Native Shrubs for August Flowers

Weigelas, crepe myrtles and bigleaf hydrangeas are among the shrubs which bloom in August, but none of these shrubs are native plants. Native shrubs which bloom during the August heat do exist. Add some hot color to your landscape with shrubs that bloom in the late summer.

Among the most cold tolerant native shrubs with August flowers is lead plant (Amorpha canescens), which is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 2. Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) and smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborsecens) are hardy to Zone 3. Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) and steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa) have similar cold tolerance. All of these deciduous shrubs grow into the warmth of Zone 8, with native shrubs such as lead plant and Devil's walking stick (Aralia spinosa) growing into Zone 9.

Size often dictates a shrub's use. Species such as lead plant grow only to 3 feet, a trait shared by shrubby cinquefoil and sweet pepperbush cultivars such as "Hummingbird". Smooth hydrangea is a medium-sized shrub, growing between 3 and 5 feet in species and in cultivar form. Meadowsweet and steeplebush grow to 4 feet, while a tall August blooming shrub option is Devil's walking stick, which reaches between 10 and 20 feet high when it's mature.

The bluish-purple flowers of lead plant are not outstanding, but they last from July through September. Smooth hydrangea flowers are more conspicuous, emerging in clusters as wide as 6 inches. The pink to white flowers bloom in June and last through the remainder of summer. The white flowers of Devil's walking stick bloom in clusters up to 24 inches long; they flower well into August. Beautyberry's (Callicarpa americana) pink-purple flowers grow along the stems and yield lavender clusters of small berries. Sweet pepperbush generates aromatic, fluffy white flowers in clusters. Meadowsweet's white flower clusters resemble cones.

Lead plant has use in naturalized areas and in prairie gardens. Smooth hydrangea work swell in shrub borders and in shady spots. Devil's walking stick's sharp thorns make its placement away from foot traffic mandatory; utilize it in native plant gardens or along woodland edges away from the house. Beautyberry works great in group planting and as an understory shrub. Sweet pepperbush and white alder are candidates for foundation plantings and in butterfly gardens. Locate meadowsweet in wet areas in full sun.