Deutzia 'Tourbillon Rouge' is a great addition to cottage and low maintenance gardens. It looks particularly lovely when grown in a sunny, mixed border, where its arched stems and star-shaped flowers will surely make it the star of the show. These pink and white blooms will fill the surrounding area with a sweet smell throughout the month of June, meaning that the plant can also be used in scented gardens. In the autumn, the hardy shrub's peeling, orange-red bark offers late season structure and interest. Height: 2m (6'5). Spread: 2m (6'5).
Escallonia 'C.F. Ball' is a tough, reliable evergreen shrub, featuring a thick covering of shiny dark green leaves below clumps of vivid crimson, tubular flowers that add interest to your garden throughout the summer. Attracting pollinating insects to your garden, this Escallonia is the perfect choice for evergreen hedging. It can also be grown as a specimen shrub in coastal gardens and mixed borders, providing year round structure whilst requiring little maintenance. Height and Spread: 2.5m (8?).
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blushing Bride', part of the 'Endless Summer' series, bears large clumps of attractive, white semi-double flowers from May all the way through to September. The blooms, when mature, vary in colour between soft pink or blue blush depending on the pH of your soil. This deciduous shrub is an ideal choice for patio containers, or as the centre of attention in woodland gardens and mixed borders. Hydrangeas are well known for making superb cut flowers that last well. The 'Endless Summer' series is noted for its exceptional flowering period, tough habit and disease resistance. Height and spread: 1.8m (6?).
The Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' range is so named because it keeps producing flowers?and flowers?and more flowers! From May until September, this hardy shrub produces copious amounts of pretty, lacecap blooms, the petals of which can be either delicate pink or bold blue depending on soil acidity. If its seemingly endless season isn't enough to make you 'Twist & Shout', the plant's red stems also look lovely against its foliage, which is dark green in colour. Although it grows best in full sunlight, this Hydrangea can also flourish in partially shady cottage or woodland garden borders. Height: 1.5m (5'). Spread: 1.5m (5').
Tree Peony 'Jing Yu' is a flowering deciduous shrub that has scented, large white flowers, in April and May. It will grow in time to 1.5 metres, making it a good sized shrub for medium sized gardens. Planted near to a Rhododendron with purple or pink flowers, it makes a great contrast. Paeonia suffruticosa are best planted in a sunny or partial shade position. Height and spread: 1.5m (5').
If you are looking for a flowering hardy shrub with pink flowers, then Tree Peony'Tao Hong Fei Cui' is a perfect choice. It has beautiful soft pink flowers that are about the size of dinner plates! Native to China it is ideal for oriental style gardens, but is also suitable for other types of garden, such as cottage gardens. It is deciduous and disease resistant, with up to 100 flowers on mature specimens. Very easy to maintain and will give years of pleasure, each spring. Height and spread: 150cm (60).
Native to China, Tree Peonies are much loved for their bold, late spring flowers, with up to 100 blooms on mature specimens. Tree Peony 'Xue Ta' is a white flowered variety, and looks impressive planted alongside other Tree Peonies, with different coloured flowers, in wide garden borders in various types of garden from oriental to cottage. Deciduous, it is hardy and likes a sunny or partial shade position. Height and spread: 150cm (60).
For a small shrub, Spiraea betulifolia 'Tor' offers so much interest from spring to late autumn.
Striking gold foliage accents the fantastic hot pink flowers of this easy to grow, deciduous shrub. Spiraea japonica ?Double Play Gold? maintains a neat compact, mounded shape with gorgeous orange-pink growth at the top of each stem, creating a real talking point in the garden. A perfect choice for a wildlife garden in a border or container and equally, if not more attractive planted on mass. Season long interest with minimal maintenance, perfect for beginner gardeners. Height and spread: 60cm (24?).
For outstanding colour over several months of the year, this Japanese Spiraea will undoubtedly supply you with just that. Stunning golden foliage provides a perfect backdrop to the bright pink flower heads that are bound stop everybody in their tracks. The summer blooms of Spiraea japonica ?Pink and Gold? are guaranteed to attract dozens of butterflies and other beneficial pollinators, making this an ideal choice for a wildlife garden. As the summer draws to an end, the foliage takes on wonderful autumn shades, which extends the season of interest well into October. Resilient, low maintenance and long-lasting displays ? what more could you ask for. Height and spread: 120cm (48?).
