Colourful shrubs

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Can anybody recommend colourful shrubs for the border in my garden please? I'm having a new patio laid so want a load of new plants to compliment it. Are there any shrubs that look good over winter?

There are things like Cornus midwinter fire that have really striking red stems so look good in winter.

Does the border get lots of sun? What is behind the bed, is there a limit on height or depth?

And any colours you would like or hate?

Hebes might be the answer; compact, colourful and evergreen. Hebe 'pink paradise' is a favourite of mine.

Thanks MrsB.

Behind the borders are fencing (new on 2 sides of the garden) yes I get a good amount of sun each day as it's south facing.

On one of the beds I'm thinking climbing clematis to hide the old drab fence then some tall flowers like gladioli. The old existing borders have hydrangeas and a shrub with pink flowers. I quite like high plants. I'll google the cornus.

@LadyMonicaBaddingham Now that is lovely and exactly the kind of thing I'm after.

Ultimately, anything that looks OK all year round will rarely look awesome at any point. Hebes imo are never a real showstopper.

You need to mix plants that will take it in turns to shine. I am very fond of weigela, which flowers in spring, mine was smothered in pink trumpet blooms (and bees). When it finishes, you cut it back hard, and it then grows back and puts on foliage for the rest of the summer. Potentilla is a long flowering sun lover, lots of colours. Cistus has stunning big blotches flowers, I have one I got off my dad as a cutting and I am dying to see it flower this year.

Consider also summer flowering bulbs like alium which die right down in winter, and perennials, like lupins or penstemons, which also die back for winter. If you have spring bulbs around them, they dies back as the perennials take over.

Hollyhocks might work for your 'tall flowers', Seem to be sadly out of fashion at the moment, but I adore them

Oh yes!

Ceanothus is rather lovely, lovely blue flowers.

I also like Sambucus nigra black lace, It's an elder with dark purple black leaves which does plates of pinky white flowers. Very pretty, and great contrast foliage.

Fantastic! Thanks so much for the suggestions, I will google. Can't wait for it to start taking shape.

Plants that look stunning all year, Acer Sango Kaku, Cornus midwinter fire and pheasant grass.

For winter perfume WitchHazel and Daphne. If you don’t mind the Thorns and the fact that it spreads then the white bramble Cockburnianus is amazing in winter.

For pretty easy to care for shrubs, flowering cherries and Weigelia come in all shapes sizes and colours.

For year round cover for your perimiter, Summer Jasmine, Honeysuckle especially the orange ones which have fruits and berries and clematis. Pyracantha is every green with berries for the birds.

For Roses, try Banksii Lutea, which grows and spreads quickly but is not thuggish. It is delicate pale yellow, no thorns, sweetly scented and starts flowering in April. Other climbing and rambling roses are Super Fairy, Generous Gardener, Tranquility. Graham Thomas. My favourite shrub roses are Princess Anne, Lark Ascending, Woolerton Old Hall.

I have a Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark), the 'Little Angel' variety, it has bright purple-red leaves and has a 1m height max

The article below is about the 'Diablo' which is similar though larger and a darker purple

www.finegardening.com/article/physocarpus-opulifolius-diablo

MrsBB thank you. The cornus midwinter fire is exactly what I was looking for

Thanks so much for the input everyone. Doris and lily, I will look into your suggestions. I'm definitely feeling more confident with the advice 👍.

You could consider a Choisya. I have one which has fantastic golden leaves all year round, with pretty white flowers in late spring that smell of oranges. They can grow quite big (mine is around 5ft all round at the moment) but they can take hard pruning.

A camellia is evergreen and flowers in spring. Mine is only now coming into flower, but my neighbour's has been in flower for a month or so.

Pittosporum doesn't flower but has pretty leaves. P. Elizabeth has a lovely pink tinge.

Photinia Louise will give interest all year round - it is a red robin with a pink tinge.

Cornus siberica has striking red branches in winter.

Flowering cherries are £7 each in Tesco at the moment. They have shrub ones and tree ones. I bought a pink one and a white one, that I had been coveting on the Crocus website, same varieties, but just £7 each.

Eriseyum (excuse my spelling!) bowles mauve is a wallflower that flowers pretty much all year round.

Other easy shrubs which will flower and add interest are hydrangea(needs a lot of watering), buddleia, lilac, jasmine, rhododendron, fuschia, azalea, lavender - many more too.

When I was investing lots of time and money in my garden this time last year, I was told to buy evergreen shrubs that flower, and also look for things that had interesting foliage, so variegated and also not all the same shade of green. It served me well for the type of garden I was planting. This year I am adding interest with more perennials and annuals eg salvias (which I absolutely love) in various shades of pink and blue, scabiosa, lupins, foxgloves etc.

Just seeing your other posts OP which I think may render my opinion void. Sorry. Monty Don always seems to recommend a vigorous climbing rose called something like Madame Alfred Carriere for fences and walls.

Thanks for the suggestions Well Tidy - of the two shrubs I have one is a camellia! It needs a bit of TLC at the moment. Will google your suggestions and also the Choisya.

Just a warning that Cornus Midwinter Fire suckers like mad. You will have a whole border full of it within five years. We had to take ours out (and donated it to the local cricket club 😂)

I have a lovely Cornus Elegantissima which has variegated leaves in summer and lovely red stems in winter. You can chop it back hard and it stays at whatever size you need it to be.