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123cle

By 123cle

United Kingdom Gb

I want to create a border with all year round interest. I have a number of shrubs but dont know what order to plant them in to get the best display. Any advice would be welcome. I have:
Hydrangea limelight,Choisya aztec pearl, Abelia, Weigela wine & roses, Sambucus black lace, Hydrangea oakleaf, Crinodendron, Drimys, Clethra, Lavatera, Physocarpus, Leycestra, Caryopterus various Rhododendrons and Ceanothus. It is a sunny border and the soil is clay




Answers

 

Gosh, I hope its a long and wide border, most of those are pretty big shrubs.

First, the Crinodendron - that needs a partially shaded, damp spot and lime free soil, and won't appreciate being in full sun - the rhododendrons too will prefer a little shade and acid soil. The Hydrangea will need dampish soil, so a part shaded position for that is best. All the rest are fine in full sun, but the way to work out where to plant things, other than their soil/light requirements, is to look at their height and spread - Caryopteris, for instance, doesn't get tall, only about 3-4 feet, and needs hard pruning in spring as growth begins, so that's a front of border one. Your Ceanothus, well, hard to say because the height and spread of those varies between 4 x 4 feet up to 14 x 10 feet, depending which variety you've got. The general rule is, taller, wider ones towards the back and shorter, less wide ones nearer the front. The Choisya gets about 5 feet high and wide - remember to leave enough space either side of the main stem so it can get five feet wide. Try also to intersperse evergreen shrubs evenly throughout, if possible, otherwise you're just looking at what looks like dead sticks all winter when the woody shrubs have dropped their leaves.

15 Aug, 2014

 

Many thanks for your response I will take your comments on board when planning it.

15 Aug, 2014

How do I say thanks?

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