5 splendid shrubs

1 ceanothus

If blue is your thing, check out Californian lilac, or ceanothus. Its flowers look like blue froth, in shades of sky through to navy according to species, and they are abundant! The small evergreen leaves are shiny and deeply veined, making it a handsome shrub all year round. Ceanothus needs good drainage and likes a chilly winter – it won’t thrive in climates with warm, wet summers.

• Height: 1-4m • Best zones: 2, 3, 4 and cool parts of 6

• Position: Sun • Evergreen

2 viburnum plicatum

When it’s in full bloom, the flowers of this lovely shrub give the effect of tiered layers, spread out along the horizontal branches. Pure white, they make a crisp contrast to the pleated leaves, which appear just beforehand. Native to Japan and easy to grow, it makes a delightful large feature shrub for the rear of a deep garden bed.

• Height: 3m • Best zones: 2, 3, 4, 6 and cool elevated parts of 7

• Position: Sun • Deciduous

Team pastel pinks with cool blues and crisp whites

3 indian hawthorn

Tough shrubs, suitable for warm and cool districts, Indian hawthorns (Raphiolepis species) put on a splashy display in spring. The simple five-petalled flowers, which can be white or pink, appear in clusters above dark green leathery foliage. Evergreens, they make great flowering hedges and need next to no maintenance – trimming once a year and watering in dry weather is all that’s required. They also grow well in sandy coastal soils.

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• Height: 3m Best zones: 2-7 Position: Sun or moderate shade • Evergreen

4 spiraea

With its arching canes of frothy white blossom, this is one of spring’s most beautiful sights. A native of China, spiraea is known best by its common name of ‘May bush’ (though in the southern hemisphere, it blooms in September and October!) The individual flowers are tiny, but they appear by the thousands, in little rounded clusters which completely smother the branches. It makes a wonderful informal hedge or large feature shrub.

• Height: 1-2.5m

• Best zones: 2, 3, 4, 6

• Position: Sun • Deciduous

5 rhododendron

With clusters of trumpetshaped flowers, rhododendrons give a garden lots of impact. They flower quite late, November in most districts, so they make a great back-up to early spring blossoms. Give them plenty of room to spread, and choose a spot that offers dappled shade. They need welldrained acidic soils, with plenty of organic matter added. There are hundreds of flower colours, so buy them while they’re in bloom.

• Height: 2-5m • Best zones: 2, 3 and elevated parts of 6 and 7

• Position: Dappled shade

• Evergreen

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