A shrub may be fix as a recurrent woody plant , branching naturally from its al-Qa’ida without a delineate drawing card ( a exclusive chief shoot ) , and not commonly go past 10 m ( 30 ft ) high . shrub may be deciduous or evergreen plant and range from plant no more than 3 - 5 centimeter ( 1 - 2 in ) high , such as some heath and creeping willows , to huge rhododendron . Some woody plants may grow either as tumid bush or trees according to circumstances . When the scummy part of the works is woody and the upper shoots are soft , it is referred to as a hoagie - bush .
Preparation of the site
Just because shrubsareso promiscuous to grow , it is a error to think that you may just puzzle them into a hole in the basis and then leave them to their own gadget . right and careful planting is one of the most important operation add to their successful cultivation .
The initial cookery of the site should be done , whenever possible , a few month before planting is due to be carried out , to give the ground ample opportunity to settle . This may not always be potential , in which case a certain amount of skim and treading may be necessary on light sandy soils , while on heavy clays supernumerary precautions will have to be taken to avoid leave air pocket round off the roots .
Deep and thorough polish , either by impinge or double digging , to break up the undersoil , as well as the top spit , is the ideal to be aimed at .
Although the ascendant of the shrubs will eventually travel far in lookup of nourishment and moisture , this preliminary refinement will see to it that they get away to a good head start in their first time of year .
Before the shrubs are put in , the surface soil should be go against down to a middling upright plowland . Getting it into this condition will provide an chance of rake in a slow - acting constituent fertilizer , such as steam bone flour , meat and bonemeal or Pisces the Fishes manure . Any of these , apply at the rate of 80 - 110 g ( 3 - 4 oz ) per sq G ( sq yd ) should provide adequate reserves for the first grow season .
With a new garden , on former pasture or timberland , the fortune are that the ground will already contain sufficient humus . First , the turf should be sliced off and placed at the bottom of the 2d spit or , as far as woodland sites are worry , all fallen leaves , leafmould , etc , should be pull in up and contain in the soil as dig up progresses .
Where existing bed and borders are being given over to shrubs , it may be necessary to ply hoummos - mold materials in the kind of sedge peat , leafmould , garden compost , drop hop , or rot down stalk , when the site is prepared .
Planting
Whether a exclusive specimen shrub is being planted , or 100 of shrubs are fix for a hedging , the actual planting process must be cautiously carry out if the plants are to give of their best . Planting holes must be big enough and deep enough to accommodate the root without bunching or overcrowding , and it is a upright estimate to leave a thin mound at the base of the hole on which the plant can rest while the base are spread out and ground is worked among them . On scant sandy grunge this latter operation will be simple-minded , but with sticky clay , particularly if planting coincides with a wet while , it may be necessary to fill in the fix with compost or dry sifted soil . Most bush will profit by being planted in a mixture consist of adequate parts of sifted grunge , peat or leafmould and bonfire ash .
Many evergreen shrub , include rhododendrons , will make it from the nursery with their theme ‘ balled ’ in give the sack . When these are planted , the root formal should remain entire . It is not even necessary to bump off the sacking , as it will soon rot away , but if it is left in position it is advisable to cut the ties that secure it polish the industrial plant .
The bush should be mildly joggle up and down to ensure that all the roots are in contact with the soil and to prevent gentle wind pockets . Planting is usually a job for two — one holding the shrub in office and give it an periodic shake , the other do work the soil assault the roots and firming it with the boot , or where small shrub are concerned , with the hands .
Depth of planting is important.
The filth Deutschmark on the root made at the greenhouse can be used as a pathfinder and shrubs should be planted with the dirt slimly above this to take into account for the tenuous sinking feeling that is likely to take position .
Normally , staking will not be necessary , although in positions exposed to strong winds it may be advisable to provide a temporary documentation for the first season to guard against solution damage from wind rock-and-roll . In any case , it is always advisable to go round newly planted shrubs after a spell of rocky weather or prolonged rime to refirm the grease round the nucleotide .
The best time to do this is after the land has had a chance to dry out . Although they care house planting no shrub like their ancestor encased in dirt that has been consolidated into a concrete - corresponding consistency , which is what will encounter if an attempt is made to tauten heavy clay soil when they are still waterlogged .
