Mike Palmer outlines eight of his favourite shrubs, with more than one season of interest.
Is it too much to ask that the shrubs in our gardens give us more than a summertime and autumn show? I don’t think so - we deserve and should demand more. I want the fresh, frothiness of blossom in spring and the kaleidoscopic euphoria of summer, before being wowed by a riot of late season fireworks from all the shrubs in my borders.
Being largely a perennial gardener, I rely upon shrubs, especially in winter, to provide structure, texture and maturity, and then in spring, summer and autumn to deliver contrast to the effervescence of my summermer garden. The glorious, ephemeral, yet perennial superstars of my garden are wholly reliant upon a great supporting backdrop of scintillating, yet stalwart shrubs.
It’s too easy to be seduced by fabulous, but fleeting, flowers, colourful stems or a heavenly, heady scent, which once departed leaves a dull, uninspiring blob of mid-green ‘blancmange’ in the border. I need to ensure that those often, transient treasures are supplemented by further gifts later in the season. So, when it comes to selecting shrubs in my border that provide more than one season of interest, here are my top five contenders:
Cornus sericea ‘Flavirimea’
Lauded in winter for its outstanding, bright pea-green stems, this striking, multistemmed, deciduous shrub can hold its own throughout the season. Quick growing, adaptable to most soils, including wet, it bears mid-green leaves in spring and summer, which complement its green stems. Small clusters of butterfly-attracting creamy flowers appear in late spring, giving way to clusters of blue-tinged, white berries that our feathered friends adore. In autumn, the mellow, butteryellow foliage lifts the gloomiest of shady corners.
Ceratostigma willmottianum (Chinese plumbago)
I have this charming, deciduous, Chinese plumbago planted in sandy, free-draining soil in my south-facing, blue and white border where it provides a classy contrast to the tall, creamy, white variegated ornamental grass, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’. Chinese plumbago is grown primarily for its startling, five-lobed, cobalt-blue flowers, held above mid-green foliage. It blooms from late summer til early autumn, attracting pollinators including the delightful hummingbird hawk moth. As the flowers begin to fade, the foliage turns a stunning burnished red and its spiky, caramel-coloured seedheads provide great winter interest.
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’:
An outstanding shrub that I inherited when I moved into my new home five years ago, I now wonder how I ever had a garden without it!
Another deciduous delight, the smoke bush has large, dusty, beetrootcoloured foliage that e
