Not invasive in any way and not really a bamboo, this attractive evergreen shrub has dark green pinnate foliage and masses of large glossy bright red berries during autumn, winter and early spring. Read more about Nandina domestica
We grow this in our dry garden where its silver leaves and whorls of yellow claw like flowers are handsome the year round. We cut it back halfway during winter to keep it tidy. It flowers on new wood from spring until autumn. Read more about Phlomis grandiflora ‘Lloyds Variety’
This new import is, to my mind, the most beautiful in foliage of all the Phlomis. At Lambley it has made a handsome, evergreen shrub a metre or so tall by nearly as much across in a year. Read more about Phlomis ‘Lemon Blush’
A rare and beautiful Phlomis from the region of the Judean mountains in Israel. Handsome evergreen foliage, hairy silver beneath and grey above with whorls of quite deep yellow claw-like flowers which are produced over a long period from spring into summer. Read more about Phlomis platystegia
This is a terrific new (to us) Salvia raised by Robin Middleton who has the excellent web page Robin’s Salvias. ‘Penny’s Smile’ is a seedling of Salvia ‘Silkes Dream’. It makes a shrub to 100cm tall by as much across. Read more about Salvia ‘Penny's Smile’
This Award of Garden Merit plant is one of the most spectacular of all spring flowering shrubs. Naked arching stems are smothered from top to bottom with a myriad of small white flowers. Whilst best grown in full sun it will also grow in light shade. Read more about Spiraea thunbergia
Viburnum awabuki is a handsome evergreen foliage plant with glossy deep green leaves 8 to 12 cm long and 2-4cm wide. It makes a good hedging or screening plant and tolerates a fair bit of shade. It is also quite drought tolerant when once established. Read more about Viburnum awabuki
East Asia, China, Japan and Taiwan is the home of this beautiful shrub where it grows best by the side of streams. Outside of the cooler hills districts it’s best planted in some light shade in a spot where it doesn’t dry out during summer. V. Read more about Viburnum plicatum ‘Lanarth’
This noble shrub was introduced into western gardens from Japan in 1879. Growing up to 3 metres tall and wide it has strong horizontally tiered branches. White flowers are held above the foliage during mid spring. An added bonus is the reddish purple autumn colour. Read more about Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’
The flowers of this beautiful form turn pink as they age. Viburnum plicatum is native to China, Japan and Taiwan where it grows by the side of streams. One of the wonders of the late Stuart Rattle's Musk Farm where it thrived. Read more about Viburnum plicatum ‘Pink Beauty’