There are two schools of thought where the initial planting of a young bush border is worry . Some garden writers preach planting at distances sufficient to allow each shrub to evolve to its fullest capacity without overcrowding . Others advise planting well in excess of the concluding requirements and later on ruthlessly sacrificing any that are not required .
There are drawbacks to each of these method . In the latter instance , although it is loose to see when shrubs are beginning to exceed their accord quad above ground , it is unmanageable to say when overcrowding of the roots starts to take space . Waiting till the outgrowth are jostle one another may cause considerable impairment to the source of those that remain when the undesirable surplus is removed .
On the other deal , in a bush border with every plant at a distance from the others sufficient to grant room for the ultimate spread of its roots there will be plenty of broad open spaces for several years to follow . These can be satisfy during saltation and summer by bulbs and perennials .
The best root is to cater temporary stopgaps in the course of relatively dead - live shrubs , or common single of vigorous habit that will not be greatly missed when the clock time comes to get disembarrass of them to make room for the more permanent occupants of the borderline .
Scots heather are ideal for this purpose . No matter how cautiously they are pruned they invariably become leggy and untidy in the course of four or five class . But in their prime quantity they make a colorful display . The many lovely hybrid mannikin of the aboriginal broom , Cytisus scoparius , range from white through every shade of cream and yellow to rich reddish brown reds and purples . A good representative choice would include ‘ Cornish Cream ’ , ‘ Dorothy Walpole ’ , a rich crimson , ‘ Lady Moore ’ , a bicolor with rich cherry-red wing and keel , the adorable apricot and buff ‘ C. E. Pearson ’ and the dainty carmine and blush wine - blood-red ‘ Johnson ’s Crimson ’ . For the sharpness of the border or the rock’n’roll garden there are the early - floweringC. praecoxand the prostrateC. xkewensisboth of which bear masses of cream colored heyday .
Other ‘ expendables ’ let in the florescence currant , some of the more rampant mock orange , suchas Philadelphus coronarius , as well as the tall forsythia and such coarse - grow shrubs asBuddleia davidii .
Winter flowering shrubs
By heady preparation and selection , it should be potential to have shrub in flower throughout the yr . wintertime - flowering bush make an priceless share to our gardens , bringing semblance and , in many instance , penetrating fragrance during the darkest days of the season .
By mid - November , when the other gravid frosts have stripped the deciduous shrubs and trees of most of their leave , the first pinkish - white flush clusters ofViburnum fragranswill be starting to open . This is one of the lovely and most useful of winter shrubs ; it go on to produce relays of richly fragrant blossoms right up to the closing of February . There is a white variety , candidissima , with flowers lacking the pinkish soupcon of the eccentric , but which contrast even more effectively with the bare , cinnamon - brown twigs .
The crone hazels start to flower towards the death of December and in most season it is potential to fill a vase with their curious spidery , cowslip - scented blossoms at Christmas . Hamamelismollis , the Chinese species , with showy prosperous - yellow flowers — showy by winter standard , at any rate , is the one most wide grown . The formbrevipetalahas unretentive petals of orange , while those ofpallida are apale sulphur - chickenhearted .
H. japonicacomes into bloom a fiddling after ; the blooms of this species are more spectacular , their prosperous sensationalistic strap - same petal being do off by a purple calyx . They lack , however , much of the scent of themollisvarieties .
More fragrant still — half a 12 small branchlet will odorize a elbow room — is the winter dulcet , Chimonanthus praecox , with waxy , pale chickenhearted flowers , the kernel blotched with purpleness . In the varietygrandiflorusthey are of a arrant clear yellow . The plant type starts to bloom in December , the flush of the latter surface a few week later and give some of their smell for showiness .
February will see the unfinished branches of the Daphne mezereum , Daphne mezereum , covered in purple , hyacinth - perfumed flush . This is a unawares - lived shrub and might well restrict to fill disruption in the border if it did not make such a worthful winter contribution to the garden . fortuitously , fresh supplies come easily from come , and provided the ruby fruits — which incidentally are extremely oisonous — are protected from the birds , which are very partial to them , the undertaking of providing alternate is a simple one as the seed will germinate freely in any good garden soil .
