|
 For year-round interest in the garden, you can't beat shrubs and climbers. These essential plants provide permanent structure and add height, while also offering flowers, foliage, and fragrance into the bargain. A carefully considered selection will ensure a continuous performance month after month, with catkins and blossoms in spring, flowers throughout the summer, berries and bright foliage in autumn, and a finale in winter of colorful bark, frosted stems and vivid evergreens.
Whether creating a new border or planning a whole garden, it's best to plant your shrubs and climbers before flowering perrenials and annuals, which can be used to fill in the gaps.
Choose plants carefully, and make sure they match the site, soil, and space available in your garden. Look carefully at the heights and spreads of your selection, and don't be fooled by the size of plants for sale at garden centers and nurseries, since these are often immature and will grow quickly once planted.
Take note, too, of the seasons in which the plants flower or fruit, so that you can enjoy an evolving display. Foliage is another important consideration, because it has the most enduring effect.
Shrub and Climber Garden Design
Selecting and Planting Climbers and Shrubs
Pruning and Caring for Shrubs and Climbers
|
