Give me some ideas of what flowering shrub I can plant please.

[AInightingale]

I would like to plant a couple more shrubs/perennials to help cover a hideous dark brown fence (3 ft tall) in my front garden. I already have salvia and verbena which have spread over the years. I absolutely hate hydrangeas btw. It's an east-facing garden and the spot is quite shady because of the fence/ house. I need something that can be grown easily and quickly and is colourful as I don't have flowerbeds. Would fuchsia grow in these conditions? Basically just anything pretty that grows in a fairly poor soil which is quite clayey.

Fuchsia would be fine and would flower well. I also find Potentilla "Primrose Beauty" flowers for a very long time over the summer, and is a very pretty colour. Hypericum calycinum, or Rose of Sharon is a very easy, evergreen shrub which has lovely yellow flowers over a long period..

For structural interest, fatsia japonica are stunning and would grow in the spot you describe. No flowers but one of the most beautiful plants imo.

Yes, I have fatsia japonica growing in a border that is in almost permanent shade and flourishing.

Great suggestions thanks. My parents had what I now realise was 'primrose beauty' which grew to an enormous size but I never knew the name of it. TY.

I really like pittosporum as a shrub. The flowers are pretty insignificant but they smell amazing in early spring and it’s evergreen.

Pittosporum might struggle to cope with cold winds in winter in a east-facing position though; they aren't completely hardy. I agree they are lovely though.

I was thinking hypericum too OP.

Is hypericum St John's Wort?

St John's Wrt is in the Hpericum family, but from memory is only about a foo t high, and it creeps! Rose of Sharon is a shrub - it can get quite big but is easy to prune back. The same goes for the Poentilla - ours was cu back quite a bit last year, but has been flowering its socks off for weeks!

I doubt hypericum is a dreadful runner. It pops up all over my borders and looks horribly messy when they flowers go over

Hypericum hidcote is the one they use in car parks and places - lots of bright yellow flowers but I was told at a garden design course that anything yellow draws the eye and so takes it from other possibly more attractive shrubs or plants, which I agree with, not so much pale yellow
Mahonia grow in shade but get v big however there are some daintier varieties one of which I tried but it didn't last long - possibly too cold and wet where I am

Ah. Looked up some images and realised that hidcote was actually what my mum and dad had in their garden. Massive thing.