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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Big-arse gaudy shrub

10 replies

MrsBertBibby · 19/02/2022 13:32

In tragic news, our ceanothus is dead or thereabouts . TBH it never was great, never once flowered all over. No idea why it has died, my suspicion is o/h cutting bits off let in disease. Anyway, we need to replace it!

See attached pic, it is the large brown thing to the right of the trellis. The roses on the trellis are Rambling Rector and Mermaid (white & yellow, yellow) the green bush to the right is hypericum (so yellow again) and there's a white buddleia at the left side of the trellis.

The spot gets pretty good sun until mid to late afternoon when next door's bastard big conifers shade it out.

We are on chalk, so no acid lovers, and drainage is fine.

I'd like evergreen, but not essential, it's way up the top of the garden, so ideally something that will make an impact at a distance, we love bright bold flowers, and the total height of the rear wall & fence is probably around 8 foot, no problem if it goes higher, the ground level on the other side is at the top of the breeze blocks, so they won't mind something showing over (the buddleia does already.)

Thank you!

Big-arse gaudy shrub
OP posts:
Beebumble2 · 19/02/2022 14:12

How about a climbing Hydrangea? Not evergreen, but the leaves and flower heads do last well into Autumn. The stem structure is interesting in winter.

Susu49 · 19/02/2022 23:29

Lavatera.

It's both a big-arse and gaudy. Plus virtually indestructible. Grows quickly.

Pinkywoo · 20/02/2022 11:29

What about a lilac tree? They definitely fit big and gaudy, and like chalky soil.

Big-arse gaudy shrub
Justanotherobserver · 20/02/2022 17:44

Working gardener here. You won't get more than 15-20 good years from a Ceanothus and it looks like yours came to the end of the line.

Whilst not as big as the previous shrub something like Potentilla fruticosa 'Hopleys Orange' might do it. They flower well, starting early and finishing late, and are generally good doers. It doesn't get that big but is bright and lovely.
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/83728/potentilla-fruticosa-hopleys-orange/details

A larger shrub for that spot might be Fuchsia magellanica which will quickly fill the gap. It has masses of elegant pink and purple flowers which make quite a statement. Easy to care for too.
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/92301/fuchsia-magellanica-riccartonii/details

candycane222 · 20/02/2022 17:50

A bushy hydrangea could be good - I've got one that starts white and turns pink, flowers last ages, but there also pink ones.not all the standard pompom, there are quite a lot to choose from

BeagleBeagled · 20/02/2022 17:50

Pittosporum, garrya elliptica, osmanthus?

BeagleBeagled · 20/02/2022 17:52

Just seen bold flowers sorry.
Lilac?

yamadori · 21/02/2022 21:07

Hypericum 'Hidcote' - happy on alkaline soil, mostly evergreen, can grow to about 5ft and big bright yellow flowers.

TheNoodlesIncident · 24/02/2022 17:01

Hibiscus are great, don't need much pruning and produce a ton of flowers in the sun. Lots of colour options too. They're not overly fussy about soil either, win-win

TheNoodlesIncident · 24/02/2022 17:11

Or how about a Buddleja? A bit more work than Hibiscus as a hard prune each year keeps them manageable, but still a showstopper in terms of colour and scent. Otherwise very easy to grow and not fussy.

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