For year-round structure, plant Evergreens
OUR gardens are positively overflowing with colour at the moment – summer-flowering perennials, bulbs, bedding plants and shrubs are all providing bold hues and scent. So you might not think that now is the time to be thinking about evergreen shrubs – but it is.
In fact, you have between now and the end of October to select, buy and plant evergreens of your choosing. After that, the chilly winds of late autumn and winter can desiccate the leaves of newly planted evergreens, even if they are being well-watered.
Most evergreens will give years of pleasure for a relatively small outlay. These aren’t plants you replace every year; they may well be with us for a very long time, which is all the more reason to select them wisely and grow them well.
By definition, evergreens offer something of interest all year round. Many flower in summer (the likes of lavender, cistus and hebe), but there are spring- and winter-flowering
