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Semi shady tolerant shrub

Jennie 3Jennie 3 Posts: 33

Hi - can anyone recommend a small shrub (to 1.5m h & w) which is densely packed & evergreen with some colour during the year?

I was considering Berberis Darwinii compact but have just read that it is susceptible to rust/mildew & a virus. As I live in a valley which can be quite damp I don't think this now would be a good idea.

I already have Pyracantha but it grows too large for this area.

Any ideas would be great thanks.

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Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,042

    Would Choisya be any good? You can prune it too stop it being too big.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Jennie 3Jennie 3 Posts: 33

    Thanks Busy-Lizzie. I already have the yellow Choiysa but it is worth considering the green one. I'll see if anyone can come up with a few ideas. I'm trying to stop the easterly winds from affecting parts of my garden. 

  • Villaverde123Villaverde123 Posts: 196

    Look at holly, euonymous, camelia, fatsia, acuba, mahonia - some have more colour than others and not necessarily flowers wise. 

  • Jennie 3Jennie 3 Posts: 33

    Thanks Villaverde 123, that's given me something to look out for. 

  • soulboysoulboy Posts: 429

    I would recommend a choisya, too. I have choisya 'Aztec Pearl' and it has gorgeous, white, fragrant flowers in spring. Although, it may not be as dense as what you want. Perhaps ans escallonia, which tolerates pruning very well. I have one that produces a mass of white flowers.

  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904

    My first experience of Aztec Pearl was in my neighbour's garden a couple of days ago. I had to get it ID'd on here as I never seen it before. It's beautiful and the fragrance is lovely too. I'm going to have some snippings off that one!

  • soulboysoulboy Posts: 429
    plant pauper says:

    My first experience of Aztec Pearl was in my neighbour's garden a couple of days ago. I had to get it ID'd on here as I never seen it before. It's beautiful and the fragrance is lovely too. I'm going to have some snippings off that one!

    See original post

     Hi Plant Pauper, it is beautiful! FYI, the one I have at the moment is a young bush about 2' tall planted from a new growth cutting.

    I broke the gardener's rule of 'If you love it, leave it.', when I moved a mature bush because it had outgrown its position. It died. I don't think I had enough of the root ball. Apart from the central roots this plant has lots of thin, delicate roots that grow close to the surface of the ground.

    Fortunately, I took that cutting and just stuck it into a compost rich border, without any rooting hormone and it took very well.

  • Photinia Red Robin? I've got some in part shade under trees as standards and others in a bush style.

    Easily trimmed to desired shape/height.

  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904

    Soulboy her's is about 6 feet high and deep green covered in blooms. I'd only ever seen little knee high n'er do wells of the yellow sundance. I was impressed.

  • Invicta2Invicta2 Posts: 663

    Sarcocca the Christmas Box would fit your criteria and give flowers at a time of year when there a very few flowers about.

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