Chapter 6 - Shrubs

I am aware that I have not always been totally accurate in my descriptions so far, in that some shrubs have been described as trees and others have been included in chapter 5 as climbers.  The difference between a tree and a shrub is that whilst a tree has one main stem leading to branches, a shrub has several or many stems growing from the ground.   The problem for me in describing those growing in my garden is that some of the shrubs, for instance the Viburnum opulus, has grown quite tall and so looks more like a tree than a shrub.  Roses and honeysuckles, whilst being climbers, might also be considered to be shrubs.    I do not profess to be an expert gardener, only a beginner, describing what I see, so, having admitted my failings, I hope I might be forgiven.

Although I hadn't realised how many, I discover in the course of this exercise that we have many, probably 45-50 not including those I have mentioned in previous chapters.  The buddleia, hypericum and spiraea as well as the anonymous rose, with which I ended chapter 5, were all inherited, though the middle two have since been removed.  The hypericum in particular seemed to be self-seeding in all the wrong places around the garden and had to go. 

It is inevitable that some have been lost despite great efforts to keep them alive and others may have died due to adverse weather conditions having done well for a few years.  Yet more may just have been too tender for our part of the country - not having space to store everything inside during the winter doesn't help.  Despite this, we have managed to hold onto several Abutilons for quite a number of years which are cared for in the greenhouse in winter and brought out into pots each year.  

In the first group can be placed Camellia x williamsii 'Donation'. which produced the occasional beautiful pink bloom, but really prefers acid soil and gradually faded away.

In the second, I would place Lophomyrtis x ralphii 'Red Dragon', a beautiful little shrub, light and airy with dainty foliage which turned from a greeny orange to a reddish purple. This was the only one of five, bought with a gift voucher from our daughter in 2009, to succumb very quickly to frost. The Mahonia x media 'Charity' and Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' (see picture) are still growing nicely. The other two were a white Hebe diosmifolia and Rhododendron impeditum 'Blue Steel', both dwarf varieties, the former living on the rockery and the latter in a pot because of its need for acid soil. The most disappointing plant we have ever bought was the supposedly 'climbing' Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby' as it was the most expensive. I have to admit it looked very healthy when we bought it, but it produced very little new growth or flower during the year and then disappeared. We have certainly had many more fuchsias which have cost very little and been beautifully productive.

I see from my list that at least six of the nine shrubs purchased in 2003 are still doing well, the Cotinus coggygria, or smoke bush, is one and Cornus alba 'Aurea', a dogwood  is another.  

                              

             

                    The Cotinus with the Catalpa in the background and the Cornus next to the Buddleja

Both of these were bought from Horncastle Garden Centre whilst we were campsite managers in Woodhall Spa and provide fantastic colour all year round.  

Another we bought in Horncastle was Metrosideros tharcissi.  

This was a complete experiment for us as we had no idea what it was or would turn out to be, but when it did bloom its flowers resembled the 'bottle brush' with sparkling racemes of crimson filaments and golden anthers.

A Cistus, a Lonicera and a Skimmia japonica have all weathered the harshest conditions we have experienced to date, as has the aptly named Exochorda x Macrantha 'The Bride' which produced masses of beautiful white flowers this year.

In 2005, another ten or so arrived, my favourites being Piptanthus nepalensis and Coronilla valentina ssp Glauca.   

A variety of shrubs can be seen here on the water feature, from the left: 

Coronilla valentina, Exochorda x Macrantha 'The Bride', Piptanthus nepalensis and Paeonia suffruticosa (Tree Peony)

Both of these have yellow pea-like flowers and had been consistently good until a couple of years ago when the Coronilla died on us, probably due to that terrible winter.  I was very sad about this as it flowered on and off throughout the year and had a lovely perfume.  Unfortunately, they aren't seen in garden centres very often, so when we came across Coronilla citrina this year, I couldn't resist it.  The Choisya ternata also suffered in the frost and had to be drastically cut back, but it is still managing to survive though in quite poor shape.  Sarcococca is another that doesn't seem to want to live with us.  The first is still struggling after seven years and the second, which we had in a pot at the back door in the hope of taking advantage of its winter scent, was frozen to death.  

Coronilla citrina

     

Choisya ternata and Sacococca humilis

Shrubs which I think have some similarity in appearance, though being of different sizes are weigelas,  deutzias and a lonicera.  In our garden, they are all pink, the Weigela being the largest at approximately five to six feet high with stems which are usually heavy with flower.  The next in size is one which is still to come into its own - the Deutzia pulchra.  We have planted it on the water feature where the original Coronilla lived and I am waiting in anticipation for it to fulfil its early promise.  The next in size is the Lonicera syringatha, an airy, many stemmed shrub with tiny leaves and flowers which smell beautifully despite their size.  This was one of three rescued from the 'sale' section of a garden centre at a very cheap price which have done well - the others being a Berberis x stenophylla which has brilliant yellow/orange flowers followed by blue/black berries and Philadelphus 'Mont Blanc', a small-flowered mock orange.  To return to the deutzias, the smallest we have is Deutzia x elegantissima 'Rosealind'.  Having been purchased in 2010, it is still quite a small plant, but has flowered profusely each year since then and the tiny star-shaped, pink-tinged white  flowers are just beautiful.

