Pink Flowering Shrubs To Create Vibrant Interest In Your Garden

Deciduous or evergreen shrubs with pink blooms are a lovely sight in any garden; roses, rhododendrons and bougainvillea are some notable examples, but there are more…

This unique color can set the mood for your whole green space, especially if you use it in deep borders and hedges, but how many times have you seen it for example in flower beds, and thought, “This really clashes”? Yes, its’ because it’s not a very easy one to use.

Pink is a common flower color for shrubs but you need to know how to use it. The palette of the blooms is huge, from pastel rose to bright magenta, and each tonality has its mood and effects.

On top of this, you need to look at size, care requirements and hardiness etc. Add vibrancy to your landscape with the wide range of pink flowering bushes

If you want to add vibrancy of pink to your landscape this spring, we’ve rounded up 12 of our favorite pink flowering bushes.

But pink is not an easy color to use, so, let’s se how you can this color to your green space like a pro before we meet these beauties..

How To Use The Color Pink In Gardens And Shrubs

As we said, pink is a complex color to use, especially in gardening. Stay with us and you will learn how to make the best of this very special color…

Choose the Right Shade of Pink for Your Shrubs and Garden

Pink is a very “varied” color, and our selection of shrubs will reflect this. Think about the difference between a pastel rose or peach color and a shocking pink or magenta…

Pink has a great expressive range.

Right Shade of Pink for Your Shrubs and Garden

In soft tones, pink gives a sense of romance and calm. It is also an “old world” color, related to traditional country gardens and similar designs.

But in strong and bright shades, pink can be very strong, just think about shocking pink: it’s a hue that shouts out, “Look at me! Look at me!”

Choose the tone of pink that fits with your overall garden design.

If you are looking for a soft and refreshing mood, use pastel and rose to peach tones; if you want drama and an eye catching effect, use the bright and full shades that all the way to magenta purple…

Combine Pink Flowering Shrubs with Other Colors in Your Garden

Pink is not an easy dolor to combine with others. Just think about pink and blue flowers…

They just don’t work well together. Again, the key distinction will be between soft and strong shades.

You can combine soft shades of pink with other soft shades, but they will disappear if you mix them with strong ones.

But there is also another problem…

Or trick if you want.

Pink is limiting, meaning that you can only safely use it with one other color, and on the warm range.

Pink and orange is fine, as is pink and red or pink and purple. Pink and yellow is already more difficult and you can only really mix light pink and light blue together and with lots of green and / or white to soften the contrast.

And talking about contrast…

Use Pink Flowering Shrubs for Contrast

On the other hand, full and bright pink shades are perfect if you want a shocking effect, not a soft and harmonic one!

Strong pink colors clash with all other colors.

This gives him a unique quality; you can create very striking effect just growing shrubs with bright pink blooms like bougainvillea next to any other flower color.

Absolutely any…

So, now you know how to choose and use the right pink shade of your flowering shrub, let’s see our selection, and check out the plant’s needs, blooming time, size and also which type of garden idea and design it is good for.

Ready?

12 Show Stopping Pink Flowering Shrubs For All Sorts Of Gardens

These flowering bushes with stunning pink, magenta or peachy-colored flowers will add add instant elegance and long lasting beauty to wide range of needs and garden setting.

1. Oleander ‘Petite Salmon’ (Nerium oleander ‘Petite Salmon’)

Oleander Petite Salmon

There are a few oleander varieties with pink blooms, but ‘Petite Salmon’ is our choice because of its rare, delicate and sophisticated shade.

The fragrant five petaled flowers have a very sought after shade of salmon pink, in fact, and they are very abundant on this evergreen shrub.

The foliage is glossy and lance shaped, light green and, finally, this is a dwarf variety, so you can have it in containers and shelter it in winter if you live in a cold region.

‘Pink Salmon’ is a lovely to recreate a corner of Mediterranean beauty and atmosphere in small urban and suburban gardens and on terraces and patios.

Unfortunately it is not cold hardy and it does not have never ending blooms like native varieties, but at least it is of manageable size.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 9 to 12.
  • Light exposure: full Sun.
  • Blooming season: whole of summer.
  • Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and in spread (90 to 180 cm),
  • Soil requirements: well drained loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly alkaline to mildly acidic. It is drought and salt tolerant.

