subject: The Ideal Garden Shrub [print this page] Is this the perfect shrub for your garden?
It will thrive in any type of soil and can tolerate dry or waterlogged conditions. This shrub looks good all year round with superb flowers throughout the spring and summer, striking foliage in the autumn and attractive stems in the winter months. It will establish itself and grow quickly once planted, but stops growing at the right height and spread. As a result it never needs pruning and doesnt take over the garden. This shrub wont cost you the earth and its easy to propagate.
Thats about it except to say that its foliage produces a wonderful scent, especially on warm summer evenings when you are sitting on your patio watching the pigs fly home to roost.
I guess that the last bit sort of gives the game away. There is no ideal shrub, at least not as just described above but, lets face it, if it existed, gardens would be full of them and life would be boring!
Accepting that we cannot have the shrub described, how about considering the following favourites of mine that tick some, if not all, of the boxes.
1. Choisya ternata Sundance. Every garden should have one of these. It doesnt get too big, provides brilliant vibrant green/yellow, evergreen foliage and for me, its best quality, is the wonderful lemony scent it gives off. Plant it near where you sit.
2. Cornus or Dogwood. Lots of different varieties with beautiful coloured stems. Great to plant a few along a garage wall or fence which are then hidden by the foliage in the summer but then provide a backcloth to show off the stems in the winter. Dogwoods can get a bit carried away so it is important to prune them hard in early spring.
3. Euonymus alatus. There are lots of different types of Euonymus, most are planted for their evergreen, ground covering abilities see them around your local car park. The Euonymus alatus or spindle tree is grown for its spectacular red, autumn foliage. I would say it is just about the brightest plant you will see in gardens at this time of year. If you like autumn colours, its a must have.
4. Fatsia japonica. If you want something a bit tropical looking and/or have a shady spot to fill, a Fatsia japonica with its large glossy leaves is ideal. Sometimes known as a castor oil plant, a Fatsia looks great all year round, grows at a reasonable rate and doesnt get too big.
5. Leycesteria formosa or Pheasant Berry is a bit different. The chances are your neighbours wont have this and Im not sure why it is not more popular. It has attractive arching stems, long lasting flower tassels and foliage that colours well in autumn and hangs around well into winter. On big specimens the stems are bamboo-like, yet its not as aggressive and it flowers.
6. Finally one for the winter Mahonia. There are lots of different varieties with big Holly-like leaves. The Mahonia is another one to fill a shady corner and provide greenery all year round. The big advantage of Mahonia though is the smell of its yellow flowers in the middle of winter a truly wonderful perfume that ought to be bottled and sold at Marks and Sparks to buy for grannies and aunties.