    

Weigela, Lonicera syringantha and Deutzia x elegantissima 'Rosealind'

In 2007, fashion dictated that we should have some blueberries.  As with rhododendrons and camellias, they like acid soil so there is no alternative but to grow them in pots.  However, both Vaccinium corymbosum 'Elizabeth' and its companion, 'Darrow', have done well, producing a reasonable amount of fruit each year.   This year has not been so good, but perhaps the rain has had something to do with that.  This was also the year I threatened my Syringa x laciniata that if it didn't do better the next year it would have to go.  

We had bought this shrub in 2003 with the expectation that its perfume would fill the garden, but in 2007 it produced its first - and last - flower, which was a shame as it seemed ideal size for a small garden, reaching about 4-5 foot in height and with a pretty flower and fine leaves.  Needless to say 2008 was no better and it didn't get another chance.

This year, besides the Coronilla, we have added Lonicera fragrantissima, which is winter flowering and looks quite a beauty on the plant label, and Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga', the latter to replace the giant Yucca which I had grown to hate, but to which Mick was sentimentally attached as he had brought it from Gibraltar in 1997 as a two-inch baby.  I am not sure what these two will turn out to be, but hope the winter is not so bad that they will be cut off before they have a chance to reach their prime.

     

Lonicera fragrantissima and Viburnun sargentii 'Onondaga'

SHRUB  LIST   

Abutilon

Berberis x stenophylla -

Buddleia Davidii

Camellia x williamsii 'Donation'

Ceanothis 'Yankie Point"

Choisya ternata, mexican orange blossom

Cistus x dansereaui 'Decumbens' (Rock Rose)

Coronilla valentina ssp Glauca

Coronilla citrina

Cotinus coggygria - smoke bush Cornus alba 'Aurea' dog wood

Daphne mezereum 'Alba'

Helianthemum  (Rock Rose - suitable for a rockery)

Deutzia x elegantissima 'Rosealind'

Deutzia pulchra

Exochorda x Macrantha 'The Bride'

Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby'

Garrya eliptica

Gaultheria procumbens 

Genista

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' (Witch Hazel)

Hebe diosmifolia

Hebe macrocarpa 'Margret'

Hypericum

Kerria japonica (Jews Mallow)

Lonicera syringantha

Lonicera fragrantissima  (honeysuckle)

Lophomyrtis x ralphii 'Red Dragon'

Mahonia - media 'Charity'

Metrosideros tharcissi

Paeonia suffruticosa  (Tree Peony)

Philadelphus 'Mont Blanc' - mock orange

Piptanthus nepalensis

Pyracantha 'Orange Glow'

Rhododendron 'impeditum 'Blue Steel'

Roses

Santolina rosmarinifolia

Sarcococca  humilis  (Christmas (or Sweet) Box)

Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'

Spiraea japonica 'Alba'

Syringa x laciniata   (lilac)

Vaccinium corymbosum 'Elizabeth'

Vaccinium corymbosum 'Darrow'

Viburnum opulus

Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga'

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

Weigela 

Chapter 5 - Climbing Plants

One of the first climbers we put in, which soon fell by the wayside, was Chaenomeles 'Madame Butterfly' or Japanese Quince, which was a lovely salmon pink.  There have been any number of plants which have gone the same way and it's difficult to know why beautiful, healthy-looking plants should suddenly wither and die.   There could be many reasons, of course.  We have the best and most athletic slugs and snails in the country which seem to eat anything and everything in site, and we also have free draining soil, which can soon lose its moisture despite Mick's best efforts to bulk it up with organic material.  Perhaps the soil is too alkaline for some plants.  Whatever the reason, it is usually the most expensive which go first and I think we have now learned that cost is not always the best gauge of survival.

There are fourteen Clematis on my first list, but few of them could be described as vigorous.  'Miss Bateman', alpina 'Frankie', 'Warszawska Nike' and one other whose name I don't know, have come every year without fail. 

                                                 'Warsawski Nike' and 'Miss Bateman'

Some lasted for a while, but then disappeared, only to come again unexpectedly - 'Multi Blue' was one such which we had planted to go over the archway - but still it's been disappointing.  'Omishiro' and Piilu' are two more we bought at great cost, but again have not done as well as I had hoped.  Even the evergreen varieties have failed to thrive, which should teach us something, but we seem to keep on trying.

One climber which we feared would take over the whole garden if we didn't do something about it was Eccremocarpus scaber, the Chilean Glory Vine.  We planted it on the water feature and its bright orange blooms lived up to its glorious name.   However, it produced so many seeds that we daren't leave it to do its worst and so removed it.  

