Tell me your best shrubs ever

[MrsBertBibby]

So our back neighbours have made our dreams come true and our hideous back fence and related lonicera hedge, brambles, nettles and crap are gone. Once they have sorted the retaining wall and fence, we aim to plant lovely flowering shrubs in front of the fence, for colour, bee forage, and year round gorgeousness. And limited trimming /pruning.

So, what are your best shrubs? High as you like, one end profound shade, one end loads of sun, chalky soil, but not too chalky.

I love reading all of this, you make me want to garden..

One of the dark blue ceanothus would work well, and maybe a climbing rose which would give hips for winter colour. Jasmine likes our chalky soil, if it's warm enough where you are.

hibiscus

In exciting news the trench for the new wall has been dug! So hoping we get this ready for planting soon!

This is going to be a helpful for me too. Thank you. We've recently lost a beautiful tree in the snow so have space I need to fill.

Weigela - I have a varigated one that has the prettiest pink flowers every summer and well into autumn.

My absolute favourite was bought for it's varigated leaves and black stems (very pretty) and then we realised it flowered. It's a pittosporum - unfortunately the label has gone so I can't tell you which one exactly.

Tiny deep purple flowers every spring, with a gorgeous scent. I'd plant it again if we lost it.

www.paramountplants.co.uk/plant/ptv/pittosporum-tenuifolium-variegatum.html

Is this it? That looks like a good candidate for mine.

Another suggestion for winter scent: sarcococca. Tiny white flowers from about January with an incredibly strong scent, a couple of sprigs cut for indoors are lovely too. It's as tough as old boots and quite easy to propagate.

I also like Japanese quince, unscented but very pretty flowers; shades of salmon, orangey-pink, white and red, and if you get some fruit (not edible) they are good for using in a Christmas wreath.

My choice for privacy would be Pyracantha, summer Jasmine and clematis. These will give you year round cover but constantly changing view.

For trees, Robinia, Amelanchier and flowering Cherries.
For Shrubs the double flowered phyladelpus or lilac.

For interest in the Winter Cornus Midwinter Fire and Pheasant eye grass.

So many gorgeous plants being suggested! I love my choisya - its hardly ever out of flower and the bees and insects love it. (Not so keen on the golden form though)

And also agree with pp re flowering currant, elderflower, pittosporum and sarcococca.

What about a lavatera? ‘Barnsley’ is an oldie but goodie, and has anyone suggested Leycesteria (Himalayan Honeysuckle)? Great for bees and other pollinators and underrated in my opinion! Leycesteria is such a useful, handsome shrub.

Abutilon looks nice

Euonymous (sorry, can't spell it) has lovely green leaves with a white edging. I'd also recommend Twisted willow, and Garryus Eliptica has tassels which look great. For ground cover in the shade you can't beat periwinkle.

Be prepared to water the sunny part much more in summertime. My garden is half shade and half sun. People worry about shade but imhe the shady part largely looks after itself while the sunny side needs more nurturing.

japanese quince...and if you get some fruit (not edible)

They are edible, I've made quince marmalade from them for years, picked from car parks - I use the fallen ones as they drop when ripest.

I love Sarcococca as well, the smell is amazing. I have a nice fine leaved Choysia Aztec Gold, which I keep in a pot on my outdoors potting bench so that I can sniff it each time I walk past, it's just about to flower soon.

We have a vibernum which smells delicious in flower, and last year I treated myself to a California Allspice, which is heaven for scent in the summer when the warm sun sets it off.

I love these in my garden. We are on clay here, do bit different soil wise.

A variegated mock orange. It has acid green leaves and is tough as old boots. Gets sun morning til mid afternoon and friend like the clappers.

Hydrangea. In the shady corner. I found it in the "sad corner" at the garden centre with sun burned leaves two years ago. It's now happily growing away.

David Austin Rose. Oh these give me such utter joy. Love them.

Broom. I have a yellow one in an awkward corner and it is a shock of yellow in spring. Every few years I take it back to the floor and up it comes again. Fab spring colour, then a bit dull for the summer but thin and sparse enough to plant around.

Clematis: I have four that hide the fence and they're gorgeous. Pick ones that flower at different times to get a display from April til June.

Can't grow astilbes. They hate my garden, even the shady spots. I grow leaf but never flowers.

Astilbe needs a damp soil ime. They thrive in my garden but I live in a bog . I have to grow most of my plants in pots.

if you want to plant shrubs that need different soil acidity you can plant them in a bottomless bucket.
fill it with the required soil and sink it into the ground.

You mention mahonia I planted a lovely soft version in the autumn https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/mahonia-soft-caress/t46090TM?source=aw&affid=477705&awc=228315509437511_5ad627e4e5e0aa4a979a0e392e08e772

You mention mahonia I planted a lovely soft version in the autumn

That's nice. Our mahonia is pumping out the scent right now; I wonder if I could buy two of these and swap them for ours and see if my OH notices...ours are still quite short as I don't want them going mad so I keep them quite tidy.

Choisya.
Dark evergreen shrub that flowers twice with pretty white, fragrant flowers.

www.thompson-morgan.com/p/choisya-ternata/t58099TM

I’ve just found this thread and seen people recommending Amelanchier, which I always thought of as a tree and not a shrub. I’d love to have one out front but we have such a small strip of grass I didn’t think we could. Does anyone know how much space they’d need?

I just love my variegated weigela. I think it's called weigela florida. Lovely pink spring flowers which the pollinators love. All year round interest and no pruning required.

Sorry I’m just amazed that a thread about plants has had a post deleted! What on earth did they say?!

I think it was advertising, Pina.