Shrub ideas

[BRIGHT SPARK]

We have a corner of the garden..about 30m2..to replant with shrubs has anyone got any recommendations.We would like year round interest if poss.Size range from 600mm to 2000mm in slightly alkaline soil.T.I.A.

[Twirls]

Dogwoods are lovely because they give you good colour in winter as well as green leaves and white flowers in spring / summer. Spiraea is also good - Candlelight and Firelight are two of my favourites. Cotinus is also lovely - the red leaved variety to give a different colour through the summer - but you need to keep it under control. Buddleia is always nice as it attracts butterflies - you can get white or purple flowering ones. Anything with berries that attracts the birds is also good from my point of view. Also Choisya Sundance is lovely with its bright yellow leaves. Skimmia Japonica gives you glossy leaves and red flowers in winter. There are hundreds of brilliant shrubs to choose from. What I'd recommend is to go to a good garden centre / nursery and talk to someone who knows their plants, tell them what sort of soil you've got and ask them if you can lay them out as they would be in your garden so you can see what they look like all together. Have fun!

[woofgang]

Mahonia is lovely atm and highly scented, then you get blue berries and glossy leaves. The birds eat the berries which is a bonus.
ornamental quince, very pretty and you can eat the fruit.
Fuchsia magellanica versicolour flowers all year if the weather is mild and in just about indestructible.
dogwood, not strictly a shrub (small tree) pretty white or pink flowers, interesting leaves that change colour in the autumn.
lonicera fragrantissima evergreen shrub with fabulously scented white blooms from november to february. lovely to cut and have indoors
Good old forsythia.
Spindle. flowers, bright orange berries and autumn colour
Callicarpa. amazing blue berries.

[woofgang]

amellanchier lamarkii!!

[woofgang]

Amazed you haven't been overwhelmed with suggestions. Garrya has nice shiny leaves and amazing green tassels. A stooled pussy willow is handy for cutting to go with the forsythia and tolerates wet feet.
How about a dwarf crab apple for colour and fruit,
Viburnum opulus has flowers, red berries and autumn colour
Maybe a holly? Golden king is female lovely variegated leaves but I don't think it's self fertile.

[woofgang]

Pyracantha, you can get yellow and pink berries as well as red and orange

[boxtops]

I was going to suggest Dogwood, but twirls beat me to it - ours is gleaming red stems at the moment.

[woofgang]

That's Cornus alba boxy, another good suggestion, I was thinking of Cornus kousa or florida

[hammerman]

Fatsia japonica would be another suggestion to go with the excellent choices above.

I wouldn't include skimmia. Although they can survive on alkaline soil, they won't particularly thrive.

For the dogwood, go for the lovely varigated cornus alba elegentissima. Cornus kousa and florida need acid soil.

Don't forget the super array of phormiums too to give a bit of structure to the bed

For some early summer scent, why not try one of the shorter mock orange such as philadelphus coronarius aureus or P. microphyllus. Also don't forget Vibernum 'park farm hybrid' or carlesii for some super scent.

Don't rule out some mixed herbaceous either...Penstemons, Euphorbia, grasses and bamboo (clump forming) will all fit in well....try euphorbia wulfenii for lovely steely blue evergreen leaves and yellow flowers in spring.

Good luck

[rowanwitch]

At the rear Buddleia globosa and the normal one and the black elder with a small tree either a rowan or a hawthorn, in front cotoneasters,cotinus(grace)
berberis and pyracantha grown up an obelisk to give you something to control it with
Viburnum tinus, a variegated phormium, agree on the variegated dogwood, and at the front if it is a brightish corner lavender or senecio greyyii and sarcoccus confusa, if you still have room squeeze in a hammamelis mollis and a lonicera fragrantissima for more midwinter fragrance and flowers.. that collection will give you loads of insect and bird activity

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Thanks for all the great suggestions ....i'm in for a busy time!

[woofgang]

I find that viburnum carlesii has a short natural life but it does smell lovely. I have a cornus florida on clay but I do pile all the dead leaves onto that area of the garden every year.

[woofgang]

make sure you get a sniff at sarcococca confusa before you plant it, I find the smell horrible but i agree that most people like it.