Your front yard is often the first impression people have of your home. And what better way to welcome visitors and friends into your space than with a gorgeous space filled with color, pollinators, and lush foliage?
Choosing the best flowering shrubs for your front yard landscaping means you need to find plants that complement your home's style, design preferences, and climate. Thankfully, we're here to help you find the best flowering shrubs so you can turn your front yard into a colorful paradise.
Looking for more help designing your front yard? Our free Front Yard Design guide includes three landscape plans that offer a variety of plant choices and design tips that can be tailored to your yard, growing conditions, and style preferences.
How to Choose the Right Shrubs for Your Front Yard
Choosing and adding the right flowering shrubs to your front yard can feel daunting, especially with so many options to choose from. Here are some of our tips and tricks for selecting the right shrubs to transform your front garden.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Flowering Shrubs for Your Front Yard
By evaluating factors like climate, soil, and maintenance, you can choose shrubs that perfectly complement your space. Here is what to keep in mind when looking for the right flowering shrubs for your front yard:
- Size: Consider the mature size of the shrubs and how they will fit your space once they are fully grown. You can find this information on the plant's tag or plant web page on Monrovia.com. This will help you understand how much space they'll need when fully grown and how they'll impact the design of your landscape.
- Climate: Choose shrubs that are well-suited to your region's climate. Have a dry or drought-prone climate? Find our favorite waterwise shrubs for front yards below.
- Soil: The soil quality can greatly affect your shrubs' growth. Perform a soil test to check for nutrient levels, pH, and drainage conditions. You can purchase soil tests at a hardware store or perform a DIY test by collecting separate soil samples. You can select the most suitable shrubs for your yard based on the findings.
- Maintenance: Determine the care requirements of the shrubs you're considering. Some shrubs, like azaleas, require pruning and sometimes a significant trim. Others may only need minimal attention to stay healthy. Consider how much time you have to spend on upkeep and choose flowering shrubs you can manage. You can find a variety of plant care guides on the Garden Tips page of the Be Inspired Blog.
Best Deciduous Flowering Shrubs for Front Yard Landscaping
Rose
Roses stand out as a fantastic choice for front yard landscaping, offering elegance and classic beauty that enhances curb appeal. Plus, with modern varieties like Grace N' Grit™ and Nitty Gritty™ Roses, you can enjoy easy-care options with major flower power.
With their diverse array of colors, fragrances (try Heavenly Ascent® and Eau De Parfum™ roses for fantastic fragrance), and petal variations, roses offer a versatile palette to complement any aesthetic. Shrub varieties, like Grace N' Grit™, provide structure and visual interest, creating a well-groomed and sophisticated appearance.
Pictured here: Nitty Gritty™ White Rose. Full sun. Zones 4-9.
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas' large blooms are popular features in North American front yards for good reason. These shrubs come in a variety of colors, from soft blue to bright pink. Hydrangeas look stunning as single specimens in small spaces, planted en masse for a foundation planting, or right in the middle as a big, blooming focal point. There are many varieties of hydrangea you can explore to find what works best in your climate.
Pictured here: Seaside Serenade® Newport Hydrangea. Part shade to part sun. Zones 4-9.
Lilac
With an unmistakable fragrance and big purple blooms, the lilac is a beloved choice for front yards. Once they bloom, lilacs will give you abundant clusters of sweet-smelling flowers complemented by lush green foliage. These shrubs need full or partial sun and bloom mid-spring. Plus, they are generally easy to care for and most are drought-tolerant once established.
Pictured here: Little Darling® Lilac. Full sun. Zones 4-8.
Weigela
Weigelas bring a bright beauty to your front yard landscape with their pink or red flowers and dark leaves. These shrubs are easy to maintain and fairly adaptable, and they love hot summers. Explore different weigela varieties to find a plant that brings colors and attractive foliage to your landscape.
