren’t on traditional “best flowering trees” lists.
We’ve pulled together a list of less-common flowering woody ornamental plants that are great for growing in the Pacific Northwest. The deciduous trees and shrubs we’ve selected are easy to care for, interesting, uncommon and, above all, beautiful! By introducing a bigger range of early-blooming, large plants into your garden, you’ll increase your biodiversity and support a greater number of pollinators. Here are some of our favorite underappreciated flowering trees and shrubs.
1. Azalea (deciduous) – Rhododendron subg. Pentanthera
Deciduous Azaleas are passed over in favor of their evergreen cousins, but we think these gems are well-poised for a comeback and are underrated garden shrubs.
While older varieties were a common feature of the “granny garden“, newer introductions offer the modern gardener the same stunning shock of color in early Spring, with improvements in tone, disease-resistance, and form.
The fantastic branching habit and easy-care nature of newer varieties means that even when deciduous Azaleas aren’t blooming, they blend into existing gardens with ease. In particular, we love the peachy tones of Azalea ‘Cannon’s Double’, and the screaming, citrus-orange of Azalea ‘Mandarin Lights’.
2. Summersweet – Clethra alnifolia
We had to include Clethra in this list of 7 underappreciated flowering trees and shrubs because it has the trifecta of terrific qualities—great fragrance, pollinator favorite, and textural blooms.
Clethra explodes each Summer with unique, feathery, conical blooms that hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees can’t seem to resist. Whether you opt for the clean, classic white of Clethra ‘Summer Sparkler’ and ‘Hummingbird’ or veer towards the rosy tones of Clethra ‘Ruby Spice’, you’ll be treated to a full, low-maintenance shrub that follows its big floral display with excellent golden leaf color each Fall.
3. Viburnum (deciduous) – Viburnum sp.
Another group of plants that are often neglected in favor of their evergreen relatives, the blooms on deciduous Viburnums are arguably bigger, better, and far more interesting than those on ‘David’ or ‘Spring Bouquet’.
Deciduous Viburnums like Viburnum mariesii and Viburnum ‘Pink Dawn’ are fast-growing plants that perform phenomenally well as stand-alones or in mixed hedges. The snowball blooms on Viburnum ‘Roseum’ and the new ‘Opening Day’ are dazzling in Summer and are great candidates for fans of Panicle Hydrangeas. Add the auburn red and rich burgundy fall color, and deciduous Viburnums quickly rise to the top of the list of reliable and low-maintenance deciduous shrubs.
4. Witch Alder – Fothergilla sp.
Fothergilla shows up in the garden early each Spring with small, creamy-white blooms that fall somewhere between bottle brush and pom-pom. The foliage that follows on these deciduous shrubs is greenish-blue and resembles the leaves of a Witch Hazel on a smaller scale.
Each Fall, Fothergillas put on a phenomenal show, turning red, burgundy, purple, and orange. No wonder Michael Dirr famously said of Fothergilla, “They do not have a bad season”. For a reliable, dwarf option, consider planting Fothergilla ‘Mt. Airy’, and for excellent bluer foliage we adore ‘Blue Shadow’. These plants can make great “Fother’s Day” gifts as well! 😏
5. Dove Tree – Davidia involucrata
With white, handkerchief-like blooms that fall somewhere between wacky and chic, Dove Trees are the perfect plant to add to a collector’s garden. We’d plant them solely for the fantastic and unusual floral display, but beyond that, they are truly excellent garden-worthy trees.
The foliage on Davidia is serrated and heart-shaped and stands up well in summer heat without the need for a lot of excess irrigation once established. Davidia ‘Lady in White’ has an attractive, classic deciduous tree shape, but ‘Kylee’s Columnar’ is an even better choice for small gardens, as it only grows to 10-12 feet tall by 3 feet wide! Talk about an underrated tree!
Check out our blog for more popular trees under 20 feet tall.
6. Serviceberry – Amelanchier sp.
It always seems like Amelanchier is at the top of the list of every UK gardener’s favorite garden plants, and yet here in its native range, our Serviceberry is the definition of underappreciated.
Truly a plant for every season, Amelanchier is one of the earliest blooming, short, multi-stemmed trees and has delicate, single blooms with perfect white petals that provide a critical food source for early bees and other pollinators. Green leaves follow and then adorable and delicious fruits carry the plant through Summer—if eating Serviceberries doesn’t appeal, you can be sure that visiting birds will happily eat them. Bright fall color, especially on cultivars like Amelanchier ‘Autumn Brilliance’, lights up the garden as the season ends, and then the show starts all over again at the start of Spring!
7. Seven-Son Flower – Heptacodium miconoides
Cool bark, cool flowers, cool leaves—Lucky Number 7 on our list of unusual flowering trees and shrubs has to be Seven-Son Flower. These uncommon, multi-stemmed small trees are phenomenal plants for small gardens that have something exciting happening in every season.
With peeling, multi-toned cinnamon-brown bark, white fragrant flowers followed by pinky-red bracts, and lovely fall color, Seven-Son Flower is a fanstastic plant for growing as a feature, in a large container, or tucked into a mixed hedge. Consider planting Heptacodium as a compliment to or instead of a Crape Myrtle, as the needs and aesthetics are similar but with the added bonus of Heptacodium’s fragrance!
All of these trees and shrubs are available at one of our local garden centers. If you need help deciding, our staff would be more than happy to help!