They have bright, yellow pea-like flowers in mid to late spring. Size ranges from 3 to 15 feet tall depending on species and cultivars. Peashrubs prefer full sun for best flowering but will tolerate partial shade as well. The flowers appear before the leaves and often possess a honey-like scent. In summer, leaves are a dark green or bluish green changing to brilliant yellow, orange or scarlet in fall.
Fothergillas prefer partial shade with a moist, well-drained, acid soil.
Azaleas and rhododendrons are popular spring flowering shrubs. There are thousands of cultivars available but, unfortunately, most are not hardy in the upper Midwest. Some of the best azaleas for Iowa gardens are from the Light Series introduced from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. These azaleas offer pink, white, yellow, orange, lilac or bi-color blooms that are often fragrant, and range from 6 to 10 feet in height. These azaleas bloom before the leaves emerge in spring, making the flowers even more brilliant.