# Easy maintenance shrubs



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

I am re-designing an area of my garden. At the moment it has an old spindly buddleia, a rhododendron and another shrub which I don't know the name of and can't remember what it looks like when it flowers. I don't know a great deal about gardening so would like some advice on what to plant. I was thinking of digging up the old buddleia and replacing it with a new one, leave the rhododendron and the other shrub, then add 4 or 5 more shrubs. I would like them to be hardy and easy to maintain, evergreen if possible and to flower in different seasons. I will be digging the whole area over then laying a weed control mat and putting bark down. Any ideas of what I should plant welcome. Thanks


----------



## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Have a look into Daphne's. There are a number of varietys some that have lovely scented flowers throughout the spring and summer followed by red berries. Check that they are ok in your soil which I guess is acid as you have Rhoddies, some Daphne's dont like soils that are too acid. They are slow growing and are best not pruned apart from a bit of minor shaping they do resent moving or disturbance around the roots. They are not overly long lived, my one has just died after 30 years. A trifle fussy perhaps, but there are some lovely colours and the scent from the flowers on a warm summers evening is just gorgeous.

Check this website
https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=1469
I've just replaced the old Daphne with the one called a Pink Fragrance


----------



## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

californian lilac [ceanothus]
i have claggy clay soil, in a south facing garden, but this is in shade for half a day in summer and all winter, no idea whether acid or alkaline
i totally ignore it, it has been half puulled up when council put a new fence in, is chopped back whatever the season when it grows over the path, the dogs pee up it
and it thrives every year, keeps its leaves through winter
and is the most amazing plant i have ever planted

as for the buddleia, rather than pull it up why not get a climbing plant [NOT russian vine, whatever you do] maybe a honeysuckle or passiflora, that flowers then has berries, or in the case of passifloras bright orange fruits, to give some contrast?


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

Siskin said:


> Have a look into Daphne's. There are a number of varietys some that have lovely scented flowers throughout the spring and summer followed by red berries. Check that they are ok in your soil which I guess is acid as you have Rhoddies, some Daphne's dont like soils that are too acid. They are slow growing and are best not pruned apart from a bit of minor shaping they do resent moving or disturbance around the roots. They are not overly long lived, my one has just died after 30 years. A trifle fussy perhaps, but there are some lovely colours and the scent from the flowers on a warm summers evening is just gorgeous.
> 
> Check this website
> https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=1469
> I've just replaced the old Daphne with the one called a Pink Fragrance


I like the look of Daphne Gemmata, I love yellow flowers.



mrs phas said:


> californian lilac [ceanothus]
> i have claggy clay soil, in a south facing garden, but this is in shade for half a day in summer and all winter, no idea whether acid or alkaline
> i totally ignore it, it has been half puulled up when council put a new fence in, is chopped back whatever the season when it grows over the path, the dogs pee up it
> and it thrives every year, keeps its leaves through winter
> ...


I had a ceanothus in a previous garden and it too just kept going and going no matter what I did to it, so yes, I might consider one again. Good idea for the buddleia too.


----------



## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

* Escallonia*, has lovely rich coloured evergreen leaves with pink or red flowers.









As a contrast, a lovely one which has small flowers but the beauty is really the bright yellow or green leaves is *Eunonymus*..









*Hypericum Hidcote (St John's Wort)* is beautiful in summer flowering bush









*Photinia* has bright red leaves in Spring when new leaves are growing and is a good all year plant







.

*Ceanothus* is beautiful and blue with lovely rich dark green leaves.


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

I have a couple of eunonymus in different areas of the garden already, didn't know what they were called though! I love the look of photinia, that will go on the list for sure.


----------



## CuddleMonster (Mar 9, 2016)

Choisya (Mexican Orange Blossom)? There is one called Sundance that has yellow leaves and white flowers. Sarcococca (Christmas Box) has dark green leaves and white flowers in winter.


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

I have a choisya in another area of the garden. The sarcococca looks interesting, I like the fact that it flowers in winter. 

I'm meeting a friend for lunch near Wisley Gardens tomorrow so I might go and visit the shop there and have a look at some of these suggestions.


----------



## Honeys mum (Jan 11, 2013)

The name 'Semperflorens' says it all. One of the few hardy shrubs that flowers all summer.
As with most 'plicatum' cultivars this plant grows with an attractive tiered habit making it a good structure plant for the garden. The pure white flower heads sit on the flattened branches with a spectacular display in May/June. Before these flowers have gone over another flush appears and this continues repeatedly until the frosts in November. The flowers are often followed by red fruit. The foliage turns an attractive rust tan colour in the autumn and even when the leaves have dropped the plant still gives interest with it's shapely layered branching habit. Sun or dappled shade, any reasonable garden soil. Ultimate size after 10-15years 2m. x 1.5m.


----------



## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

mrs phas said:


> californian lilac [ceanothus]
> i have claggy clay soil, in a south facing garden, but this is in shade for half a day in summer and all winter, no idea whether acid or alkaline
> i totally ignore it, it has been half puulled up when council put a new fence in, is chopped back whatever the season when it grows over the path, the dogs pee up it
> and it thrives every year, keeps its leaves through winter
> ...


