Bursting into Bloom

Photo courtesy of Encore Azalea

Bright color in the garden is often associated with spring and summer. However, there are also plenty of fall and winter bloomers to add a bright spot to the colder months. Fall is the best time for planting shrubs, so when you go to the nursery, be sure to select varieties that bloom in different seasons—you’ll have color all year long!

Photo courtesy of Theresa Schrum

Fall into Winter Bloomers
(October–December)
Among the most reliable late fall bloomers are Camellia sasanquas and native witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Witch Hazel usually blooms in early to mid-November in Atlanta. Camellia sasanquas usually begins blooming in October and will continue (depending upon variety) through New Year’s. Typically, Camellia sasanqua Setsukegga* starts in October and blooms for nearly a month, with yellow-centered white flowers. The aptly named Yuletide camellia blooms near Christmas with its bright red, yellow-centered flowers. Early Camellia japonica varieties White by the Gate, Christmas Beauty, High Hat and Professor Sargent start their show in late November.

Photo courtesy of Monrovia

Early/Mid-Winter Bloomers
(January–February)
January and February also mark the middle of the Camellia japonica blooming season. Midseason bloomers include Mrs. Charles Cobb, Rebel Yell and Clarise Carlton. Occasionally, the open flowers of white-blooming camellias can turn brown in temperatures below 25 degrees.
Other shrubs blooming at this time include paper plant (Edgeworthia species), daphne* (Daphne odora), wintersweet* (Chimonanthes praecox), Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana Contorta), winter heath (Erica species), vernal witch hazel* (Hamamelis vernalis) and hybrid witch hazels* (Hamamelis x intermedia).

Photo courtesy of Monrovia

Late Winter Bloomers
(March)
March is a peculiar month in Georgia. Sometimes it’s winter, sometimes it’s spring, and usually it’s both, often in the same week. In recent years, it seems that late February often ushers in a warm spell that continues into early March. This false spring often encourages April bloomers to peak out early, and then sometime around the third week of March, we are hit with a hard frost. For this reason, plants that bloom in March may have the toughest time of all dealing with such fluctuations in temperature.
What would March in Georgia be without the forsythia? Those bright yellow flowers are hard to miss. Other March-blooming shrubs include the late-season Camellia japonica cultivars Purity, Dixie Knight and Lady Vansittart. Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles japonica) often begins its show in very early March, and loropetalums (Loropetalum chinense) begin in mid-March and continue into early April.

Photo courtesy of Monrovia

Spring Bloomers
(April–June)
It’s almost a no-brainer to find shrubs blooming during this time of year. In April, there is weigela and a mix of native and non-native azaleas (Rhododendron spp.), which are quickly followed by a plethora of viburnums. By May, blooms are bursting from the evergreen rhododendrons, Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) and mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). In June, Georgia is well into the season of roses and hydrangeas, with so many varieties that it’s easy to find one that suits your home and personality.

Photo courtesy of Monrovia

Summer Bloomers
(July–September)
The summer months may be difficult for plants that don’t love heat, but there are a select number of tough-as-nails shrubs that bloom. These include summersweet (Clethra), repeat-blooming roses such as Knockout (and its cousins) and hydrangeas like Endless Summer. We also have the late-blooming hydrangeas such as Pee Gee and Tardiva. Not to be outdone, the late season azaleas, which include the entire line of Encores and the native plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium), wait until the dog-days of sum-mer to show their colors.

Photo courtesy of Theresa Schrum

Pick a spot
Some shrubs prefer to be planted in the sun, while others do better in partial shade. Be sure to pick a variety that will thrive in the spot you’ve chosen!

Sun
• Witch Hazel
• Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick
• Winter Heath
• Weigela
• Roses, including the Knockout variety

Partial Shade
• Camellia sasanquas
• Camellia japonica, including cultivars Purity, Dixie Knight and Lady Vansittart
• Daphne
• Native and non-native azaleas, including Encores and the Plumleaf Azalea
• Rhododendrons
• Mountain Laurel
• Hydrangeas, including the Endless Summer variety

Both
• Paper Plant
• Wintersweet
• Vernal Witch Hazel
• Hybrid Witch Hazels
• Forsythia
• Loropetalums
• Viburnums
• Virginia Sweetspire
• Summersweet
• Hydrangea varieties such as Pee Gee and Tardiva