Top 10 Shrubs to Transform Your Garden – UK Grown in Peat-Free Compost
Shrubs give a garden its bones. They provide structure, year-round interest, and a framework for everything else to grow around. The ten below cover a range of sizes, seasons, and conditions – from early spring colour to late summer pollinator magnets, from deep shade to full sun. All are grown in peat-free compost at our Somerset nursery.
1. Buddleja 'Black Knight'
The best butterfly-attracting shrub you can grow. Deep violet-purple flower spikes from July to September, AGM awarded, and a reliable performer in any sunny border. Prune hard in March and it'll put on 6ft of growth and flower prolifically. One of our most popular plants and one we'd never be without.
Buddleja 'Black Knight' – AGM awarded. Deep violet-purple flowers from July to September. The best butterfly-attracting shrub available.
2. Hydrangea 'King George'
A classic mophead Hydrangea with large, rounded flower heads from July to September. In alkaline soil the flowers are bright pink-red; in acidic soil they shift to mauve-red. Reliable, long-lived, and one of the most impressive flowering shrubs for a sheltered, partially shaded position. The dried flower heads look good well into winter.
Hydrangea 'King George' – large mophead flowers from July to September. Colour varies with soil pH from pink-red to mauve-red.
3. Sambucus 'Black Lace'
One of the most striking foliage shrubs available. The deeply cut, lacy leaves are almost black-purple, and in early summer they're topped with flat heads of pink flowers that are excellent for pollinators. It can be pruned hard each spring to keep it compact and maximise the foliage effect, or left to grow into a larger specimen. AGM awarded.
Sambucus 'Black Lace' – AGM awarded. Deeply cut near-black foliage with pink flowers in early summer. One of the best foliage shrubs available.
4. Weigela florida 'Variegata'
Weigela is a reliable, easy-going shrub that earns its place in any border. 'Variegata' has cream-edged leaves that look good all season, and in May it's covered in soft pink flowers that bees love. Prune after flowering to keep it tidy. Tolerates partial shade and most soils. A good all-rounder that's often overlooked.
Weigela florida 'Variegata' – cream-edged foliage and soft pink flowers in May. Reliable and easy in most soils and positions.
5. Spiraea 'Sparkling Champagne'
Spiraea is one of the most underrated flowering shrubs. 'Sparkling Champagne' produces bright pink flowers in summer that fade to a warm champagne hue as they age – the effect on a single plant at different stages of flowering is genuinely beautiful. Compact, easy, and happy in most soils and positions.
Spiraea 'Sparkling Champagne' – pink flowers that fade to champagne as they age. Compact and easy in most soils.
6. Abelia 'Lady Liberty'
Abelia is a semi-evergreen shrub that flowers later than most – from July right through to October – which makes it particularly valuable for late-season pollinators. 'Lady Liberty' has attractive variegated foliage with cream margins and small, slightly fragrant white flowers. It's a good choice for extending the season in a mixed border.
Abelia 'Lady Liberty' – variegated foliage and fragrant white flowers from July to October. Excellent for late-season pollinators.
7. Forsythia 'Lynwood'
Forsythia is the first shrub to flower in spring – the bright yellow blooms appear on bare stems in March and April before the leaves emerge, and they're one of the earliest nectar sources for emerging bees. 'Lynwood' is the best variety – AGM awarded, with larger flowers than most. Prune immediately after flowering to keep it in shape.
Forsythia 'Lynwood' – AGM awarded. Bright yellow flowers on bare stems in March and April. One of the earliest nectar sources for spring bees.
8. Caryopteris 'Sunshine Blue' (Jason)
Discovered on our nursery in 1996 by Peter Champion – the only yellow sport of Caryopteris incana in existence. Golden foliage with bright blue flowers in August and September, compact and hardier than the x clandonensis types. Covered in bees when it flowers. A plant with a genuine story behind it and one we're particularly proud of.
Caryopteris 'Sunshine Blue' (Jason) – discovered on our nursery in 1996. Golden foliage and blue flowers in late summer. Covered in bees.
9. Aucuba 'Golden King'
One of the toughest evergreen shrubs for difficult positions – deep shade, dry soil, north-facing aspects. The large, glossy leaves are heavily splashed with gold and provide year-round interest in spots where little else will grow. AGM awarded. Slow-growing but long-lived and virtually indestructible once established.
Aucuba 'Golden King' – AGM awarded. Gold-splashed evergreen foliage. One of the best shrubs for deep shade and difficult positions.
10. Coronilla emerus
Coronilla is a shrub that deserves to be much better known. It produces bright yellow, sweetly fragrant flowers in spring – often starting in February – followed by attractive narrow seed pods. It's semi-evergreen, tolerates poor, dry soil, and is excellent on chalk. A good choice for a sunny, well-drained spot where you want early season colour and fragrance.
Coronilla emerus – fragrant yellow flowers from February onwards. Excellent on chalk and dry, sunny soils.
Planting tips
Most shrubs are straightforward to establish. Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball, backfill with the original soil (no need to add compost to the planting hole for most shrubs – it can actually discourage roots from spreading), firm well, and water thoroughly. Keep watered through the first season, particularly in dry spells. A balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring is all most shrubs need.
For pruning, the general rule is: spring-flowering shrubs (Forsythia, Weigela) prune immediately after flowering; summer-flowering shrubs (Buddleja, Caryopteris) prune in early spring; evergreens prune lightly after flowering if needed.