Shrubs are woody, plants that form the backbone of most gardens, bearing flowers, attractive stems, interesting foliage, and lending height and texture. But not all shrubs are tall, back of border stalwarts, there are ground cover varieties, and many wonderful dwarf shrubs suitable for a container. The choice is huge, and you’ll be living with them for a long time, so here’s our guide to choosing shrubs for your garden.
Shrubs growing for foliage. Shrubs can be evergreen, semi evergreen (these keep some leaves on in winter, depending on how cold it gets) or deciduous (loses all leaves over winter). Evergreens are deservedly popular, as their often-attractive foliage stays around through the coldest months. Evergreen shrubs with variegated (two toned) leaves, such as varieties of Euonymous and Pieris are bright and stand out in a border, as do those with bright golden, red or blue coloured leaves, like Choisya, Photinia and Eucalyptus. Deciduous shrubs should not be forgotten here, as many have variegated or unusual coloured leaves, whilst many take on Autumn colours of red, orange and yellow before their leaves fall - shrubs such as Spirea, Cotinus and Cornus are good for this.
Shrubs with winter stems. Although Winter is not usually the best time to enjoy deciduous shrubs, a have something to offer the gardener at this time, in the form of brightly coloured or contorted stems, earning their place in the winter garden. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is very well known: Bright scarlet stems that shine with the winter sun. Other varieties of mustard yellow, fiery orange or mahogany coloured stems, and all are best planted in groups of the same colour for best effect.
For a shrub full of twisted stems, you can’t do better than Corylus avellana, a variety of Hazelnut with curly leaves that fall in Autumn to reveal the contorted framework.
Shrubs with flowers. Most shrubs will flower in spring, making them a great backdrop to flowering bulbs and early blooming perennials. Deciduous shrubs come into their own here, as they tend to flower more flamboyantly than evergreens (with a few exceptions - Rhododendrons, Japanese Azaleas and Camellias produce large quantities of flowers, as does Ceanothus). Floriferous deciduous shrubs include Weigela, Deutzia and Forsythia, which will clothe their branches in colour throughout March and April, often before the leaves emerge. Earlier in Winter, shrubs such as Hamamelis (Witch Hazel); Lonicera (Winter Honeysuckle) and Viburnum flower on bare wood, and are very nicely scented. If you want to increase the of scented shrubs in your garden, there are many options: the perfume of Philadelphus will waft across the garden when in full flower in June; Lilac in May and Buddleia in Summer.
Planting and caring for shrubs. Container grown shrubs can be planted all year round, as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Planting in summer , you will need to keep your new shrubs well-watered, as drying out will be detrimental to the plant’s health. Spring and Autumn are the best times of year to plant, especially if you are planting lots of shrubs. If the planting area is new or has not been cultivated for a while, then dig in some farmyard manure compost before you start – this is also a good idea if the soil is very sandy or heavy clay. Dig a hole twice the width and depth of the root-ball, and half backfill using Rose, Tree & Shrub compost, or Ericaceous if the shrub is acid loving, mixed half and half with the topsoil you dug out of the hole. Position the plant in the hole, making sure the top of the rootball will be buried no deeper than 2-3cm from the surface, and fill around the roots with the compost/soil mixture, firming as you go and making sure the plant remains upright. You should aim to leave a slight depression in the soil around the shrub so that water will pool around it, helping to keep it moist. Water in thoroughly, and from then on keep an eye on your shrubs for the next 3 months whilst it establishes, ensuring that they don’t dry out.