Pictured here: Coco Chill™ Weigela. Full sun. Zones 4-8.
Best Evergreen Flowering Shrubs For the Front Yard
Azalea
The vibrant shades of azalea blooms add a pop of color to your yard and come in brilliant shades of red, pink, purple, orange, and pure white. These shrubs grow well in partial shade and acidic soil rich in organic matter and should be fertilized in the spring after flowering. Grow azaleas with hydrangeas, camellias, and other compatible plants for a colorful front landscape. Plus, most azaleas are evergreen, making them great for year-round curb appeal. Browse Monrovia’s collection of azaleas here to find colorful varieties of this shrub.
Pictured here: Double Shot® Watermelon Azalea. Full shade to part sun. Zones 6-9.
Rhododendron
Rhododendrons are broadleaf evergreens known for their spectacular springtime blooms with colors including white, pink, red, and purple. They have attractive, dark green, leathery leaves that provide a stunning backdrop for other plants. Rhododendrons prefer well-draining soil and partial shade.
Pictured here: Nova Zembla Rhododendron. Part sun. Zones 4-8.
Camellia
Camellias are an elegant and classic choice for warm climate gardens, producing beautiful blooms throughout the winter months. They're available in various colors, including pink, red, and white. Camellias prefer acidic soil and partial shade to protect their delicate blooms from the harsh afternoon sun.
Pictured here: Pink-A-Boo® Camellia. Full shade to part sun. Zones 7-10.
Daphne
Daphne shrubs are known for their fragrant blooms that appear in late winter to early spring. They feature clusters of small, star-shaped flowers that can vary from white to pink or purple, depending on the species. Daphne requires well-draining, fertile soil and prefers partial shade to thrive.
Pictured here: Banana Split® Daphne. Full shade to part sun. Zones 7-9.
Best Drought-Tolerant Flowering Shrubs for the Front Yard
Potentilla
These shrubs, featuring vibrant, five-petaled flowers in hues ranging from sunny yellows to rich oranges, effortlessly enhance curb appeal with their prolific blooms and mounded, compact habit. Beyond their eye-catching blooms, what makes potentilla particularly appealing for front yards is their low-maintenance nature and drought tolerance. Their ability to thrive with minimal care and less-appealing nature to deer makes them a practical and sustainable front yard landscaping option.
Pictured here: Gingersnap™ Potentilla. Part to full sun. Zones 3-8.
Lavender
Lavender is a fantastic choice for sunny, dry front yards, and offers an aromatic allure to entryways and pathways. The fragrant, slender spikes of lavender flowers, ranging in hues from deep purples to soft blues, bring a touch of elegance to any outdoor space. Plus, pollinators love lavender! These hardy shrubs thrive in well-drained soils and are remarkably resilient, requiring minimal care once established.
Pictured above: Provence French Lavender. Full sun. Zones 5-9.
Bottlebrush
Perfect for hot, dry front yards in warm zones, bottlebrush is an excellent choice for waterwise front yard landscaping. The shrub's cylindrical, brush-like flowers in shades of red or crimson create a striking visual impact. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, bottlebrush is yet another practical selection for front yards in warm climates, thanks to its low-maintenance and drought-tolerant characteristics.
Pictured here: Little John Dwarf Bottlebrush. Full sun. Zones 8-11.
Indian Hawthorne
An excellent choice for front yards in warm, dry climates, Indian Hawthorn is a timeless favorite for waterwise landscaping. The evergreen foliage, ranging from glossy green to deep burgundy, provides year-round interest and serves as an attractive backdrop for its clusters of delicate pink or white flowers in spring. These hardy shrubs require minimal care once established and can withstand dry conditions, making them a must-have for low-maintenance curb appeal.
Pictured above: Majestic Beauty® Indian Hawthorn. Part to full sun. Zones 7-11.