From spring to summertime the principal display originate with shrubs such as the viburnums , Calluna vulgaris and lilacs and reaches its zenith at midsummer .
With the many works to choose from , provision and planting for continuity of display should be easy . To obtain a lavish display of blossom for as long as possible it will be necessary to include in the planting program shrubs such asCaryopteris clandonensis , and the tree hollyhock , Hibiscus syriacus , the unfolding season of which covers the months of recent summertime and autumn .
Lilacs rank among the favorite shrubs of late spring and the most ornamental are the hybrid ofSyringa vulgaris . Among both singles and doubles , old favorite still reign supreme , with ‘ Souvenir de Louis Spath ’ as the best purple and ‘ Maud Notcutt ’ most popular as the most owing single white . Lesser - known single forms admit ‘ Esther Staley ’ , an strange tint of pallid lilac verging on pinko , and ‘ Maurice Barnes ’ , the best case of the dependable ‘ lilac ’ semblance .
Many prefer the doubles with their chunky tightly - packed conic flower tie down , although they miss some of the elegant shape of the singles . ‘ Katherine Havemeyer ’ ( soft mauve ) , ‘ Madame Lemoine ’ ( white-hot ) are all established pet . All of them , both single and dual have the typical enchanting perfume of lilacs and are vigorous shrub , turn over a height of 5 - 6 m ( 1520 ft ) .
In the smaller garden there will not be much room for these titan , but some of the lilac coinage are much more compendious and would prove useful where infinite is restricted . Their heyday may be smaller and less showy than those of the larger hybrids but they concede nothing to these where bouquet is concerned . Syringa macrophylla , for example , produce a kickshaw shrub , only 1 - 2 MB ( 4 - 6 foot ) in height , with elegant purple prime stiletto heel that are highly fragrant and have an attractive use of continuing to blossom at interval throughout the summer . S. persica alba , a clean - flowered shape of the wrong - named Persian ’ lilac is a delightful Chinese bush with narrow leaves and big panicle of blank blossom .
In late spring the shrub border is redolent with fine perfumes . The mid - time of year genus Viburnum , with their distinctive clove scent will be in bloom then ; also V. xburkwoodii , avigorous cross between V.carlesiiandV. utile , with its enceinte globes of white , V. x carlcephalum , anothercarlesiihybrid , with in this instance , V. macrocephalumas the other parent , whose large fragrant peak measure 10 - 15 cm ( 4 - 5 in ) across and V.carlesiiitself , still ranking as one of the most popular garden shrubs .
Midsummer beauty
Philadelphus , or mock orangish , often wrong called syringa , will be among the next batch of favorites to come into flower . Its perfume can be cloy and is too grievous for some preference . In many of the new varieties , however , the somewhat sepulchral smell ofP. coronarius , is more subdued , and the brilliant decorative time value of their white flowers could never be in difference . For the smaller gardens of today , there are a phone number of thickset crossbreed , much less coarse inhabit than the once - popularP. coronarius . ‘Enchantment ’ is one of the loveliest of these , with graceful , arc branch thickly festoon with double white efflorescence in June and July . Manteau d’Hermine ’ , only 1.3 one thousand ( 4 foot ) marvellous at maturity , also bring about its double white blossom freely . ` Sybille ’ , another delightful bush of modest attribute , bears an teemingness of dainty white , regal - perfumed blossom . P. microphylluscan be particularly recommended for the small garden . Its leave are very small and the strange four - petalled flowers have a typical fruity perfume .
Weigelas , still listed sometimes as Diervilla , are useful midsummer shrubs of medium height and girth . Their flowers , accept along the entire length of the premature years ’ shoots are farseeing and tubular , rather like miniature foxgloves . W.Florida , a indigene of Korea and northerly China , was discovered by Robert Fortune in the garden of a Chinese mandarin in the last century ; it is the hybrids of this attractive species that have produced our pop garden forms .
` Feerie ’ , W.vanhoutteiand W.styriacaare all good , with flowers of varying shades of pinko . ‘ Eva Rathke ’ and ‘ Bristol Ruby ’ have flowers of a secure color . ‘ Eva Rathke ’ has the farseeing flowering time of year . Its deep deep red heyday come along from mid - May until August .
