Table Of ContentDiscover the Perfect
Plant for Every Place
in Your Garden
ANDY McINDOE
Timber Press
Portland, Oregon
Contents
7 About This Book
11 A Few Good Reasons
to Plant Your Garden with Shrubs
Choosing the Right Shrub,
23
Planting, and Care
25 Assessing your situation
40 Planting: Give new shrubs the best possible start
43 Care during establishment
Shrubs for Challenging
45
Growing Conditions
47 Shade, including dry shade
61 Exposed and coastal situations
75 Wet and compacted soil, including clay and
new construction
89 Alkaline and chalk soils
103 Acid soils: Moist and peaty, dry and sandy
117 Hot and dry conditions, including prolonged drought
131 Harsh winters
Shrubs for Restricted
145
Planting Spaces
147 Pots and containers
161 Small gardens
175 Narrow beds and borders
189 Steep slopes and banks
203 Wall shrubs, alternatives to climbers
Shrubs with Desirable
217
Characteristics
219 Architectural and dramatic foliage effects
233 Fast movers for impact, screening, and shelter
249 Shrubs grown as trees
263 Long-blooming shrubs
277 Shrubs with fragrant flowers
291 Shrubs to attract wildlife
305 Deer- and rabbit-resistant shrubs
318 Further Reading
319 Photography Credits
320 Index
About This Book
Compiling this book has been interesting, rewarding,
and often challenging. The obvious garden situations
are the easiest to make recommendations for. Shade,
sun, and acid soil are just some that are constantly
asked about. Those of us who advise on gardens have
our favourites for such conditions, and these are the
first plants that spring to mind. However, I have tried
to include as extensive a palette of shrubs as possi-
ble and avoid duplications, but it is surprising how
the obvious contenders for one situation are the fore-
runners for the next. Thinking of alternatives is where
the challenge begins.
Our garden at Sandhill Farm, Hampshire, UK, contains a
variety of shrubs and trees planted for year-round interest.
I have tried to be definite in my recommendations. them for more than thirty. Two things are certain:
It would be easy to say “any potentilla will do,” but we all lose track of time and plants have not read the
that leads to the question of which one. I’ve included rule book.
my first choices in the shrub entries, and the reader The shrub descriptions include an indication of
can then choose alternatives. For example, I may rec- potential size. It will certainly depend on the growing
ommend Potentilla fruticosa ‘Abbotswood’ in one conditions, and it can depend on the original speci-
situation and Potentilla fruticosa ‘Primrose Beauty’ men you plant, its condition, and possibly the clonal
in another. Unless I say otherwise, the two are really selection. Some cultivars vary considerably according
interchangeable. I have included them because they to the clone being propagated and even where the
are both good plants. cutting material is taken from on the parent plant.
I advise you to use my selections as a guide, but Some shrubs are multiplied by micropropagation and
see what is available locally or from your usual source the offspring can appear slightly different from the
of plant material. Selections vary with nursery and parent even if they are genetically identical. Take a
country. If you can choose the plants personally, so look at a batch of Pittosporum ‘Garnettii’ on a nurs-
much the better. It is preferable to have a good plant ery bed and you will probably see variation in leaf size,
of a close substitute than a poor plant of your first shape, and growth habit, even though they are all true
choice. Many planting schemes are ruined by the to type.
inflexibility of the designer. The subject of hardiness is perhaps the most diffi-
In most cases choosing the shrubs for each situ- cult to be specific about. For gardeners in the UK, the
ation was easy and the selection could have been far Royal Horticultural Society’s hardiness ratings are a
more extensive; in other instances it was challeng- relatively recent introduction. They are perhaps more
ing. Some will undoubtedly question why I have not useful in the colder areas; those of us gardening in the
included shrubs that seem obvious choices to them. warmer south pay little heed to them. Also we are an
We all use a group of plants that are familiar to us, island and the warming effect of the sea is profound,
and I always recommend plants that I have some even in the Far North. However, we get caught out by
experience of. Also it is important to remember that an unusually cold winter every few years.
all plants behave differently in different gardens. For In North America zonal information is far more
example, I never recommend sarcococcas for pots relevant. I have consulted as many sources as possible
and containers because I never have success with before stating these and they are an average, in some
them. However I have met several gardeners who cases of widely varied opinions. This is not surprising
claim to have wonderful specimens that have thrived as the microclimates in gardens vary so much. Urban
in pots for years. Similarly I usually find that Daphne areas are usually warmer. The presence of walls and
odora has a lifespan of ten to fifteen years. Yet I have buildings may mean more tender subjects survive.
met gardeners who claim that theirs has been with Exposure to cold winds or drainage of cold air down
8 ABOUT THIS BOOK
a slope can mean failure of a plant which should sur-
vive in that zone. HARDINESS RATINGS
At the end of the day it is up to the gardener to
determine the risk he or she wishes to take. We all
like to push the boundaries; that is part of the fun of Knowing a plant’s hardiness rating will help you to
gardening. determine whether it will survive in your climate.
I hope you find this book a useful companion
when selecting shrubs. I also hope you find it inspi- For the UK the RHS has devised a system of
rational and that it helps you to extend the palette of hardiness (H) ratings for garden plants based on
plants you use. If I may I would like to suggest keep- temperature ranges. Download the table here: rhs.
ing the following in mind: org.uk/plants/pdfs/2012_rhs-hardiness-rating.pdf.
• Never reject those hardy familiar shrubs that USDA hardiness zones are based on average
are widely used: they are a great foundation and annual minimum temperatures. The lower the zone
support for the desirable treasures which may or number, the colder the winter temperatures. To
may not succeed. see temperature equivalents and to learn in which
zone you garden, see the U.S. Department of Agri-
• Always consider foliage first and flowers second. culture Hardiness Zone Map at planthardiness.ars.
Leaves last for longer and are the fabric of a usda.gov/PHZMWeb/.
planting scheme; flowers are fragile embroidery.
For Canada, go to planthardiness.gc.ca/.
• Always buy good-quality shrubs, plant them
well, and look after them; they will reward year For Europe, go to uk.gardenweb.com/forums/
after year. zones/hze.html.
• If a shrub fails to perform, does not please, or
declines, remove it and plant something else. A
space in a bed or border is a wonderful planting
opportunity.
Happy gardening.
ABOUT THIS BOOK 9