Passiflora caerula, the common passion flower also did well on the water feature, but came a cropper at pruning time and has recently been resurrected to grow up the fence on the side path adjoining our neighbour's garden.

also planted a Jasminum nudiflorum on the water feature and its bright yellow flowers have continued to brighten that corner each year. 

Two slightly more interesting climbers on the water feature are Billardiera longifolia with its purple fruit, which unfortunately seems to have disappeared this year, and Akebia quinata, the chocolate vine, which is now climbing high up into the Catalpa.

Akebia quinata

Billardiera longifolia

Several climbers were planted by the left-hand fence, including Hydrangea petiolaris, Garrya eliptica (the tassel tree) and  Vitis vinifera, an ornamental vine which produces beautiful berries of many colours, from yellow to pink, to blue, to purple. 



Hydrangea petiolaris



Garrya eliptica with the tassels in flower



Vitis vinifera

Roses have found their place too.  The two planted on the front of the cottage were Rosa 'Gloire de Dijon', a beautiful cream, and Rosa 'Warm Welcome' which surrounds the door. 

This is a small-flowered rose, bright orange and lightly scented which everyone who arrives loves.  The 'Gloire' however, turned brown when wet or dying and, as its flowers tended to hang on instead of dropping off, looked dreadful against the white render.  It had to go and was replaced by 'Masquerade'.  We had bought this for my mum one Mothering Sunday and rescued it from her back yard when she died.  It has done very well since then and its blooms, which change from yellow to orange to pink, go well with 'Warm Welcome'.  If the great flood in 2007 wasn't the best experience ever for us, at least 'Warm Welcome' benefited from the river giving it a good soaking and produced the most glorious, brilliantly orange flowers ever.  Having a new front door, too, we painted it 'Heather' and bought Rosa 'Rhapsody in Blue' to match.



'Rhapsody in Blue'

In the back, we have Rosa 'Albertina', a cream with a beautiful perfume, over the arch, 'Felicite Perpetue', a smaller cream, and 'William Lobb', a purple, on the top gable, as well as 'Arthur Bell', a yellow, in the top bed.  'Albertina' and 'Arthur Bell' were gifts which remind us of our time as camp site managers.



'William Lobb'



I should not forget, either, the pinky-red floribunda rose, a legacy from the old garden, which spreads its glory over a good part of the right-hand fence and onto the summerhouse for weeks.  I have no idea of its name, but it has been stunning every year and reminds us of the garden's previous life where runner beans, potatoes, primroses and grape hyacinths held sway.



The unknown floribunda rose



Chapter 4 - Planning and Design

During the first year of planting, I decided I would like to keep a record of everything we bought.  I had never done anything like this before, so it took a while to decide how it should be done, but in the end I decided to use Microsoft Office Access.  With this programme it is possible to make columns and insert data which can then be referenced according to each column. 

The columns I decided on were:

Acquired/Planted: when, where from; how much paid came in later

Latin Name

Common English Name

Type: tree, shrub, perennial, etc

Site: where planted

Season: when it flowered

Description: what it looked like, colour, etc 

Flowered: if it actually flowered 

Current Status/Action: whether it had survived, needed moving or removing

This programme enables me to list the plants in alphabetical order by 'name', but I can also show them in 'site' order or 'type' if I want to.

It is quite a time-consuming process to maintain a list like this and inevitably some new plants get missed off and others appear in the garden as if from nowhere.  I try to write down and photograph all the new ones we buy and then have a session entering them into the database at a later date.  Then they often get planted before I know where, which can be a bit frustrating, but on the whole I find it quite a good system for keeping track of what we should have where.

I feel sure many people would think I was crazy doing this, and I do myself sometimes, but as we were starting from scratch, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

My list at 31 July 2005 had 352 plants on it, including trees, conifers, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, succulents, climbers, ramblers, alpines, herbs and grasses.   Some of these we had brought from our previous garden, some had been rescued from before we started work on the new one, some had been given to us and others had been bought.  

Before I could 'site' the plants, it was necessary to divide the garden into sections and so, going anti-clockwise around the edges from the archway, there was the rockery, next to rockery, right-hand border, top border, next to the water feature and water feature, leaving the centre bed undivided.  The latter was quite a large area, but these were early days and it wasn't until the following year that it was divided into A, B, C, D and E (see below).

As this was to be a cottage-style garden, we intended that most of the plants would be perennials and, as it was on limestone, we knew acid-loving plants were unlikely to do well in it.  Further, we didn't want any lawned areas and we also needed to cover the fences, particularly those on the pub side, where its fans belched out noise, fumes and smells.  The fire escape, too, could be a nuisance as, being in a poor area for mobile phone signals, staff from the pub would overlook our garden as they made use of its height to make calls.

Taking all this into consideration, we set about buying and planting climbing plants.