HOW TO SPRING LOAD YOUR GARDEN WITH THESE FAST-GROWING SHRUBS

FAST-GROWING shrubs provide instant impact in the garden – perfect for filling space while slower-growing varieties get established. If you are starting with a blank canvas or hoping to fill some gaps in your beds and borders, these shrubs will give your garden a boost.

Here are six of my favourites. Not only are they generally easy to grow, but most of these are tolerant of many soil types.With these shrubs, you’ll guarantee colour and structure in your garden.

Spirea japonica (Japanese spirea) is a beautifully bushy deciduous shrub which blooms clusters of delicate looking pink flowers over the summer. Perfect for any garden style from city and courtyard spaces to coastal or cottage gardens, they’ll grow to about one metre tall in a sunny or partially shaded spot.

Another of my favourites is Ribes sanguineum (flowering currant) which blooms vibrant flowers in spring and summer.The dark red, tubular shaped flowers will add some dramatic colour to your border.

Its compact, upright habit makes it perfect for filling a gap in the border. Keep them looking their best by deadheading flowers and pruning in late summer to remove dead, damaged, diseased or crossing branches to create an open and healthy framework.

You can’t go wrong with the cheery yellow flowers of forsythia which is a woody shrub that packs a punch in spring.

Their hardiness and ease of growth makes them a fantastic choice for an informal flowering hedge.

The ‘Fiesta’ is a small to medium-sized shrub, with signature yellow blooms in spring. Plant in a sunny spot with welldrained soil and this hardy plant will grow to 1.5 metres tall and wide.

Evergreen shrubs will bring guaranteed colour all year round.

Mahonia x media (Oregon grape hybrid) has deep green leaves that contrast with the sunny yellow flowers that bloom in spring.

Not only can you enjoy the flowers and their soft fragrance, but pollinators will appreciate them too.

What’s more, they grow in any level of sunlight, from full sun to full shade as long as the soil is kept moist, but well-drained.