Shrubs for summer flowers

Shrubs are back in fashion and are brilliant for low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly plantings, says Anne Swithinbank, as she reveals some of her top choices

- Anne Swithinbank

SMALLER and bushier than trees, shrubs have a permanent structure of woody stems and form the mainstay of most gardens. Whether deciduous or evergreen, their twiggy structures add height and dimensions, shade out weeds and enclose gardens to make them feel secluded.

Their leafy stems and nectar-rich flowers are great for wildlife, too, providing roosting and nesting sites for birds and attracting pollinating insects. There are many characterful summer-flowering shrubs of all shapes and sizes ready to improve the outline and performance of your garden. They'll take well planted now into warm soil as long as they can be watered during dry spells.

Summer-flowering favourite

Choosing from many lovely plants is a challenge, so I asked renowned plantsman Roy Lancaster to nominate a favourite summer-flowering shrub. "It has to be Philadelphus 'Belle Étoile' which I wouldn't be without" he said. "I value it for its hardiness, the fact it grows in almost any soil, and for its reliability in flowering. I adore the all-pervading fragrance of its white flowers with their central maroon flush, it is a favourite with bees and other insects, and it's readily available.

Enveloped in the scent

"I shall not easily forget a sunny summer day during the lockdown in 2020 when I was sitting in our garden with a glass of wine listening to a thrush singing in a nearby tree. I closed my eyes the better to enjoy the moment and was then immediately enveloped in 'Belle Étoile's scent." Roy's advice is to prune the flowering shoots hardback when the flowers fade to encourage the development of strong new growths to bloom the next year.