Summer Shrubs to Add Colour, Height and Structure

Shrubs are a brilliant way to give your garden shape, height and long-lasting interest. While bedding plants and perennials bring seasonal colour, shrubs help create the structure that holds a garden together.

This week in our Monday Garden Guide, we are focusing on summer shrubs, climbers and small trees that can add colour, height and structure to your outdoor space.

Why Add Shrubs to Your Garden?

Shrubs are useful because they give your garden a more established look. They can fill gaps, create privacy, soften fences and add interest to borders.

Some shrubs are grown for flowers, while others are valued for foliage, fragrance, berries, stems or evergreen leaves. By choosing a mixture of plants, you can create a garden that looks good not just in summer, but throughout the year.

Shrubs are also a good choice if you want long-lasting plants that return each season and need less replacing than annual bedding.

Before choosing a shrub, check its eventual height and spread, preferred soil, light requirements and hardiness. A plant that looks compact in its pot may become much larger once established.

Add Colour with Flowering Shrubs

Flowering shrubs can bring beautiful summer colour to borders, patios and front gardens.

Hydrangeas are a popular choice, known for their large flower heads and long-lasting display. They work well in borders and can also look impressive in large containers. Many shrubby hydrangeas prefer light shade and moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, and even mature plants can benefit from watering during hot, dry spells.

Buddleja is another summer favourite, often known as the butterfly bush because its flowers are a valuable nectar source for butterflies. Hardy buddlejas usually flower best in a sunny position with well-drained soil.

Other summer-flowering shrubs to consider include:

• Hebe
• Potentilla
• Escallonia
• Cistus
• Choisya
• Spiraea
• Roses
• Fuchsia
• Lavatera
• Hypericum

Choose plants that suit the conditions in your garden. For example, cistus and lavender prefer sunny, free-draining positions, while many hydrangeas are happier with some light shade and soil that does not dry out completely.

Use Shrubs for Height and Structure

A good garden has different layers. Low plants fill the front of borders, perennials add movement in the middle, and shrubs provide height, shape and permanence.

Shrubs can be used:

• At the back of a border
• Around seating areas
• Along fences
• Beside paths
• In large containers
• As focal points
• To screen bins, sheds or less attractive views

Evergreen shrubs are especially useful because they keep their leaves throughout the year, helping the garden look fuller outside the main flowering season.

A few well-chosen shrubs can make a garden feel more balanced and complete.

Brighten Borders with Foliage

Flowers are not the only way to add interest. Foliage shrubs can bring colour, texture and contrast even when they are not in bloom.

Plants with variegated, golden, silver, purple or deep green leaves can help brighten borders and make flowering plants stand out.

Useful foliage shrubs may include:

• Pittosporum
• Euonymus
• Photinia
• Choisya
• Nandina
• Hebe
• Fatsia
• Pieris
• Skimmia
• Cornus for colourful winter stems

Some foliage shrubs have particular soil requirements. Pieris and some other acid-loving plants need acidic soil or ericaceous compost if grown in containers. Always check the plant label before buying.

Add Climbers for Walls, Fences and Trellis

Climbing plants are perfect for adding height without taking up too much ground space. They can soften fences, cover trellis, frame arches and bring colour to vertical surfaces.

Popular choices include:

• Clematis
• Jasmine
• Honeysuckle
• Climbing roses
• Trachelospermum
• Wisteria
• Ivy
• Climbing hydrangea

Climbers are especially useful in smaller gardens because they make use of vertical space. The RHS describes climbers and wall shrubs as plants that bring flowers and foliage to walls, fences, obelisks and pergolas.

Make sure each climber has suitable support. Some twine around supports, some need tying in, and others cling naturally to walls or fences. Training stems horizontally can help cover a wall more effectively and may encourage more flowers along the stems.

Check the plant’s pruning group or care instructions, especially with clematis and climbing roses, as pruning at the wrong time can reduce flowering.

Small Trees for Shape and Impact

Small trees can bring structure, shade and character to a garden. They can act as a focal point, frame a seating area or add seasonal interest with flowers, foliage, bark or fruit.

For smaller gardens, choose compact trees that suit the space available.

Good options may include:

• Japanese maples
• Amelanchier
• Crab apples
• Olive trees in sheltered spots
• Bay trees
• Compact ornamental cherries
• Small magnolias
• Hawthorn
• Rowan
• Dwarf fruit trees

Some small trees can also be grown in large containers, making them suitable for patios and courtyards. The RHS notes that almost any type of plant can be grown in a container, including shrubs, climbers and small trees, provided the container and care are suitable.

Trees in containers need careful watering and feeding, and they may eventually need repotting, root pruning or moving into a larger container.

