ᐅ Which ornamental shrubs do you have or would you recommend?

And one more addition/question: what do you think about planting evergreen shrubs sporadically within a flowering hedge (about 20 m (65 feet) long)? The rest would be deciduous, but in two or three spots, I would like to slightly break the line of sight to the sofa. Which plants would be suitable for this—should not be pruned into a specific shape...

We have an approximately 10m (33 feet) long informal privacy hedge with a variety of plants that mostly bloom at different times, arranged for me by the garden center so that something is in bloom from spring to autumn:

- Variegated willow
- Butterfly bush in various colors
- Weigela
- Forsythia
- Variegated privet
- Jasmine
- Red smoketree
- Dogwood, I believe it is variegated white
- Ranunculus

The shrubs were planted in autumn 2017 and survived the winter well. This season, all of them except the forsythias have grown well. And indeed, there has been something blooming from spring through autumn… right now, the butterfly bush is still flowering, and there are even a few ranunculus flowers left. However, it’s not really providing much privacy yet. The plants are about 1 to 1.3m (3 to 4 feet) tall now. In hindsight, I would have preferred to buy them larger from the start.

We also have a similarly long lilac hedge, which is about 5 to 6m (16 to 20 feet) tall but unfortunately bare at the bottom. Lilac grows fast but also spreads quickly. Well, the hedge was already there; I might plant some medium-height shrubs underneath. Other hedges (yes, the property is quite long) consist of classic privet (about 20m / 66 feet), red dogwood, and one or two shrubs I don’t recognize. Some roses and beech trees can also be trained as hedges. We also have an Amelanchier and a hazelnut… but as solitary shrubs.

My tip: Visit a local garden center. They will put together a selection for you free of charge (after all, the location is crucial—where the plants get sunlight, water (large trees nearby, etc.), and the wind exposure should be considered depending on the site, as well as maintenance effort, growth rate, and so on). The plants are good quality, soil is relatively affordable there, many offer delivery, and they usually provide good advice free of charge as well.

I'm just thinking about which shrubs still bloom in the fall, but I can't think of any. Except for the garden hydrangea... or is it the mophead hydrangea? But also the white viburnum, is that the correct name?

Hello Winniefred,
thank you for your list. So, you have more than 10 additional shrubs for 10 meters (33 feet) longer, right?

I have already been to the nursery, but unfortunately had too little time, and the question got overlooked during the initial overview. For example, I am still not completely decided whether the garden should or can be completely chemical-free. In that case, for example, viburnum would be excluded. :-S

For the final purchase, I am planning for a larger quantity and will specifically ask again about autumn-flowering plants. :-)

So my hydrangeas don’t really bloom anymore, but the flowers are still fully there, gradually changing from white to pink, and that will last for a while. So they still look quite pretty for autumn. Currently, as I mentioned, my butterfly bush and ranunculus are still blooming somewhat, as well as my shrub roses (especially my 3 Rosy Boom). Alternatively, you can also plan for shrubs that produce fruit (like rose hips) or berries in autumn, which serve as color accents instead of flowers. The first trees and shrubs are already starting to shed their leaves gradually, so it’s enough to have some flowering plants or fruit-bearing decorations here and there until mid-October; after that, it will soon be all bare.

We have a total of 12 shrubs in this hedge, 11 of them along about 10m (could be more meters... I don’t remember exactly) and they are all planted roughly 1 to 1.3m apart; the 12th shrub is around the corner. Eventually, they will grow together loosely—so it will form a loose hedge. I want to let the hedge grow to just under 2m in height.

Toxicity is, of course, also a consideration if you have small children. A gardener can certainly advise on this as well. It was important to me that we don’t have anything extremely toxic, especially since we have pets as well as children.