Plants are growing fast, encouraged by the warmer weather and longer daylight hours.
It’s a time of year to savour the fresh, vibrant colours and textures of plants, because they’ll soon change as they grow and develop.
The ever-changing scene is what makes gardens so attractive, and I love to use these qualities in my planting designs.
Viburnum carlesii
A large deciduous shrub, dark red buds open to these gorgeous white flowers edged in pink, they have a fabulous sweet scent too.
Plant it in a sheltered situation so that the scent lingers and doesn’t drift away on the wind.
It will grow in most soils, as long as it doesn’t become too dry.
2m tall x 1.5m wide
Viburnum sargentii ‘Onondago’
Another large deciduous shrub, the fresh, new bronze leaves look lovely at the moment.
Later in spring it will have creamy-white clusters of flowers.
It likes a fairly rich soil that’s well drained and is happy in sun or shade.
2m tall x 1.5m wide
Amelanchier lamarckii
The new leaves are copper pink becoming green as they mature and eventually turning a fiery red in autumn before they fall and, as you see, it’s covered in small, starry white flowers in April.
It has a light, rather elegant shape.
Coming up with so many different attributes makes it a stong contender for the perfect shrub or small tree.
It eventually reaches 6m high x 3m wide, but can easily be kept smaller by pruning after flowering.
Can be used as a hedge as well as a shrub, but my favourite is the small multi-stemmed tree.
What plants are you enjoying in your garden at the moment?
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