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Shrub ideas.

Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
in Plants
Looking for some ideas for a shrub.
It will be grown in acidic soil, rhodies and azaleas are happy in my garden. It gets full sun facing south west. On a slope, with reasonably well drained moist soil.
A height of 6 to 8 feet, and no more wide, it will be grown in front of a dark background of conifers and a wall. I want something with bright flowers to stand out against the background. Possibly red flowers, and autumn colour a bonus.
Sunny Dundee
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Posts

  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    Maybe Camellia might be an option. Here is a clip of one in my own garden fairly soon after it was planted.
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • OmoriOmori Posts: 1,674
    Perhaps Weigela Bristol Ruby. 
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    Pieris. Evergreen, white or red flowers, red young foliage.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited December 2020
    Cytisus battandieri ‘Yellowtail’ ... loves a sunny spot, silver leaves will stand out against the dark background, and rich yellow blooms rather than red, but beautiful large blooms with a heavenly scent of sweet pineapple which fills the air on a sunny afternoon. No autumn colour to speak of but that scent makes up for everything. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    Thanks folks.
    I had considered the others, but that Cytisus is one i hadn't thought of. It looks good, but is a bit larger than i had considered. Yellow was my sons favourite colour, so that doesn't rule it out. 
    I had been thinking of a Kalmia, but this is added to the list.
    Sunny Dundee
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The Cytisus variety ‘yellowtail’ is less vigorous and more compact that the type usually seen. It also responds well to pruning to control the size.

     I’ve even seen it trained against a wall. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    @Dovefromabove
    Thanks, food for thought. I've planted a Laburnum Vossii on the opposite side of the garden so that would tie in nicely.
    Sunny Dundee
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I see it used so rarely but it’s such a gorgeous shrub. I wish we had a sunny enough spot but this is quite a shady garden. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    The only thing that would concern me is its H4 rating. I should have said that i live on the NE coast of Scotland. I've succesfully grown other H4s, but.... :)

    Sunny Dundee
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    🤔 now there you have me ... I’ve only known it grown in East Anglia ... we can be visited by wintry blasts from Siberia, but the shrub I knew the best was in a rural walled pub garden ... where the landlord said it had been planted when his grandmother ran the place. 🍻 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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