These flowering shrubs are indispensable for bright colour in the spring garden. Grow some spring-flowering bulbs around them, to augment the effect.

• Barberry (Berberis darwinii) Highly popular evergreen shrub with shiny, deep green, holly-like leaves and deep yellow flowers followed by blackish berries. Any soil, including chalk. Sun or partial shade. Grows to around 2.4m/8ft.
• Broom (Cytisus scoparius hybrids) Green stems bear masses of yellow, red, cream or white flowers. Height about 2.4m/8ft, very quickly attained. Good for poor, sandy, acid soils, needs full sun. Cut off dead flower heads. Read the rest of this entry »

Arepertoire for reliable and easy shrubs to grow for their flowers or coloured foliage. Some of these should be in every shrub or mixed border.

• Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) Bushy semi-evergreen which produces its tubular pink and white flowers from mid-summer to mid-autumn. 1.5-1.8m/5-6ft, soon attained. Needs a warm, sunny sheltered spot and well-drained soil.

• Barberry(Berberis x ottawensis Purpurea’) Vigorous shrub grown for its large oval, rich red-purple foliage. Quickly attains 2.4-3.6m/8-12ft. Grows on any soil, particularly good on chalk, and best in full sun. Read the rest of this entry »

An autumn garden can be highly colourful if it includes some of these shrubs. Some are grown for their autumn leaf colour and/or berries, others for their flowers. To complement them, plant some autumn-flowering bulbs and perennials, such as autumn crocuses and Michaelmas daisies. Read the rest of this entry »