Choose Plants for the Right Place

The most successful shrubs, climbers and trees are those matched to the conditions in your garden.

Before buying, think about:

• How much sun or shade the area receives
• Whether the soil is heavy, sandy, chalky or acidic
• Whether the position is exposed or sheltered
• How much space the plant will have when mature
• Whether the plant is evergreen or deciduous
• Whether it needs pruning
• How much watering it may need while establishing

Plants placed close to walls and fences may be sheltered from rain, so they can dry out even when the wider garden seems moist. Check the soil regularly, especially in the first year after planting.

Planting Shrubs in Summer

Container-grown shrubs can be planted in summer, but they need more aftercare than shrubs planted in autumn or winter.

Avoid planting during the hottest part of a heatwave if possible. Choose a cooler, overcast day, or plant in the morning or evening.

Before planting:

1. Water the shrub thoroughly while it is still in its pot.
2. Remove weeds from the planting area.
3. Dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball.
4. Loosen compacted soil around the sides and base of the hole.
5. Place the shrub at the same depth as it was growing in the pot.
6. Backfill with soil and firm gently.
7. Water slowly and thoroughly after planting.

If the soil is poor, improve the wider planting area with well-rotted garden compost or soil conditioner rather than filling only the planting hole with rich compost. This encourages roots to spread into the surrounding soil.

Continue watering regularly during dry spells while the plant establishes. Newly planted shrubs cannot yet search widely for moisture, so they are more vulnerable than established plants.

Apply Bark and Mulch Correctly

Adding bark or mulch around new and established shrubs can help reduce weeds and conserve moisture.

Apply mulch to moist, weed-free soil. Aim for a layer at least 5cm deep where space allows, and keep it away from stems and trunks to reduce the risk of rotting. RHS guidance describes mulch as a layer at least 5cm deep applied to the soil surface to reduce water loss, suppress weeds and improve plant growth.

Suitable mulches include:

• Composted bark
• Bark chippings
• Garden compost
• Leaf mould
• Well-rotted manure
• Wood chippings
• Gravel for plants that prefer very free-draining conditions

Do not pile wet mulch against the base of shrubs, climbers or trees.

Caring for Shrubs After Planting

New shrubs need attention during their first growing season.

Water regularly during dry spells, especially in warm weather. Check the soil around the root area rather than relying on rainfall alone.

Feeding is not always necessary for shrubs planted in reasonably fertile soil. In fact, too much fertiliser can encourage soft growth that is more vulnerable to weather damage or pests. If a shrub is growing poorly, choose a suitable feed and follow the instructions carefully.

Remove faded flowers where appropriate, but remember that some shrubs produce berries or decorative seed heads after flowering.

Prune according to the needs of each plant. Shrubs that flower on old wood are usually pruned at a different time from shrubs that flower on new growth. Buddleja davidii, for example, is usually pruned hard in early spring to encourage fresh flowering growth.

Growing Shrubs in Containers

Many shrubs can grow well in containers, especially compact varieties.

Suitable choices may include:

• Hebe
• Lavender
• Hydrangea
• Bay
• Skimmia
• Pieris
• Euonymus
• Dwarf conifers
• Compact roses
• Patio fruit trees

Choose a pot large enough for the plant’s root system and make sure it has drainage holes. Use a suitable peat-free compost. Long-term shrubs usually do better in a peat-free loam-based compost because it holds its structure for longer.

Plants in containers dry out faster than plants in the ground and need regular checking during warm or windy weather. They may also need feeding during the growing season and repotting or top-dressing after a few years.

For acid-loving shrubs such as pieris, skimmia in some soils, blueberries, camellias and rhododendrons, use peat-free ericaceous compost.

Plant for Wildlife

Shrubs, climbers and small trees can make a garden more wildlife-friendly.

They can provide:

• Nectar and pollen for insects
• Berries for birds
• Shelter and nesting places
• Seeds and fruit
• Cover for small wildlife
• Evergreen protection in winter

Buddleja, lavender, hebe, honeysuckle, roses, cotoneaster, pyracantha, ivy and many fruiting shrubs can be valuable in wildlife-friendly gardens.

Choose a range of plants that flower and fruit at different times. Avoid using pesticides on open flowers, as bees, butterflies and hoverflies may be visiting them.

Visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for Shrubs and Climbers

If you would like to add colour, height and structure to your garden, visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for shrubs, climbers, small trees, border plants, peat-free compost, bark, mulch, soil conditioners, plant feeds and garden tools.

Whether you are refreshing a border, creating privacy, filling gaps or adding a new focal point, shrubs are a wonderful way to give your garden long-lasting impact.

Coming Next Week

Next week in our Monday Garden Guide, we will be looking at late-summer planting and what you can still grow now.