2. Rose of Sharon ‘Pink Chiffon’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Pink Chiffon’)

Rose of Sharon Pink Chiffon

‘Pink Chiffon’ is a rose of Sharon variety with beautiful, soft looking semi double flowers, with a very light and delicate rose pink shade.

There are some dashes of dark red purple towards the center of the blooms, which only add to the definition of these romantic looking flowers.

Each head is 3 inches across (about 8 cm), so large and showy, and the deciduous foliage is green and finely textured.

It will blossom all through the late season, starting in mid summer and stopping at around the time of the first frost.

Unlike other hibiscus varieties, rose of Sharon ‘Pink Chiffon’ is fairly cold hardy, so you can grow it in full soil as a specimen plant or in hedges also in temperate regions of the US and Canada, adding an exotic but dreamy touch to your garden.

You can also train it into a small tree, which is handy for more formal designs.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
  • Light exposure: full Sun.
  • Blooming season: mid summer to fall.
  • Size: 8 to 12 feet tall (2.4 to 3.6 meters) and up to 6 feet in spread (1.8 meters).
  • Soil requirements: well drained loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from neutral to mildly alkaline. It drought and salt tolerant.

3. Weigela ‘Spilled Wine’ (Weigela florida ‘Spilled Wine’)

Weigela Spilled Wine

Weigela is a deciduous shrub famous for its pink flowers, but ‘Spilled Wine’ is an outstanding and exceptional cultivar among the many varieties.

In fact, the blooms are o a very rich right pink flowers with hints of magenta, and they come from spring to frost!

But there is more… The leaves are beautiful, ovate and of an impressive dark purple color!

The combination of the dark and unusual foliage and exceptionally bright and strong pink blooms is just unique.

Despite its rare beauty, weigela ‘Spilled Wine’ is low maintenance and cold hardy; it can give you an original and attractive focal pint with its showy presence, and it is small enough as a shrub to fit into most spaces, including patios, terraces and containers.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 9.
  • Light exposure: full Sun.
  • Blooming season: from mid spring to frost!
  • Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and in spread (60 to 90 cm).
  • Soil requirements: any well drained and moist loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly alkaline to mildly acidic. It is heavy clay tolerant.

3. Butterfly Bush ‘Pink Delight’ (Buddleja davidii ‘Pink Delight’)

Butterfly bush Pink Delight

Butterfly bush is a deciduous shrub known for its scented panicles of bright blooms that attract pollinators of all kinds, and ‘Pink Delight’ has one of the most interesting bright and rich pink shades ever! This is why we have chosen it.

The long inflorescences look great against the bright green, pointed foliage as they nod to the side of this bushy plant, and colorful insects will not fail to notice them.

Nor will your guests as it has caught the eye of experts too! In fact it is a winner of the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society…

Butterfly bush is a very common herbaceous shrub in temperate gardens, and ‘Pink Delight’ will not fail to give you long blooms for little care.

It is suitable for natural looking borders and hedges, or even for wilder settings, like on the edges of woods and fields.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
  • Light exposure: full Sun.
  • Blooming season: from mid summer into fall.
  • Size: 5 to 7 feet tall and in spread (1.5 to 2.1 meters).
  • Soil requirements: well drained loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly alkaline to mildly acidic. It is drought resistant and heavy clay tolerant.

5. Glossy Abelia ‘Hopleys’ (Abelia x grandiflora ‘Hopleys’)

Glossy abelia Hopleys

‘Hopleys’ is a variety of glossy abelia with light pink flowers. These will appear like scattered all over the foliage in mid summer, and they are very delicate indeed.

They are small but their number males them turn the already beautiful bush into a wonder of light and color. In fact.

The oval leaves are variegated deep green with yellow edges. The shrubs appear as having a very fine and bright pattern of colors and textures.

Glossy abelia ‘Hopleys’ is a middle sized shrub that really looks great in urban gardens, next to lawns, or at the sides of a path; it is also very good for public parks but even mixed in with other plants in hedges and borders it can be magnificent!

