what to plant now (late august early sept in South West England?)
By Charface
Bristol,
United Kingdom 
I have lots of shrubs which are in need of replacement as they are old, full of grass and leggy - what can I plant NOW (ie what won't die over the winter months). My front borders face south and the back faces north but gets quite a bit of sunshine (am based in UK so by quite a bit I mean not very much!)
16 Aug, 2009
Answers
Depending on what shrubs you've got, it might be possible to rejuvenate some of them by hard pruning - things like Forsythia, which can be cut right down and will still regrow. Any idea what you have there already?
Am also not sure exactly what you're asking - what do you actually want to plant now ,do you mean new shrubs or just something to cheer things up a bit till you get round to removing the old shrubs and digging the garden? You don't say you've stripped the garden back and dug it all over in preparation for replanting, so am I right in thinking you haven't done that yet? And if you want to plant cheery stuff for now, what are you planting intending to plant it in?
16 Aug, 2009
I've just read your profile and the best way to proceed, in my opinion, would be to buy the book called "The Flowering Shrub Expert" by Dr. D.G. Hessayon.
It's great for a beginner or an experienced gardener as the information is very user-friendly.
It will tell you everything you need to know, it's a small paperback and won't be much more than £10 (£7.99 when i got it a few years ago!).
You could look through this whenever you're in the mood and it'll be a great book for all future references :)
16 Aug, 2009