Avoid an ugly and bland yard with dying shrubs in Marietta, Georgia. Knowing which flowering shrubs are hardy to zone 7b lets you plant and grow spectacular flowering shrubbery.
toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered the following species and planting information about 5 beautiful flowering shrubs for your Marietta, Georgia yard and garden.
1. Azalea (Rhododendron)
Azalea is the popular name for a group of flowering shrubs in the Rhododendron genus. These shrubs are characterized by the absence of scales on the underside of the thin, soft, and pointed leaves. This shrub typically has terminal blooms – with one flower per stem.
Sun Requirements – Azaleas thrive in full sun (about 4 hours per day) or part shade.
Soil Requirements – This species requires well-drained, acidic soil. You should test the soil regularly and keep it below a 6.0 pH.
Size at Maturity – Some azalea species reach heights of 20 feet or more, dwarf azaleas only grow to 2 or 3 feet tall, while many garden azalea varieties average 4 to 6 feet in height.
Flowers – Azaleas tend to bloom from early February to September.
2. Forsythia (Forsythia)
Forsythia is a deciduous shrub with stems that start green but turn woody and display a rough gray bark. For most of the year, the shrub remains covered in dense, bright green foliage.
Sun Requirements – This species does best in full sun (about 4 hours per day) or part shade.
Soil Requirements – Forsythia shrubs will adapt to most soils. However, they prefer loose, well-draining soil and do best in soils with a pH ranging from 7.0 to 8.0.
Size at Maturity – The forsythia species grows to a mature height of 8 to 10 feet and a spread of 10 to 12 feet.
Flowers – Forsythia blooms overwhelming amounts of bright yellow flowers in the spring.
3. Rose (Rosa)
Roses are upright, climbing, or crawling shrubs. Rose’s stems are typically copiously covered in sharp, protective thorns. The shrub’s foliage is usually feather-formed and sharply toothed.
Sun Requirements – Rose shrubs perform best in full sun (about 4 hours per day).
Soil Requirements – Roses require good drainage and rich, moisture-retentive soil, with a pH between 6.5 and 7.
Size at Maturity – Roses varieties range from miniatures (8 inches tall) to tree-climbing vines that easily reach 50 feet or more.
Flowers – Most roses bloom in springtime, with some varieties flowering again in the fall.
4. Hydrangea (Hydrangea)
Hydrangeas are popular as cut flowers and shrubs for the yard because of their oversized, beautiful blooms. The large flower clusters look like a cheerleader’s pom-poms growing on bushes that sometimes grow as tall as trees. The shrubs come in a variety of different colors (often determined by your soil’s mineral content) and shapes.
Sun Requirements – Hydrangeas thrive with morning sun and partial shade later in the day.
Soil Requirements – Most hydrangeas will do best in fertile, well-drained soils that get plenty of moisture. Consider adding compost to enrich poor soil.
Size at Maturity – Some species only grow to about 2 or 3 feet tall and wide, while others can reach 6 feet tall with a 6-foot spread.
Flowers – Most hydrangeas put on their buds in early summer to only bloom in the following spring, summer, and early fall seasons.
5. Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans)
Tea olive is a broadleaf evergreen shrub (strikingly similar to hollies) from the Oleaceae (olive) family and is native to Asia. This plant species blooms extremely fragrant flowers.
Sun Requirements – Tea olive shrubs thrive in full sun (about 6 to 8 hours per day) or part shade.
Soil Requirements – This species requires well-drained, acidic soil.
Size at Maturity – This plant species typically grows to a mature height of 10 to 30 feet
Flowers – Tea olive blossoms appear in spring, continuously blooming heavily through early summer, then flowering intermittently through fall.
Blooming Shrubs
In this article, you discovered essential information about 5 magnificent flowering shrub species hardy to zone 7b.
Knowing which shrubs to plant in your Marietta, Georgia yard will help you grow a thriving yard full of beautiful seasonal flowers.
Haphazardly planting shrubs out of their respective zones will likely end in the species struggling to survive and prevent it from ever flowering.
Sources:
hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/tea-olive/
njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1152/
site.extension.uga.edu/effinghamanr/2021/02/tips-for-growing-roses/
extension.umn.edu/trees-and-shrubs/forsythia
gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/azalea.html
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