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 9.
  • Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
  • Blooming season: from mid summer into fall.
  • Size: 4 to 5 feet tall and in spread (1.2 to 1.5 meters).
  • Soil requirements: well drained, medium rich and moist loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly alkaline to mildly acidic.

6. Hydrangea ‘Eternity’ (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Eternity’)

Hydrangea Eternity

‘Eternity’ is a small and compact cultivar if hydrangea, a favorite herbaceous and shade loving shrub in parks and gardens all over the world.

But we chose ‘Eternity’ because it’s special. The flowers are star shaped and double, with a very delicate but decided pink shade and yellow cream centers.

The color is also stable, unlike many varieties of this plant, but… They will be pink with alkaline soil, but they will turn blue with acidic soil.

This alone makes it a unique plant, and make sure your soil has high pH if you like this color.

As a small and compact variety, ‘Eternity’ is suitable for small gardens and spaces, unlike other types that need large park like settings.

It can even fit in containers on terraces and patios, but with the right soil, it will always bring a romantic touch to your green space.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
  • Light exposure: partial shade.
  • Blooming season: spring to fall.
  • Size: 3 to 4 feet tall (90 to 120 cm) and 2 to 3 feet in spread (60 to 90 cm).
  • Soil requirements: well drained and humid loam, clay or sand based soil with alkaline pH for pink flowers.

7. Pink Shell Azalea (Rhododendron vaseyi)

Rhododendron Vaseyi

Pink shell azalea is a large and early blooming deciduous shrub with massive pink blooms.

The exact shade will change from almost white to darker hues, each head beautiful on its own, but what you get with this variety is a massive and bright overall effect.

This is heightened by the fact that the flowers open when the leaves are very you g and small, so it looks like the pink blossoms are on almost barren black branches.

Finally, the foliage will turn bronze, orange and red in fall, for a final blush of passion.

This winner of the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society is ideal for large spaces and informal gardens in temperate regions with fresh summers and mild winters. It is an acid loving plant, so, if your soil is alkaline, it’s not for you…

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
  • Light exposure: partial shade.
  • Blooming season: mid spring.
  • Size: 10 to 15 feet tall (3 to 4.5 meters) and up to 10 feet in spread (3 meters).
  • Soil requirements: well drained and humid loam, clay or sand based soil rich in humus with acidic pH, though it will tolerate neutral soil.

8. Camellia ‘Betty Ridley’ (Camellia ‘Betty Ridley’)

‘Betty Ridley’ is a camellia variety with outstanding qualities. This evergreen acid loving shrub has very sculptural double flowers that form almost perfect rosettes.

The petals are pointed and with a fold in the middle, and they are arranged very regularly and harmonically.

The three dimensional effect of the 75 petals has unique plasticity. The color is rich but soft pink, very bright but also very smooth.

Add the glossy oval leaves that stay on all year round to the long blooming season and you get a real pink garden star!

Camellia ‘Betty Ridley’ is suitable for both informal and formal gardens, thanks to its unique blooms and architectural qualities. It does need lots of care though, so, it is not the shrub you want if you would like a low maintenance garden.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 7 to 9.
  • Light exposure: partial shade.
  • Blooming season: early and mid spring, then again in summer and fall.
  • Size: 8 to 10 feet tall (2.4 to 3.0 meters) and up to 8 feet wide (2.4 meters).
  • Soil requirements: very well drained, rich and constantly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with acidic pH, though it will tolerate neutral soil.

9. Dwarf Flowering Almond (Prinus glandulosa ‘Rosea Plena’)

Dwarf Flowering Almond

Dwarf flowering almond is a small shrub with the earliest pink blooms you can have.

In fact it will fill your garden with loads of fully double blooms on almost barren dark branches as soon as winter is over.

It is also called “decorative almond” because we grow it for its beauty, and not crop.

You may also get the occasional white flower as well, a strange phenomenon of this plant. You can train it into a small tree too, but as a shrub it is easier to grow.

This lovely perennial pink bloomer is excellent for natural looking garden, both traditional and with a modern design.

As a tree, you may even grow it in more formal settings. In any case, it is the rose harbinger of spring.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
  • Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
  • Blooming season: April in temperate regions; in hot countries it will bloom in late winter.
  • Size: 4 to 5 feet tall (120 to 150 cm) and up to 4 feet in spread (120 cm).
  • Soil requirements: very well drained loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from neutral to fairly acidic.

