Garden Shrubs Beginning with A - a-z Letter listing

First on our list is the wonderfully graceful Abelia.

A graceful, arching shrub that is a true garden workhorse. Abelias are loved for their long flowering season, often producing masses of small, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers from summer right through to autumn. The glossy leaves often take on beautiful bronze or purple tints in the colder months, providing year-round interest. They are wonderfully versatile, thriving in sunny spots and attracting bees and butterflies in droves.

• Popular varieties: Abelia x grandiflora 'Francis Mason', Abelia 'Edward Goucher'.

Abeliophyllum, often called White Forsythia, is a charming and lesser-known deciduous shrub. In early spring, it produces delightful clusters of fragrant, white to pale pink flowers along slender, arching branches, adding a crisp brightness to the garden just as winter fades. Despite its common name, it's not a true forsythia, but it offers similar elegant form with a softer colour palette. After flowering, the narrow green leaves provide gentle background foliage through the summer. Perfect for a sunny, sheltered spot with well-drained soil.

• Popular variety: Abeliophyllum distichum.

For a touch of the exotic, consider the Abutilon. Also known as the 'flowering maple' because of the shape of its leaves, this charming shrub produces unique, bell-shaped flowers that hang down like delicate paper lanterns. It’s a plant that adds a sense of grace and whimsy to any garden space.

Known as Flowering Maple due to its maple-like leaves, Abutilon is a delightful shrub that produces beautiful, lantern-like flowers. These bell-shaped blooms hang elegantly from the branches in shades of red, yellow, orange, and pink. While some varieties are tender and best grown in pots to be moved indoors over winter, hardier types can thrive in sheltered spots, adding an exotic touch to the garden.

• Popular varieties: Abutilon 'Kentish Belle', Abutilon vitifolium.

Bring a touch of the Australian sunshine to your garden with Acacia. These shrubs, also known as Wattles, are famous for their spectacular display of fluffy, bright yellow, fragrant flowers in late winter and early spring. The foliage is equally attractive, often featuring fine, feathery, blue-green leaves. They need a sunny, sheltered spot to protect them from the harshest UK weather but will reward you with an unmissable floral performance.

• Popular varieties: Acacia dealbata (Mimosa), Acacia baileyana.

Often prized for their striking foliage and unique flowers, Acalypha shrubs are evergreen and add an exotic flair to gardens with their vivid leaves and fuzzy, tassel-like blooms. As natives of tropical regions, they are frost tender and require protection from cold in the UK. For gardeners in colder parts of Britain, Acalyphas are best grown under glass or in heated conservatories, where their vibrant colours can lift spirits even when it’s grey outside.

• Popular varieties: Acalypha wilkesiana (Copperleaf), Acalypha hispida (Chenille Plant).

While many Acers grow into large trees, there are numerous smaller, shrub-like varieties perfect for gardens of any size. Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) are particularly prized for their stunning foliage, which comes in an incredible array of shapes and colours, from deep burgundy to vibrant lime green. They offer spectacular autumn colour and their delicate, architectural forms make them fantastic focal points. They are ideal for container growing or planting in a sheltered, partially shaded border.

• Popular varieties: Acers / Japanese Maples A to Z Acer Griseum, Acer Palmatum Summer Gold,Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare.

Acradenia is a lesser-known evergreen shrub or small tree admired for its lush, aromatic foliage and delicate clusters of creamy-yellow flowers in spring. Its glossy, pinnate leaves make it a distinctive choice for sheltered gardens.

Though technically a vigorous climbing shrub, Actinidia deserves a place on this list. Many gardeners grow them for their lush foliage and fragrant spring flowers. Actinidia kolomikta is especially popular for its heart-shaped leaves, which are dramatically splashed with pink and white at the tips, creating a stunning visual effect. While some produce the familiar kiwi fruit, others are grown purely for their ornamental value.

• Popular varieties: Actinidia kolomikta, Actinidia deliciosa 'Jenny' (self-fertile kiwi).

While most familiar as the large horse chestnut tree, there are smaller Aesculus species that form attractive, spreading shrubs. They are well-known for their palmate leaves and upright spikes of showy flowers in spring.

Agapetes are elegant, evergreen shrubs with arching stems studded with small, leathery leaves. They’re loved for their pendant, tubular flowers—often crimson or pink—that dangle like jewels and attract pollinators.

Also known as the Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus can take shrub or small tree form and is prized for its bold, feathery foliage. Its fast growth makes it ideal for quickly creating a screen, though it’s best suited to larger gardens due to its vigor.