Shrub suggestions please

Don't 'things' (aka weeds) grow in your slate chippings, Hetty?

They're such opportunistic little b*ggers they pop up everywhere in my garden, even in the walls...

I agree with SpringyChicken - that membrane is a real pain when it gets old and begins to disintegrate. I much prefer slate chippings.

Nandalot, please think twice before buying weed suppressing membrane. It really isn't the heaven sent solution to weeds. Weed seeds will grow very happily into the membrane and thrive. In my experience of helping a friend who was a devotee of membrane with pebbles on top, it's a pain in the backside. Far better to apply thick mulch directly onto the soil and use a hoe once a week to dislodge seedlings. Success depends on doing this regularly. Hoeing is a much neglected aspect of gardening but if done when the weeds are small, a large patch can be done in minutes. Small weeds shrivel very quickly, no need to pick them up. Sharpen the hoe blade regularly to make the task even easier.

Alexa

Another vote for viburnum bodnantense, the smell is amazing! The flowers are attractive too.

I love my phormium, there are so many different colours too. When a bit big, they can be split.

I think that Choisya is an absolute thug. I have two. One each side of my front porch. They were hacked back to almost nothing when the outside of the house was painted and grew back very quickly.

Chinese Witch Hazel (Hammamelis) is a good winter flowerer with a powerful scent. I don't think it grows very fast.

I have a viburnum bodnantense that starts flowering on bare branches about October and flowers all the way through until April. It's honey scented, you catch wafts of it... Mine is very big, but I have seen them clipped into submission. I think they probably flower on old and new wood because clipping doesn't seem to bother them.

What does cloud pruned mean, Esspee?

Squiffy, I agree about privet. Judiciously pruned and allowed to grow tall it can make a nice evergreen small tree for small gardens. Evergreens are so often gloomy and too tall but privet is quite a bright green and comes as a golden variety too.

I’m considering doing the same OP but I am thinking of adding interesting shapes with colour. Perhaps box and golden privet shaped as balls of varyIng heights/diameters and pyramids or cones, some blue green hebes, euonymus emerald and gold etc. and perhaps something cloud pruned. All will be done from scratch.

I have been adding topiary to the front garden for a few years now and it always looks smart with very little work.

Another vote here for euonymus and hebe! I've found them to be indestructible, as well as all their other attributes!

If you don't mind a bit of judicious pruning, privet is a good evergreen shrub, which has sweet scented white flowers - it doesn't have to be confined to use as a hedge!

Abelia is a beautiful shrub too, beautiful leaves and flowers, best of all it's evergreen.

I am a fan of euonymous the sort with small silver edged leaves. It can be radically pruned to keep it low and dense but if it overgrows still looks nice and can be cut right down and will grow up densely.

Thank you for all your suggestions, now to start planning.

Euonymus, there are many attractive ones, evergreen too and about 3-4 ft ish when grown.
Spireas ( many kinds)
Smaller Viburnums such as Spirit (5 ft) can be trimmed.
Grasses of all kinds if they are suited to your soil.
Small conifers, there are many dwarf kinds, I like the blue green ones that spread, or the upright ones.
Rock roses
Azaleas.

Choisya is a good evergreen plant as it floweres well, smells good and does not mind a good prune to keep it the size you want. What about some grasses which would provide movement and softness but not be too blocking? I like Stipa Gigantea but there are many types. Usually only needing once a year attention. Depending on the size of the bed I would choose just 3 or 5 shrubs/grasses and repeat plant. Easier for maintenance that way too..

Depending on the size of you patch, look for something that’s in flower for each month of the year so you always have something of interest. If you patch isn't so big think of something for each season. Well composted bark is ok, but think carefully about the fabric. It stops good organic matter from leaf fall etc getting through to the soil! If you search the internet for small shrubs for say January, you should be able to get a list together. You don’t say what your soil is like so go go for plants which tolerate a wide range of soil.?

Hebes come in a wide variety of size, colour of leaves and flowers are white through to dark purple. Many of them flower throughout the year.
Easy to maintain with a occasional light prune to keep the bushy.

Mahonias are nice if you want something that will flower in the winter, they are evergreen with shiny leaves, and most varieties don’t grow too large.

Daphne grows to about 3x3 feet. Mine is just coming into flower and smells heavenly.

I have a small shrub bed and try to have a shrub in flower every month they are also small.

I’ve had winter honeysuckle in flower for a couple of months.