Deutzias , bush that deserve wide recognition , will also be in flower at this period . Their habit of increment , minute at the base but arching elegantly outwards when they attain a tallness of 1 - 2 1000 ( 4 - 5 ft ) , makes them priceless where ground space is at a premium . The flower , which are like modest tassels , are profusely have , while in wintertime the marginal cinnamon branches are of great ornamental value . D. elegantissimais the form most ordinarily meet . The pinkish - purple blossoms are profusely borne on arching sprays , while in the varietypulchrathey are a pearly pink . ` Codsall Pink ’ is a potent grower and can turn over a summit of 3 - 5 m ( 10 - 15 ft ) . This form flowers subsequently than most , starting at the remainder of June and continue into July .
No bush garden would be complete without the summertime - bloom Viburnum . The snowball George W. Bush , V.opulus sterile , isthe most popular of these . Its globular flower , unripe at first , but turning pure white later , make an established specimen of this lovely summertime shrub an unforgettable sight when the branches are suffocate in white snowballs . It is , however , rather a vigorous agriculturist for little gardens and for these V.tomentosum plicatumwould be a more appropriate selection . This rarely outperform 2 m ( 6 ft ) in pinnacle and the ‘ snowballs ’ are in the form of half - globes which are borne in symmetrical pair along the branches , give the event of a stylise Chinese coil painting . The varietygrandiforum , with larger leaves and peak than those of the type is the dependable form to grow .
Continuity of display
In the rather desolate hebdomad that follow the peak blossoming period , hydrangea are a first - class standby . Apart from the large - allow for species , which require fond shade , they will boom either in full Lord’s Day or semi - tone . In the former position , however , copious watering or regular mulching will be required during the first few seasons after institute . H. macrophyllais the well - cognise and deservedly democratic pot hydrangea of the florist shop ’ shops . It will also do well out of doors in most parts of the British Isles , although in exposed position and inland districts the blossom buds , which begin to swell very ahead of time in the twelvemonth , may suffer frostdamage . This can often be prevented by leaving the previous class ’s blossom - head on the plants as protection , but in really cold areas it would be safer to imbed one of the completely intrepid species such asH. paniculata , H. villosa , H.serrataor the oak - leaved hydrangea , H. quercifolia .
Another genus of late - flowering bush , useful for bridging the gapbetween the summer and the beauties of autumn folio colour is represented by the genus Hypericum , or St John ’s worts , of which , the best - known appendage is the prolific , weed - smotheringH. calycinum , the rose of Sharon . For the shrub margin , however , the taller species and hybrids are a good mountain more useful and decorative . Their blossom , like elephantine buttercup with a key boss of contrasting stamens , make them among the finest bush for a late summertime presentation . Hidcote ’ and ‘ Golden Cup ’ are both outstanding form ofH. patulum , with large cup - shape flowers 5 - 6 cm ( 2 - 24 in ) across . H. elatumElstead ’ is another attractive form , with ellipse farewell of a fresh vernal common , and masses of small yellow flowers in July and August that are come after by scarlet fruits .
But the spectacular member of the group is undoubtedly the loanblend , ` Rowallane ’ . Unfortunately , it is not completely fearless in all parts of Britain and needs a sheltered position in many areas . Its magnificent golden chalice are 6 cm ( 21 in ) in diameter and well - developed specimens reach a summit of 2.6 thousand ( 8 ft ) in milder districts .
To thread up the flowered presentation for the season there is the so - called shrub hollyhock , Hibiscus syriacus , together with the blue - floweredCaryopteris x clandonensis , which is well treated as a herbaceous perennial and sheer back almost to priming coat horizontal surface each leap .
Shrubs for autumn leaf color
The beauty of the shrub border is not restricted to its flowered video display . From September until final folio fall comes a brilliant cavalcade of colored leafage , followed by , and sometimes concurrent with , beauty of winter berry and bark .
Among the shrubs the leaves of which color so brilliantly , the barberries and cotoneaster play a prominent part .
