Home Gardening Outdoor Gardening 8 Flowering Bushes to Boost Curb Appeal These plants will bring new life to your front-of-house landscaping. By Morgan Noll Morgan Noll Instagram Morgan Noll is a digital associate editor for Real Simple covering home, finance, career, and travel. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 10, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Curb appeal can make a major impact when trying to sell your house. Choosing the right paint color is part of that, but investing in attractive front-of-house landscaping can really make your home stand out. Along with a well-maintained front yard, flowering bushes can add color and charm, helping to make your home's facade look more inviting. Fortunately, the options for these impactful plants are pretty much endless, but it can be hard to know which to choose—and it's important to find the right option for your home. Below, we shared some of our favorite flowering bushes for curb appeal. 7 Curb-Appeal Landscaping Ideas for the Best-Looking House on the Block Barry Winiker/Getty Images 01 of 08 Roses Getty Images/Viktoriia Kuzmenko Roses may sound like a luxury, but they're relatively easy to grow—and their timeless quality makes them a no-fail choice. There are over a hundred species of shrub roses in a range of colors, shapes, and sizes. They can grow between 2 to 9 feet tall and can climb along trellises, fences, and walls. USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 02 of 08 Lilacs Getty Images/Christophe Lehenaff For a flowering shrub that both looks and smells great, lilac bushes are a perfect pick. Fortunately, they're pretty easy to care for too. Once established, lilacs are rather low maintenance and typically only need watering during prolonged periods of drought. Growing at a rate of about 1 to 2 feet per year, the bushes can reach heights of 8 to 15 feet tall when mature. USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7 03 of 08 Hydrangeas Getty Images/Elizabeth Fernandez One of the most popular flowering bushes, hydrangeas make for a show-stopping front-yard display. There are more than 75 types of hydrangeas and they come in vibrant shades of blue, pink, green, and white. Plus, a fun fact about the well-known big-leaf hydrangea variety: You can change the color of the flowers by adjusting the soil pH. USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7 04 of 08 Azaleas Getty Images/ooyoo Azaleas are a species in the Rhododendron genus and they're a classic and reliable choice for front-of-house landscaping. Their flowers bloom in the spring and often last several weeks, providing bright pink pops of color. While azaleas are a staple in many Southern gardens, they can also be successfully grown in northern climates. USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9 05 of 08 Gardenia Getty Images/LFO62 With their strong, floral aromas, gardenias are just are popular for their place in perfumes as they are for their place in front yards. But this evergreen shrub is a striking addition to any front of house landscaping—as long as you're willing to put in a bit of extra work to maintain it. They have a reputation for being rather difficult to grow, but if you're more experienced in the garden, these glossy-leaved and white-flowered shrubs are worth the effort. USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11 06 of 08 Lavender Getty Images/Svetlana Iakusheva If you're working with a smaller front yard, a low-growing shrub can prevent the front of your house from looking overtaken with landscaping. Lavender is a great choice for lining flower beds and walkways and it packs quite the punch for having such a low-to-the-ground profile. Not only will lavender bring great color to your yard, but it will also introduce an inviting scent, sure to make a good impression to anyone visiting your home. USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 07 of 08 Forsythia Getty Images/AndreaAstes Forsythias are a genus of flowering plants in the olive family (which also includes lilac). Known for their long branches and bright yellow blooms, forsythias have a tree-like appearance and larger varieties can reach up to 10 feet in height and spread. They're also low-maintenance and fast-growing, making them a great choice for anyone looking for a quick and easy upgrade to the front yard. USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8 08 of 08 Camellia Getty Images Camellia offers a bold contrast with its dark, glossy leaves and large, bright flowers. While the plant can be more slow-growing than some shrubs, it's known for its long lifespan, with some living for more than 100 years. Though the plant can require a bit more hands-on care in the beginning, once they're established, they won't need much supplemental watering, and you'll be rewarded with bold blooms from late fall to early spring—and for years to come. USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-9 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit