Berberis darwinii
Darwin's barberry
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: April and May
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Clusters of small, nodding, orange-yellow flowers appear in mid- and late spring, followed by bluish-purple autumn berries. This upright, evergreen shrub has small, spiny, dark green, holly-like leaves and is useful to fill a difficult spot in the garden, provided it has space to spread out. It also makes a good informal, flowering hedge. Vigorous and easy-to-grow, it often produces a second flush of flowers in autumn.
Garden care: Requires minimal pruning. Where some pruning is required, cut back in autumn or winter, after the appearance of the autumn fruits.
Forsythia × intermedia 'Lynwood Variety'
forsythia
A haze of vivid yellow flowers in early spring
Cornus alba 'Sibirica'
red-barked dogwood
Bright coral-red stems in winter
Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold'
evergreen bittersweet
A tough evergreen shrub with yellow, variegated leaves
How to create a wildlife-friendly garden
An organic garden should also be a wildlife-friendly garden. Not only is it wonderful to see nature at work, but many creatures will help you achieve better results. The ponds in my garden act as a magnet to dragonflies and...
Read full articleJune pruning of trees, shrubs and climbers
June is a time to relax and enjoy your garden, but there are still some early flowering shrubs that will need pruning if they are to produce the best possible displays year after year. A few shrubs can also be...
Read full articleDeer
Symptoms Deer eat a wide range of plants and usually visit the garden between dusk and dawn. Sometimes the deer have a particular taste for flowers and will eat tulip blooms, but usually it is whole shoots that are lost. Tree...
Read full articlePlanting a hedge
Hedges by their very nature are often planted in exposed positions, so the secret of successful establishment is to make sure that they are well protected from prevailing winds for the first few years. Careful planting and covering the surface...
Read full article
Early bright-orange clusters of flower, with blood-orange markings, set against dark-green tiny leaves on a burglar-proof medium-sized bush
Val Bourne - Garden Writer