Top 5... Dwarf hedges

Whether clipped or informal, low hedges can really help transform border edges

Hebe ‘Red Edge’ Mound-forming, evergreen shrub with silvery blue-green foliage. Spikes of pale blue and white flowers in summer. Any well-drained soil, especially on chalk. Full sun. H: 45cm (1½ft), S: 60cm (2ft). Tip Salt-resistant, so ideal for coastal gardens. From www.hedgesdirect.co.uk; tel: 01257 263873.

Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea Nana’

Finely branched, twiggy, deciduous shrub forming a globe of deep red-purple foliage. Red tones in autumn. Pendant, pale-yellow flowers in spring. Any moist, well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade. Can be close clipped for a formal effect. H/S: 90cm (3ft).

Can also be clipped to form spheres or other geometric shapes.

www.woottensplants.com; tel: 01502 478258.

Santolina chamaecyparissus ‘Nana’

Clump-forming, evergreen shrub producing tight buns of aromatic grey, felted foliage. Yellow flowers in summer. Well-drained, lighter soils, in full sun.

Tip Lightly clip in late winter, then again after last flowers have faded. H: 45cm (1½ft), S: 90cm (3ft).

From www.coblands.co.uk; tel: 01452 742445.

Stepover apples and pears

Fruit tree varieties grafted on a very dwarfing rootstock, then trained to produce a pair of horizontal stems. Expensive, but will produce a lasting and productive feature. Ideal for an ornamental veg garden. Any moist, well-drained soil in sun. H: 30cm (1ft), S: 1.2m (4ft).

Choose self-fertile varieties or mix compatible varieties together for best fruit set.

www.pomonafruits.co.uk; tel: 01255 440410. Teucrium lucidrys Open, upright, flexible-stemmed sub-shrub clothed in small, aromatic leaves. Shoots clothed in small, pink flowers from mid-summer. Well-drained neutral to chalky soil in full sun. Avoid winter wet. Ideal for a period style or informal cottage garden. H/S: 30cm (1ft).

Tip: Clip shoots in late winter as new growth appears.

From www.hedging.co.uk; tel: 01280 827925.