Every gardener has their own style that they want to exhibit in their garden. Whether they are planting a small garden bed to be neat and petite or a large area that gives off a carefree untamed vibe, plant selection is as unique to the gardener as their fingerprints.

I tend to gravitate toward hardwood trees that provide great fall color and shade, and large evergreen shrubs so that my garden doesn’t look completely bare when the leaves fall from the trees.

They pull the heavy load of establishing the garden. However, my true passion lies in the ornamental shrubs that are tucked in and around these pillars of greenery.

When I am looking to add an ornamental shrub to the garden, the most important criteria for me are that it blooms and that those blooms last for a long time. Don’t get me wrong; I love an azalea, especially if it is an encore variety that will rebloom, but I desire a steady blooming plant that produces flowers from spring until fall.

The following is a list of shrubs that show up early to the party and stay late.

Armenian Cranesbill (Geranium psilostemon) is a perennial shrub that produces large magenta flowers with dark centers and veining over interesting fan-shaped leaves that turn red in fall. It reaches a height and spread of 3 to 4 feet, and the blooms last from late spring until late summer.

Tall Sedum may only display foliage during summer months, but in fall, they show out. Ranging from 18 to 24 inches in height, tall sedum produces blooms that range from crystal pink to dark pink-purple. Notable varieties are “Thunderhead,” with rich pink blooms on bronzy-green foliage; “Dark Magic,” with almost purple-pink flowers atop burgundy foliage; and “Frosty Morn,” which has cream-edged variegated foliage that frame small star-shaped, white-pink flowers. This one is compact, only reaching about 12 inches in height.

Butterfly Bush is a personal favorite of this gardener. Evergreen in our warmer climate, most butterfly bushes produce long and slender, fragrant blooms in shade of purple. There are cultivars, however, that produce golden yellow, red, white and even multicolored flowers, such as “Kaleidoscope.”

They are low maintenance and long-blooming, and that benefit goes further if spent blooms are pinched. As an added bonus, colorful butterflies will cover these beauties!

Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla frutiocosa) is a deciduous, small to medium shrub that produces small five-petal flowers that arrive in June and stay until first frost. Plant in full to partial sun. Although the most common color of the blooms is yellow, akin to their kin, the strawberry, newer varieties sport shades of white, pink, peach, orange and red.

Not all Weigela is long-blooming, but Weigela Florida Sonic Boom is a real show-off, blooming from spring until first frost. It grows 4 to 5 feet in height and width in full sun. With a profusion of hot pink flowers that don’t require deadheading to rebloom, it is perfect for borders or an eye-catching addition to anchor a flower bed.

Beautyberry, as its name suggests, produces beautiful purple berries after the blooms fade, well into winter. Although the white or pink flowers only last during summer, the true appeal of this plant is in fall, when its green berries turn to bright purple. If you are a bird enthusiast, this plant will have your feathered friends visiting frequently.

Goblin Gaillarida, or Goblin Blanket Flower, is a low-growing perennial that boasts orange centers, surrounded by a belt of rich red that is enclosed by a yellow-fringed edge. The striking blooms sit atop dark olive leaves in a mounding form and are suited as both a bedding plant or as container plants.

Strong and long, these shrubs will afford you the enjoyment of color for months. Until next week, happy gardening.

— Irland, a member of the Limestone County Master Gardeners, can be reached at kippirland@hotmail.com. Visit https://mg.aces.edu/limestone for more information on the Limestone County Master Gardeners.