Berberis thunbergiihas humble leaves of a clear special K that produce a brilliantflame in fall . The leaves of the varietyatropurpurea , which are deep purple throughout the summertime , assume even more dazzling colouration before they fall . B. verruculosa isan evergreen species , but many of its dark green leave of absence turn scarlet , while some of the foliage of the tight relatedMahonia aquifolium , another evergreen , turn coppery - red in autumn and wintertime .
Although , botanically , the cutting - leaved Japanese maple are not bush , but small trees , they have so many of the machine characteristic of the former that they are unremarkably included in this category .
The Nipponese maple are very slow agriculturalist and the purple - leavedAcer palmatum dissectum atropurpureumand its green - leaved opposite number , palmatifidum , both with farewell like the finest lacing , never overstep 2 - 3 MB ( 8 - 10 foot ) in height . The leaves of the former turn over a intense abstruse scarlet , while those of the latter color to a lighter but no less distinctive hue .
Anyone who garden on the moist , peaty soil in which rhododendrons and azalea thrive ought to find room forEnkianthus campanulatus , which enjoy standardized conditions and puts on a striking fall display in Orange River and red . The Ghent azaleas , too , can be very colorful in autumn , as also can the common yellowAzalea pontica ( Rhododendron ponticum)when its sage - green leafage burst into tints of fire and coral .
One of the most unusual and striking shrub for autumn color , is a member of the euonymus genus , of which the arbor tree is probably the most example . E. alatahas leave that wrench a bright radiance pink . After they fall , continuing winter interest group is provided by the rummy corked wing - like excrescences on the stems .
All the genus Cotinus and rhus , related genera , are noted for their brilliant autumn color . The stag ’s horn sumac , R. typhina laciniata , is peculiarly spectacular , but this small tree colors rather early for the chief autumn display and the exhibit itself is somewhat short - lived . Much more satisfying are the brilliant orange and scarlas ofCotinus americanus ( genus Rhus cotinoides),or the bright yellowness of the smoke bush , Cotinus coggygria ( Rhus cotinus ) .
Among paries shrub and climber many of the vines and tree creeper color magnificently , particularly the giant - leavedVitis coignetiae , Vitis inconstans(syns . Parthenocissus tricuspidata veitchii , Ampelopsis veitchii),and the true Virginian crawler , Parthenocissus quinquefolia . Where space is limit , the smaller‑ leaved and less rampantParthenocissus henryanais utilitarian for providing a rampart arras of brilliant color .
On the earth , too , creeping and prostrate shrub such asCotoneasterhorizontalis , Gaultheria procumbensand others will be put down a flushed carpet , while the hypericums , that have only just finished their flowering time of year , will be adding to the autumn colors . Hypericum patulum forrestiihas the most brilliant foliage of any of these .
Beauty of berry and bark
Just as decorative , but with a longer live on burden are the berry of many shrubs . These will continue the display from leaf fall until the New Year — sometimes even subsequently in districts where birds are not numerous .
Once again , the barberries and cotoneasters are well in evidence , with species and varieties hold fruits of many colors , ranging from the vivid coral red ofBerberis‘Bountiful ’ to the grape - purple ofB. darwinii . Among the outstanding formsare B.‘Buccaneer ’ andthunbergii , both with bright ruby-red berry and both , incidentally , also providing attractive leaf color . ‘ Cherry Ripe ’ has fruits that are salmon - red and pear - shaped ; the summary , liberal - flowering Formosan metal money , B. morrisonsiensis , support larger reddish fruits than most .
More than a twelve kind of cotoneaster share this same valuable quality . The better known varieties includeC. horizontalis , whose herring - bone prepare branches are mob with cerise button berry andC. simonsii , a pop shrub for hedge and get over planting , with no less splendid berries the size of peas . Taller forms and species let in C.cornubiawith tumid Charles Edward Berry borne profusely , C. frigiduswith cluster crimson fruit andC. salicifolius , the willow tree - leave behind cotoneaster , that bears heavy harvest of bright red fruits . Among the prone forms suitable for the tilt garden , or for function as priming coat blanket , dammeridecks its trailing shoots with Berry like blobs of seal wax , whileC. adpressushas both autumn fruits and smart red foliage .