10. Rose Daphne, or Garland Flower (Daphne cneorum subsp. julia)

Rose Daphne or garland flower

Garland flower or rose Daphne is a small evergreen shrub that fills with a sea of pink flowers for months on end. They will cover the branches almost completely, among the waxy green elliptical leaves.

The blooms have four petals and they are star shaped, and they can be of a series of shades, from light pink to magenta.

All, however, a both beautiful and fragrant! The shrub has a prostrate habit, softly trailing as well.

Garland flowers is ideal for rock gardens, along a path or at the front of large borders. It adapts well to informal and natural looking gardens, but not to formal ones. Or you could use it as ground cover and get a pink carpet if you wish!

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8.
  • Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
  • Blooming season: mid and late spring with smaller blooms in summer.
  • Size: 6 to 12 inches tall (15 to 30 cm) and 2 to 3 feet in spread (30 to 60 cm).
  • Soil requirements: well drained loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from neutral to mildly alkaline.

11. Rhododendron ‘Scintillation’ (Rhododendron ‘Scintillation’)

Rhododendron Scintillation

‘Scintillation’ is a free flowering and evergreen rhododendron with light pink blooms. The flowers come in groups of 10 to 15, forming globular inflorescences called “trusses”; each looks like a large blossom from a distance, as each flower faces out from the center.

These appear at the end of branches and they are framed wonderfully by the long oval and glossy leaves.

‘Scintillation’ is also a small variety if rhododendron, so you do not need a massive garden to grow it.

It will look lovely in dappled shade in informal and natural looking gardens, in fact, or you could mix it in with other flowers in large borders as well.

It is an acid loving plant, and it will not tolerate alkaline pH. On the other hand, it is fairly cold hardy, so suitable for temperate regions of the USA and Canada as well.

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8.
  • Light exposure: partial shade or full Sun in fresh areas.
  • Blooming season: mid to late spring.
  • Size: 4 to 6 feet tall and in spread (1.2 to 1.8 meters).
  • Soil requirements: very well drained but humid loam or sandy loam, rich in humus and with acidic pH. It will not even tolerate neutral soil!

12. English Rose ‘Brother Cadfael’ (Rosa ‘Brother Cadfael’)

Rosa ‘Brother Cadfael
Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

‘Brother Cadfael’ is one of the many varieties of rose with pink blooms, but let me tell you why we chose this cultivar to close our list in great style.

The pink shade is delicate, bright yet pastel and very romantic. Each head is large, up to 5 inches across (12 cm) cupped like in “old world” roses and it has up to 45 petals.

The blooms come on upright and straight purple stems with virtually no storms, so they are ideal as cut flowers too. Then, you add the deep green and purple foliage, and you get the whole picture.

‘Brother Cadfael’ is a generous bloomer, excellent for borders and beds in informal gardens; actually it is perfect in an English country garden, but it is small enough if you want to grow it in containers for a romantic patio or terrace. And you can even train it to climb a trellis or gazebo!

  • Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
  • Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
  • Blooming season: from late spring to fall!
  • Size: 5 to 8 feet tall (1.5 to 2.4 meters) and up to 4 feet in spread (1.2 meters).
  • Soil requirements: very well drained, constantly humid and very fertile loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with lots if humus and pH from mildly alkaline to mildly acidic.

Pink Blooms and Shrubs for Every Garden or Terrace!

I hope you enjoyed our selection; we have chosen pink blooming shrubs with very beautiful flowers and interesting shades of this color, but I also hope you appreciate our choice to pick plants for a wide range of gardening situations, from containers to wide parks, and from formal to informal settings.

Don’t forget our tips on how to use pink in gardening and have a lot of fun and luck growing one (or more) of these wonderful shrubs!

Adriano Bulla

Written By

Adriano Bulla

After many years as an academic in London, Adriano Bulla became a writer, publishing books like A History of Gardening, Organic Gardening and Elements of Garden Design; he then decided to become a gardener, following his childhood dream, and has been following his dream writing and gardening professionally in Southern Europe, where he has specialized in new and innovative organic gardening fields and techniques, like permaculture, regenerative agriculture, food forests and hydroponics.

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