Which Bush?

Dan-Dan

Thanks guys , thats all really helpful info

I would like a bush that grows fairly tall as well , about 2 meters , do the ones mentioned fit the bill?

REEN

Davesnave, I agree berberis darwinii is lovely but doesn't it have thorns like the rest of its family?

Another thing I forgot about buddleia is, it attracts moths too. My kids liked an excursion in the garden at night with a torch, moth spotting. And moths attract bats...

Davesnave

Reen wrote: »

Davesnave, I agree berberis darwinii is lovely but doesn't it have thorns like the rest of its family?.

Yes, it's thorny, though the spines aren't as vicious as those on others in its family. I almost said that.

Put it another way....at the school where I used to teach there was a path across the slope from the playground to the rear entrance. On the upper side there was grass, and on the other, to prevent the kids falling off, there was a berberis hedge! It was actually a more spiny type than darwinii.

Now, the school opened in 1953, and certainly until the day I left in 2007 there had been 54 years with no cause to remove the berberis. So thats 300 pupils x 6 pupil movements a day x 189 school days x 54 years = 18.37 million apparently non life-threatening journeys past these bushes.

I rest my case.

Davesnave

OK, I've been thinking, and if a spiny plant is out, leaves are wanted most of the year and flowerrs are a must, then Abelia grandiflora might fit the bill. It puts up with most soils and aspects, provided they're not really dark & shady.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=2071

Farway

Davesnave wrote: »

.' You could even help yourself to a few cuttings, like I do.

/

yep, that's where I got my unknown white buddlia & a Black Knight buddlia from, Co-op hypermarket, long since morphed into an Asda

suejb2

There are lots to choose from size and colour. My 15 year old buddleia has quite a thick trunk and several branches so maybe not a soft landing as you think., but none of my children have landed in it How about a spirea japonica

On a tangent when should I prune the buddleia, I usually do it when the plumes have lost their colour but have now read that birds an months reap the benefits.

Dan-Dan

So guys , i have found the shrubs i like , and was hoping for advice on planting them , i am buying from crocus as mentioned by others , but im wondering on what compost or root enhancer i should buy as well (or not?)

I am going for Berberis darwinii , Euonymus fortunei and Euonymus japonicus Paloma Blanca , which i think will fill the border area i want , i think the Berberis is the correctg shrub i need to fill the problem corner area , with the others going along the border , which is about 3 meters width

Any tips on planting? , can i just shoot down the farm shop for compost and away i go or?

Thanks in advance!

Primrose

Buddleas can grow up to ten feet tall and will need to be drastically pruned every year otherwise will quickly grow out of control.

Rosemary is a hardy bush with pretty blue flowers which the bees love and likes a sunny position but will survive in partial shade . It will be quite happy on a poor dry stoney soil. An added bonus is that it is also a fragrant herb and if you cut a few spikes off it to flavour your lamb joint or your lamb chops on the barbeque , the aroma will be delicious so it has a double purpose

Davesnave

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Any tips on planting? , can i just shoot down the farm shop for compost and away i go or?
Thanks in advance!

If you think the soil is hard to work, mix some multi-purpose compost with it by all means, but don't plant the shrubs in a hole filled with neat compost, as it lacks the body to anchor them.

In their natural environment, shrubs wouldn't live in compost; just ordinary soil, which is all they need. You can add some bonemeal or chicken poo pellets to the soil to improve nutrient levels over a year or so, but the main thing is to water in dry periods until the roots get well established.

I planted an apple tree today. It will be watered every 3 days or so for the next few months, unless we have a terrible summer, that is.

Dan-Dan

cheers Dave
would you bother with this
http://www.crocus.co.uk/product/_/rootgrow-licensed-by-the-royal-horticultural-society/classid.2000012046/

for shrubs?

if so , how many packets would i need for 4-5 shrubs?

thanks again