assume I am stupid, I want a big bush

[ditavonteesed]

that is hardy and pretty and lives for ever. I am fed up of trying to fill my flower bed every year so I want something that will never die. Garden is south facing so full sun. I like purples, pinks and blues.

Any ideas? I dont even know how to start looking.

Some type of fushia? Or a rhododendron?

I absolutly love fushcia but I have killed 3 of them already, forgot to mention have chickens which have a tendancy to eat weaker plants.

Rhododendron or azalea although the flowering window isn't great.
If you'd do white I had a gorfeous philadelphus -lovely lime green leaves in Spring
Buddliea or lavatera -fast results -not long lived shrubs in a tidy state but very very easy to get cuttings to take
Ceanthus -will like the full sun I think.

Rosa rugosa.
The flowers have a beautiful scent.

I can't resist it, sorry, but:

Easy way to remember how to spell fuchsia - it's named after someone called Fuchs.

ceanthus is gorgeous (I am googling any suggestions).

Get a bigger shrub to start with and wire round it to stop your chooks while it establishes.
My chooks are currently feasting on forget me nots....

Viburnum Mohawk. Smells divine! Deciduous though. Eleagnus is evergreen and nice looking in a yellowy way. Rhododendron and azaleas need ericaceous soil. Acidy.

Philadelphus, smells lovely, grows big. Deciduous.

happy that made me all lovely so far, thanks.

how do you know i your soil is acidy? (ericaceous)

Yy to Ceanothus (likes a bit of lime) and also Deutzia which has pretty pink flowers in late spring. Both get quite big.

Buddleia - try the alternafolia variety which has arching sprays of flowers. Butterflies will love it too!

oh that buddleia is lovely, looks like fireworks.

You have to do a soil test or look and see what your neighbours grow well

It's hard to kill buddleia they grow on railways and out of the side of abandoned houses!! Cut back hard every March.

if I tell you I have a beautiful peony that is always perfect and I have never done anything to wiill that tell you what my soil is?

Camellia - you'll need to protect it if it's very small when you get it but it is one of the most chicken resistant shrubs I know and does not grow so fast that it is hard to maintain.

We've had one for 20 years now and it flowers for about 4-5 months non-stop. Ours is white with a blush tint but there are some beautiful double pink ones out there.

For blue we have hydrangeas - bury used Brillo pads in with them when you plant them out to get a really intensive blue colour. They're slightly less chicken resistant (hens will occasionally nest in them so you need to keep them trimmed not lanky so they are sturdy enough). Again, we get about 4-5 months flowering each year (and plenty of blooms for cut stems inside).

Not really, acid lovers are pieris, Rhodos, azaleas, to be fair they are lime haters as much as acid lovers. Most other things are lime tolerant.

Just realised it must be slightly acid as it is down from the chicken run so I imagine they fertiliise it with acid bluergh face.

since you are all being so lovely and helpful I will entertain you with my amusing gardening stroy from yesterday.
so I had the fork in the ground and instead of using my foot I lent all my wiehgt on the handle, the handle snapped off and I sonersaulter across the lawn in slow motion landing sprawled in the middle of the grass. I was quite gutted that noone witnessed this as it would have really made someone laugh, and if they had caught it on camera I woulld be £250 better off courtesy of youve been framed.

(you weren't hurt, were you?)

Not hurt, in fact it cheered me up as I had been grumpy all day, its hard to be grumpy when your laid on the floor with the doog looking at you like your a nutter.

Right I have made a list, off to the garden centre I go. thanks

right not been to the garden centre yet, I popped to the shops and they had really little azalea and hydrangea so I got one of each as they were really cheap. Have put them in so will see how they do. Going to get eaither a buddleia or a ceanthus for the big gap. Will try to get a bigger shrub to start so it has more chance of survival. Also randomly sprinkled some wild flower seeds in the gaps.

Hydrangea?

haha! Have just seen your last post