A little learning
There are a host of easy-to-grow shrubs ideal for the smaller garden. David Overend reports.
Size isn’t everything and there are definitely times when great things come in small packages – certain trees and shrubs, for example. Not everything needs an enormous amount of space to put on a show. Many a small theatre can stage a memorable production; many a small garden can stage a horticultural masterpiece.
Which is why, in these days when fewer and fewer people need or want an outdoor space capable of housing big trees and bountiful shrubs, the popularity of neat, easy-to-grow and simple-to-manage specimen plants is growing.
Some shrubs were never meant to fight their corner in traditional beds and borders, but they have become the darlings of the rock garden and the raised bed where they can grow their own way without being overwhelmed by larger and more aggressive plant.
And so it is with Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Garnet’ whose feathery, heavilydissected foliage resembles the colour of a deep garnet stone throughout the spring and summer. It holds its colour well compared with other red Japanese maples, before turning shades of scarlet for a striking display in autumn.
It’s ideal for small gardens or growing in a pot, although it is best suited to a sheltered position in dappled shade and it prefers slightly-moist, well-drained acidic soil.
Japanese maples require a good watering regime for the first couple of years by watering well and regularly throughout spring and summer.
Pruning should be carried out in the dormant season (November to March) because Japanese maples ‘bleed’ during other times of the year, which can weaken the branches.
More discreet but equally attractive is the evergreen Daphne tangutica, a domed shrub whose fragrant flowers are one of the joys of the late spring garden. It also produces bright red berries and should, eventually, become a seasoned veteran measuring probably two feet in height and the same in width.
And for red, what about Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’?
It grows quickly to form a clump of foliage sprouting tiny, vivid red flowers. It doesn’t reach much of a height, so it’s fine for a rockery, although it prefers poorer soil than many other summer bloomers. It loves the sun.
Look closely and you’ll discover a host of shrubs restricted in height and width but perfect for raised beds, rockeries and even large containers.