Suzita asks: Gardening advice for English front garden please?
I can’t decide what shrubs to plant in the small 12 feet x 16 feet ) front garden of my 1930s terraced house…
The house already has a small white flowering tree on one side, which is very pretty in Spring, and a small square lawn, with three rose bushes on the same side as the tree.
I would like to find a shrub which grows quite tall (say 10 feet) and is evergreen (or almost evergreen) because the windows are currently quite overlooked by passers by. It would be great is the shrub flowered too.
I’ve just bought a Kerria (yellow flowers in May/June) for the front border, to add a bit of cover, and would especially like to find a shrub with autumn colour, so that the garden has something in bloom for most of the time.
Thank you for your advice!
The answer voted best is:
Answer by Biccy
What side is it facing? South? S/E? or whatever.
I think the evergreen Holly has potential with its berries at the end of the year. I grew a hedgerow made of this it can get as tall as you like and as wide as you want. However if you prune a branch going in a certain direction it will change its course but this has its advantages for shaping to suit. And they can be a bit of a challenge with their prickles but birds love them them for hiding out and whatever they get up to.
They are reasonably slow growing so you are not over-whelmed with urgent work, mine were very thin when I got them nearly ten years ago they look dense and great now.
Whilst they have kept manageable. I only prune once a year though.
Those toparied ones look sweet and very English country garden which I love.
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OK, I’m not going to make any suggestions about particular shrubs but instead point you to the excellent BBC gardening website where they have a plant chooser that allows you to enter the particular features you want and then gives you plant suggestions.
Here’s a link to it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/index.shtml
Sorry, can’t help. However, one thing i do like is, Roses!. How about climbers and ground cover Roses, not only can you appreciate their fragrance but, passers – by can !
How about a Viburnum…. V Tinus (Laurustinus ) would grow to about 6-10ft high and is evergreen and flowering between December and April. There is also the fragrant V Bodnantense which is again evergreen and flowers at the same time.. There are some lovely Viburnums which flower in the spring, V Burkwoodii is evergreen approx. 6ft high, fragrant and flowers in April and May, ask at your local Garden Centre for some help. good luck.
The trouble is that a shrub which grows 10 foot high will also want about 5 foot plus across. You could try a photinia red robin as a standard and just maintain the height with a yearly trim. Just remember the kerria will go mad if the roots are not contained. I wish all my customers looked as good as you.