For a larger garden or to provide height at the back of a bed, decent sized shrubs (1.5-3m height and spread) can offer great structure and function. Large evergreen shrubs also offer screening and provide privacy. Deciduous shrubs offer practical opportunities to provide shade and shelter in gardens too small for trees. Unlike many trees shrubs respond well to pruning.
Normally at least a third of the shrubs in a border will be evergreen or semi-evergreen. This lends a strong structure, even in winter.
This selection consists of widely available, medium to larger shrubs for general garden use.
See our additional advice page for a selection of smaller shrubs for year round interest.
Before choosing a shrub it is important to understand your garden. Here are a few points to consider before making your choice;
A suitable soil test (RHS Soil Analysis Service) will help identify the soil texture and acidity or alkalinity which will influence the range of suitable plants. Acid-loving (lime-hating) or ericaceous shrubs grow best in a pH range of 4-6, and ideally pH 5-5.5.
Shrubs have been chosen with an emphasis on flowering qualities and there are many other good shrubs for autumn colour or winter berries. Plants are grouped by season of flowering.
f = female m = male v = variegated
a) Evergreen Berberis darwinii AGM, B. ‘Goldilocks’ Camellia japonica, C. × williamsii (many) – lime hating Ceanothus ‘Puget Blue’ AGM Choisya ternata AGM Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ (m) AGM Osmanthus delavayi AGM, O. × burkwoodii AGM Pieris ‘Firecrest’ AGM – lime hating Poncirus trifoliata Rhododendron (many) including deciduous azaleas – lime hating (size 2.5-4m) (size 4-8m)
b) Deciduous Berberis × ottawensis ‘Superba’ Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Moerloosii’ AGM Cornus mas Cytisus multiflorus, C. scoparius Deutzia × hybrida ‘Mont Rose’ AGM, D. × rosea ‘Carminea’ AGM Enkianthus campanulatus AGM Forsythia × intermedia ‘Lynwood’ AGM – lime hating Magnolia liliiflora ‘Nigra’ AGM – lime hating Magnolia stellata ‘Water Lily’ AGM Paeonia ludlowii(s) Ribes sanguineum ‘Pulborough Scarlet’ AGM Stachyurus praecox AGM Viburnum × burkwoodii ‘Fulbrook’
a) Evergreen Escallonia ‘Donard Seedling’, E. ‘Peach Blossom’ AGM Hebe ‘Great Orme’ AGM (slightly tender) Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ AGM, H. ‘Rowallane’ AGM Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ AGM Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’ AGM
b) Deciduous Abelia × grandiflora Buddleja alternifolia AGM, B. davidii Ceanothus × delileanus ‘Gloire de Versailles’ AGM Fuchsia ‘Riccartonii’ AGM (slightly tender) Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’ AGM Kolkwitzia amabilis ‘Pink Cloud’ AGM Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’ AGM, P. ‘Virginal’ AGM Rosa (many shrub roses) Spartium junceum AGM Spiraea nipponica ‘Snowmound’ AGM Syringa × josiflexa ‘Bellicent’ AGM, S. vulgaris ‘Katherine Havemeyer’ AGM, S. ‘Madame Lemoine’ AGM Tamarix ramosissima ‘Pink Cascade’ Viburnum plicatum ‘Grandiflorum’ Weigela ‘Mont Blanc’
a) Evergreen Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Variegatus’ AGM Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ AGM
b) Deciduous Abelia × grandiflora Berberis × ottawensis ‘Superba’ Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii AGM Cotinus ‘Flame’ AGM Cotoneaster bullatus AGM Hibiscus syriacus ‘Hamabo’ AGM, H. ‘Woodbridge’ AGM Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Altona’ AGM, H. paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ Rosa ‘Geranium’ (moyseii hybrid) AGM, R. sericea subsp. omeiensis f. pteracantha
a) Evergreen Cotoneaster lacteus (berries) AGM Mahonia × media ‘Charity’, M. japonica AGM
b) Deciduous Lonicera fragrantissima Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’ AGM, H. mollis ‘Pallida’ AGM – lime hating Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Viburnum × bodnantense ‘Deben’ AGM, V. ‘Dawn’ AGM, V. farreri (syn. V. fragrans) AGM
a) Evergreen Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ (v) AGM Fatsia japonica AGM Ilex aquifolium ‘Handsworth New Silver’ (f/v) AGM Photinia × fraseri ‘Red Robin’ AGM Prunus lusitanica ‘Variegata’
b) Deciduous Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ (v) AGM, C. ‘Spaethii’ (v) AGM, C. mas ‘Variegata’ AGM Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple’ AGM Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’ AGM
RHS Find a Plant
The Timber Press Encyclopedia of Flowering Shrubs by Jim Gardiner (Timber Press 2011, ISBN 978-0881928235)
The book is made available through the RHS Lindley Library.
10 AGM shrubs for autumn berries 10 AGM winter flowering shrubs
Join the RHS today and save 25%
RHS Gift Cards
An RHS Gift Voucher Is The Perfect Way To Inspire Someone With a Passion for Gardening.
Find out what to do this month with our gardeners' calendar
Sign up to receive regular gardening tips, inspiration, offers and more
View our Privacy Policy
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.
Sign up to receive regular gardening tips, inspiration, offers, and more
View our Privacy Policy.