Creating Curb Appeal with Front Yard Landscaping
The front yard is where you set the tone for your home! To enhance your curb appeal, make cohesive design decisions for your front yard landscaping. Look for shrubs that complement your home, as well as any existing plants and landscaping.
Top Tips for a Cohesive Front Yard Design
(Above) Mophead hydrangeas, variegated Pieris, and Japanese forest grass thrive in the partial shade provided by the roof's overhang. Design by Robin Parsons of Spring Greenworks. See the full story about this design here.
- Color scheme: Select plants with colors that complement your home’s façade or other landscape elements like walkways and fountains. It'll create a visually harmonious appearance. The front yard is often a great place to stick to a more minimal color palette, which is elegant and soothing. Or, if you want to set the tone for a more playful or funky house, you can bring in your favorite colors and textures.
- Height variation: Incorporate a mix of shrubs with different heights to add depth and dimension to your front yard landscape.Layer from tall to short, with tall shrubs forming a backdrop, medium-sized shrubs and perennials in the mid layer, and low-growing plants and groundcovers in the front.
- Architectural style: Choose shrubs that align with your home's architectural style to create a unified look. For instance, choose clean-lined hedges for a modern home or lush cottage garden shrubs (like Nitty Gritty™ Roses) for a more historic property.
Add Visual Interest to Your Front Yard with Flower Beds and Borders
To enhance the beauty of your shrubs, consider adding flower beds in your yard for a colorful display. Flower beds allow you to express your creativity by combining different colors, textures, and sculptural plants to add visual interest to your property.
Easy Flower Bed Ideas for Your Front Yard
- Layered flower bed: Arrange plants in a layered fashion by keeping taller ones in the back, medium-sized plants in the middle, and shorter ones in the front. This arrangement effectively showcases all the plants and adds a sense of depth to your flower bed.
- Border flower bed: Plant a row of flowers, spreading plants, or shrubs along walkways, driveways, or property boundaries. This flower bed design can create a clear border and visually tie various landscape elements together.
- Island flower bed: An island flower bed is a free-form planting area surrounded by a lawn or pavement. This type of flower bed can become the focal point of your front yard or break up a large expanse of lawn. Island flower beds can also be great for creating pollinator gardens to attract friendly creatures to your space.
Ideas for Maximizing a Small Front Yard
If you have limited space in your front yard, there’s no reason you still can’t create a colorful garden full of plant variety. Consider these ideas:
- Vertical gardening: Use trellises, wall planters, trees, upright shrubs, or hanging baskets to grow plants or flowers upwards, utilizing vertical space.
- Container gardening: Plant shrubs or flowers in containers to save ground space and easily rearrange your landscape design as needed.
- Use upright and compact plants: Compact plants and shrubs with an upright habit are perfect for making a big impact with a small footprint. Find some great compact alternatives here.
- Learn more about designing for small spaces here.
How Shrubs Improve Your Curb Appeal
Planting shrubs in your front yard can significantly boost your home's curb appeal. They provide structure, color, and depth to your landscape design. Shrubs are also natural privacy screens, creating a subtle barrier between your home and the street. This adds to your home's aesthetic value and provides a sense of privacy for you and your family.
Plus, many ornamental options also provide food and shelter to various wildlife species, promoting biodiversity in your landscape.
Learn More About Curb Appeal and Gardening with Shrubs
- Get the free Front Yard Design guide for versatile design tips and plant lists to upgrade your curb appeal.
- Sign up for our Grow Beautifully newsletter to get more design inspiration, garden tips, how-tos, and first access to exclusive plants.
- Evergreen Shrubs for Landscaping: A Comprehensive Guide
- Designer Secrets for Year-Round Curb Appeal
- How to Create a Layered Bed
- How to Put Hydrangeas to Bed for Winter
- Boxwood Winter Care
- Best Evergreen Shrubs for Privacy
- The Best Dwarf Conifers Offer Big Solutions
- 5 Ways to Unlock Design Success with Shrubs
