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Advice for a small shrub border

keenbutconfusedkeenbutconfused Posts: 6
in Garden design
Hi there, I'm a newbie so please be gentle! I've a newly created small bed next to a patio and want to make a real feature of it - I have loads of ideas but can't get my head round planning so would love some help. Picture attached, hopefully. Acid clay soil and fairly full sun and I'd like to have mostly evergreens to keep the structure. Where I struggle is picturing what I can fit in that will still look good when it's all mature and give me a nice full bed. If I put in a wee tree like an ameliancher at the back, would there be space for a couple of small shrubs, maybe a viburnum, choisya or ceanothus?  Or a magnolia or cornus kousa (totally fell in love with one) instead of the ameliancher? I'm so confused and might be completely unrealistic ideas. Suggestions gratefully welcomed, thank you in advance :)

Posts

  • keenbutconfusedkeenbutconfused Posts: 6
    Oops forgot to add the pictures.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    An Amelanchier would be fine, and a Choisya. Not all Viburnums are evergreen, and many prefer some shade, but there would be room. Ceanothus can be iffy, and they like well drained soil, so it would depend if you could give it that.
    Magnolia would also be fine depending on the soil. They're not keen on soggy soil. The Cornus get big, so you'd have a lot of space while that grew. You can underplant with groundcover or bulbs etc. Neither of those are evergreen though, or the Amelanchier.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • keenbutconfusedkeenbutconfused Posts: 6
    Thanks for this. I'm thinking that if I could put something like a choisya in as well as the ameliancher it would provide the evergreen and the tree would add shape and height - is that what you meant, that I could fit in both?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yep - you look as if you have plenty of room for those, and you can hten have perennilas or bulbs etc as well at the front :)
    It's worth taking time to choose the Amelanchier as they're really shrubs, so some of them don't have a defined main trunk. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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