It's worth pointing out that some ceanothus are evergreen, but there are also deciduous varieties. They are really good plants, but have a tendency to suddenly drop dead after several years. It's a good suggestion, the flowers are beautiful and scented.
I also love Eucryphias, lovely white flowers like small single roses from late summer to nearly Christmas - also evergreen. http://www.hortweek.com/eucryphia/ornamentals/article/1305834
Mine is about 12 years old and is 2m high and 1.5m wide. It was set back when I pruned it hard, dug it up and took it with me when I moved house 5 years ago.

Amelanchia is a lovely spring flowerer (white flowers with bronze young leaves coming through at the same time, red berries in autumn. That's also easy to manage.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=116


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

Honeys mum said:


> The name 'Semperflorens' says it all. One of the few hardy shrubs that flowers all summer.
> As with most 'plicatum' cultivars this plant grows with an attractive tiered habit making it a good structure plant for the garden. The pure white flower heads sit on the flattened branches with a spectacular display in May/June. Before these flowers have gone over another flush appears and this continues repeatedly until the frosts in November. The flowers are often followed by red fruit. The foliage turns an attractive rust tan colour in the autumn and even when the leaves have dropped the plant still gives interest with it's shapely layered branching habit. Sun or dappled shade, any reasonable garden soil. Ultimate size after 10-15years 2m. x 1.5m.


I like the look of this one.

Thank you everybody for all your suggestions. You have given me so many ideas. The only trouble now is where to put them all. I will have to clear another area of garden to fit them all in! Plus it's going to cost me an absolute fortune. I will have to make it a 2 yearly project I think, if I can be patient. Once I have an idea I want to do something, I want it done immediately. Patience is not my strong point with things like home and garden maintenance!


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

Burrowzig said:


> It's worth pointing out that some ceanothus are evergreen, but there are also deciduous varieties. They are really good plants, but have a tendency to suddenly drop dead after several years. It's a good suggestion, the flowers are beautiful and scented.
> I also love Eucryphias, lovely white flowers like small single roses from late summer to nearly Christmas - also evergreen. http://www.hortweek.com/eucryphia/ornamentals/article/1305834
> Mine is about 12 years old and is 2m high and 1.5m wide. It was set back when I pruned it hard, dug it up and took it with me when I moved house 5 years ago.
> 
> ...


I will check the ceanothus for evergreens, thank you. I like the look of the Eucryphias too.


----------



## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

We planted the Amelanchia last year, its lovely, but I'm impatient for it to grow as its only about 5' at the moment.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Now is the perfect time to hard prune the buddleia and you may get it to form a tidier, bushier shrub. This also promotes more flowers too. Deadhead regularly to promote longer flowering.

I had a weigela that had been neglected and was very leggy so I massacred it in the autumn with my fingers crossed  and it's got lots of new shoots appearing on the much smaller, tidier frame 

Rhodis too, will tolerate a very hard prune.


----------



## CuddleMonster (Mar 9, 2016)

Lurcherlad said:


> Now is the perfect time to hard prune the buddleia and you may get it to form a tidier, bushier shrub. This also promotes more flowers too. Deadhead regularly to promote longer flowering.
> 
> I had a weigela that had been neglected and was very leggy so I massacred it in the autumn with my fingers crossed  and it's got lots of new shoots appearing on the much smaller, tidier frame
> 
> Rhodis too, will tolerate a very hard prune.


Rhodis should be pruned immediately after flowering though or you'll lose this year's flowers!


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

Lurcherlad said:


> Now is the perfect time to hard prune the buddleia and you may get it to form a tidier, bushier shrub. This also promotes more flowers too. Deadhead regularly to promote longer flowering.
> 
> I had a weigela that had been neglected and was very leggy so I massacred it in the autumn with my fingers crossed  and it's got lots of new shoots appearing on the much smaller, tidier frame
> 
> Rhodis too, will tolerate a very hard prune.


The buddleia was pruned quite hard about 4 weeks ago but I can see there are lots of shoots at the bottom so I will prune it back harder today.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

CuddleMonster said:


> Rhodis should be pruned immediately after flowering though or you'll lose this year's flowers!


True 

I had been promising oh I would do so for about 3 years now and then "forgetting" 

I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and cut them almost back to the ground - to his delight 

They are sprouting lots of new shoots so I hope it has been worth it!


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

Digging has begun. Here are a few photo's of what I am dealing with!

The area measures 5m x 5.3m. The shrubs you see are staying and I am planning on planting 4 new ones.









Taken from a different angle.









We have filled lots of bags with roots and bits.










These are the biggest roots we have dug up so far. I think they probably came from an old eucalyptus tree we had cut down a few years ago. The other root is a bramble, we have lots of those!









It's hard work but will be worth it eventually. I just want to start planting but my sensible head tells me I need to get the ground right first, no matter how long it takes.


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

The first shrub is in. We haven't finished digging the whole area yet, there's still a lot to do but I couldn't wait to put something in so I got the back corner ready and put this Amelanchier in.


----------



## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

That's a nice looking shrub @wind1


----------



## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

Nearly finished this area. The buddleia has grown back really well. I still have a Christmas Box to plant and I have a space for one other shrub but haven't decided what yet. It looks a bit sparse at the moment but I'm sure next year it will have filled out considerably (that's what I'm hoping anyway!)


----------