The pernettyas are a group of attractive small - leaved evergreen plant shrubs with showy marble - sized berries of an unusual beauty . Not many of them , however , are ego - fertile so that a specimen of the eccentric works , P. mucronata , will have to be included to cut across - fertilize the more decoratively - berried forms . These last - named let in ‘ Donard White ’ and ` Donard Pink ’ ( the names are descriptive of the colour of their berries),lilacina , with lilac - pink fruits and ‘ Bell ’s Seedling ’ with superfluous - large , saturnine - red berries .
The Vaccinium , like the pernettyas , are ericaceous works , and they include the eatable North American swamp blueberry bush , V. corymbosum , and others such as V.macrocarpum , the American cranberry , a flat evergreen , the bombastic ruby berries of which are used for cranberry sauce traditionally associated with the Christmas turkey . V.myrsinites , the evergreen blueberry , is a graceful compact shrub that bear its drear - sinister berries in May and June when they are of doubtful value for garden ribbon .
It is not always realise that sure shrubs are dioecious , for instance , themale and female flower are borne on separate flora , so that a specimen of each sex will want to be set if berries are to result . Japanese laurels or aucubas all share this specialized sex equipment characteristic , which makes it difficult for the possessor of a small garden , with special blank at his or her garbage disposal , to include many of them in the planting architectural plan . But for those with room to spare all of these are well worth growing , not only for the beauty of their berry but also for the class - long decorative timber of their handsome , evergreen leafage .
Finally , to act as a foil to the winter - flowering shrubs , there ’ are other plants whose main attraction lie down in their strikingly - colored barque or interesting limb organisation .
The dogwoods , both the scarlet and jaundiced - stemmed specie , erotic love wet . They will respond to waterside planting and nothing wait more striking in January sunniness than a group of the scarlet - stemmed Westonbirt dogwoods(Cornus alba sibirica)at the sharpness of a pond or flow , while the curiously twisted stems and outgrowth ofCorylus avellana contorta , popularly known as Harry Lauder ’s walking pin , make an unusual and interesting tracery against wintertime skies .
Pruning
It is out of the question , in the space available , to lay down principles of pruning in any but the most general terms . As a general formula , however , spring - flowering shrubs can be pruned after they have finished blooming . Those that bloom in summer and autumn , on the current year ’s wood , can have their time of year ’s growths edit right back in March of each class .
bush should normally be allowed to evolve their raw form and dimensions , but any especially vigorous growth that come out in the second and third seasons after planting should be tipped when they are between 1525 atomic number 96 ( 6 - 9 in ) long to make the organisation of laterals to work up up a solid framework .
Most shrubs , once prove , will need little or no attention as far as pruning is concerned , apart from cutting out frail , straggly , diseased or bushed shoot . In any case , drastic pruning is an operation that should always be undertake with caution and should usually be repair to only when shrub have been neglected or when , like buddleia , forsythias , flowering currants and the expectant philadelphuses , they grow too wild and exceed their allotted quarters , or trespass on paths and lawn .
Avoid , at all costs , indiscriminate nip with the garden shear . Such treatment will not only keep down all your shrub to a flat uniformness of shape but will also lead in frail , straggling development . understandably this would look unattractive .
Propagation
This , too , is a Brobdingnagian subject . Many shrubs can be develop well from seed , although not all of them mature their seed in this country and it may be necessary to incur it from specialist seedsmen . Brooms , for instance , will germinate as well and as freely as sweet peas ; other bush seeds , berries in particular , involve to be stratify , that is , over - overwinter in moist Baroness Dudevant , to rot the fleshy cum cover , before they can be sown with any Bob Hope of success .
generation from tough - wood cuttings is another simple method acting by which many shrub may be increased . These cuttings should consist of ripened side shoots that have not flowered , deplume off the parent stem with a heel of bark attached , and inserted in a moist umbrageous bottom in July and August . They are left until the end of the following time of year , when sufficient antecedent and top growth should have developed to enable them to be grown on in a nursery bed .
Shrubs that may be pass around easy by this method include cornus , weigela , deutzia , philadelphus , rhus , cotinus , hydrangea and many other well - know kinds . Hedging shrubs such as privet orLonicera nitidaare easier still . Trimmings stick around into the grunge almost anywhere will usually steady down very quickly .
