Can anyone recommend a low-level shrub for front garden border?

[miggleswiff]

My front garden has a patch of lawn which borders onto the pavement. I would like to plant a low-level shrub at the edge of the lawn, mainly to keep people from walking over my lawn but also to add some colour/interest all year round. I know nothing about gardening!

Does anyone have any suggestions of a neat-looking shrub that won't grow too tall, and will provide colour/interest? Thank you!

I have been wondering about a lavender but will it look a bit...dead...in the winter?

Box. Either balls or plants which weave themselves together and form a low hedge. Google 'box as hedging' to get some ideas. It's evergreen and grows slowly so you will need to clip it but not often.

Other options are Euonymous- again, you need to buy lots of small plants , plant close together as hedging. There are different types.

Privet is another option but it grows high so you'd need to keep clipping it to around a metre or less.

There are also shrubs with berries like berberis.

Have a look at the website Crocus. They are mail order, very good and you can use the menu system to select plants, hedging, evergreen, colours etc.

I'd go with 'Nandina domestica Fire Power'. It's a small bamboo. Evergreen, with red leaves in autumn, winter.

I was going to say box but polly has beat me to it!

You could include some Christmas box, for the winter scent!

Thanks very much for these suggestions. Any comment on lavender?

Lavender looks lovely when it's in flower but over the winter can look dead. It needs alot of sun so unless your garden faces south I'd re-think.

You need to buy the right sort if you do have sun - Munstead is a nice low growing one.

Small Hebe? - lots of different sizes available, so check its ultimate height/width is right

Sarcocca. Evergreen, larger leaves than box, smaller than privet.
Grows steadily but won't get out of control.
Can be clipped to make a low divider.

Has tiny white flowers in spring with produce shiny black berries over autumn and winter.
Flowers are very fragrant.

We have this clipped on either side of front door. People often ask me what lovely smell is.
Unfortunately to me it smells like cat pee but everyone else says it's wonderful

Lavender would be my choice. The smell and colour in summer outweighs how it looks on winter (just need cutting back and neatening, it will still keep people off your lawn). Plus the bees love it!

Mahonia is another one to think about. Yellow flowers in spring, berries later in the year which blackbirds love.

What way does it face, and what's your soil like? Those are huge factors - lavender will be rubbish on a wet northfacing front garden!

lavender only looks good for a couple of years, then it is irretrievably leggy and woody. If you get lavender, be ready to replace it fairly often, and as shovetheholly says, it needs a dry sunny spot.

I second hebes in this spot.

I live in good lavender growing territory. I cut it hard in the spring and give it a good hair cut after flowering and grow seedlings to replace dead plants. I am moving on to hebes. They are more leafy.

I would do plant hebe heartbreaker at the front and a row of dwarf lavender behind. I would plant different varieties of lavender for interest. Thumbelina lavender has a nice habit if you only want one variety.

Oops

Choisya?