Diarmuid Gavin's guide to easy-care summer shrubs that will give your garden the wow factor

From ‘Raspberry Sundae’ to the ‘Beauty Bush’, there’s lots of low-maintenance yet show-stopping varieties to choose from

Kolkwitzia amabilis's arching stems are laden with the most beautiful pale-pink flowers

Diarmuid Gavin

Shrubs are a central facet to any garden, whether they are playing a background role as perimeter planting or forming a part of the structure such as hedging. And sometimes they play a starring role as a focal point when they have something special to offer.

As we enter summer, there are many pleasing summer shrubs that put on a delightful display of seasonal flowers. Most are low to zero maintenance, sometimes their only requirement being an annual haircut. Once you position them in the right kind of soil and aspect, they do all the work for you. And being more robust than herbaceous plants, they are suitable for domestic suburban plots where kids are playing, mucking about and kicking footballs around. Here are some easy-care shrubs that are generous with their flowers at this time of year.