A dwarf deciduous shrub perfect for borders in small gardens, Weigela florida 'Midnight Wine' has deep burgundy leaves, which looks fantastic if planted alongside a yellow or light green foliage shrub. Its also suitable for planting in a container and adding to a patio or decking area. In May and June the plant becomes covered in rich pink, tubular flowers. Height: 45cm (18). Spread: 30cm (12).
A hardy and yet decorative ground cover plant, Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' produces eye-catching foliage with a beautiful moonlight shimmer. Its delicate sprays of bright blue flowers bring colour to your garden?s early border displays in late spring. Although ideal for dull, shady areas, this particular variety of Siberian Bugloss has thicker leaves than many other cultivars, meaning it is less prone to scorch and better tolerates sunny positions. Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' forms into dense clumps. Height: 30cm (12). Spread: 60cm (24).
Buddleja davidii 'Nanho Blue' is a vigorous and fast-growing Butterfly Bush, perfect for the back of a large border. Its silvery-green foliage is accompanied by a profusion of rich plumes of lavender-blue flowers from June to September, attracting both butterflies and pollinating insects in abundance to these fragrant and nectar-rich blooms. Easy to grow, this deciduous shrub is tough and reliable in almost any situation and soil type. Height and spread: 150cm (59).
Carex comans 'Bronze Perfection' is a beautiful sedge, capable of adding gorgeous and rich texture and movement to the front of your borders. Its arching, evergreen foliage is a striking shade of bronze, providing year-round interest and colour. Its neat, clump forming habit makes Carex comans 'Bronze Perfection' well-suited to growing in patio containers, or for dotting through borders and rockeries. This hardy perennial grass is easy to grow in almost any soil, and requires very little maintenance. Height: 35cm (14). Spread: 60cm (24).
Forming a low mound of finely-cut foliage, Coreopsis 'Cosmic Evolution' is a lovely, hardy perennial for your summer borders. A neat and well-branched plant, this pretty Tickseed is covered in large pink and white striped, daisy-like flowers from July through to September. Drought-tolerant once established, Coreopsis 'Cosmic Evolution' makes a good cut flower and is a useful addition to the wildlife garden, where it attracts pollinating insects. Height: 76cm (30). Spread: 60cm (24).
Bleeding Heart is a wonderfully descriptive name for this delightful plant. Beneath each of its scarlet heart-shaped flowers hangs a teardrop of red, with the flowers hanging in rows from gracefully arching dark red stems, contrasting beautifully with the finely cut leaves. Dicentra spectablis 'Valentine' likes to grow in moist, fertile soil in a shady spot. Grown in woodland glade or a shaded corner, the Lyre Flower brings a flash of bright colour to brighten the early summer days. Height: 75cm (30). Spread: 60cm (24).
For colour throughout the year in a sunny spot, this rainbow Spurge is hard to beat! With bright gold edges to blue-grey leaves, it is always sure to catch the eye. In winter, the foliage takes on a rosy pink tinge, while from spring to early summer, exotic flowers of lime green, each with a contrasting eye, grow towards the tip of each stem. Euphorbia x martini 'Ascot Rainbow' is a good low-maintenance plant, perfect for the front of borders or in containers on the patio. Once established, this Milkweed is tolerant of drought. Height and spread: 50cm (20).
A lovely new variety, Geum 'Cosmopolitan' has a very pretty flower with ruffles of creamy-apricot petals veined with fine rose-pink lines and tinged with deeper pink at the tips. The petals surround a deep yellow centre and the flowers are held on tall stems above a clump of semi-evergreen foliage. The sweet nectar of this Avens is loved by bees and other pollinating insects. Planted in full sun, this is a good choice for the front of the border. Height: 60cm (24). Spread: 45cm (18).
Grey-green in colour, and splashed with wide margins of pale gold, the neat oval leaves of Hosta 'Carnival' look superb all through the growing season, forming a large, spreading clump as the plant matures. Unlike many Hostas, this variety has the advantage of slug-resistant leaves. In June and July this Plantain Lily produces lavender-coloured flowers. Although, like most Hostas, it prefers shady conditions, Hosta 'Carnival' will tolerate sunshine. Height: 45cm (1'6). Spread: 1m (3'3).
Hosta 'Minuteman' well deserves its popularity as it quickly grows to form a dense clump of large, cup-shaped leaves, bottle green in colour, deeply veined, and splashed with margins of creamy-white. The attractive foliage contrasts well with the pretty, lilac flowers which are borne on tall stately stems throughout July. This Plantain Lily holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and it is a good, reliable performer, providing ground cover in moist, shady borders. It looks great among woodland planting and at pond edges. Height: 55cm (1'10). Spread: 1m (3'3).