Cushnie has regularly appeared on BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners’ Corner for 36 years, and BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time for eight years.
He has run his own landscape design company in Co Down for over a quarter of a century, and also lectures on the subject. Who better, then, to talk us through this week’s selection of essential shrubbery for your garden?
Sarcococca confusa
“Also known as ‘Christmas box’, this is my favourite winter-flowering shrub,” says Cushnie. “The glossy, dark green evergreen leaves are complemented with tiny white flowers, followed by shiny black berries, and it is scarcely credible that blooms so small can produce so much fragrance.
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“Christmas box is happy in shade but can tolerate sunny sites if it is planted in a moist, free-draining soil with added humus.
“It is totally hardy and grows to 6ft tall, with a modest spread of about 3ft.”
Erica arborea ‘Estrella Gold’
“This is commonly referred to as a ‘tree heather’, and that is as good a description as any other,” says Cushnie. “It
forms an evergreen shrub, growing up to 4ft tall and spreading to 2ft 6in.
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“Forming a lovely upright habit with needle-like lime-green foliage tipped with bright gold, the bell-shaped, chalk-white flowers appear in late spring and exude a wonderful honey scent.
“Try growing it in a container in an ericaceous, well-drained compost. Tolerant of cold winds and frost, its height makes it an ideal pot plant in a mixed bed of carpeting heathers and ground-covering conifers.
“After it has finished flowering, lightly trim the plant to keep it compact. They say that white heather brings luck, but if you have this heather in your garden you are already lucky.”
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Rhododendron ‘Vuyk’s Rosyred’
“This next shrub has a lot going for it,” says Cushnie, “covering itself every spring in deep, funnel-shaped rose-pink flowers to the extent that its evergreen leaves disappear. Rarely growing above 3ft, it forms a compact plant that needs no pruning.
“Where there is space to do so, plant a group of three, about 4ft apart, for maximum impact. Vuyk’s Rosyred is hardy, but early flowers may be spoilt by frost. Plant it in a sheltered site, in full sun or light shade, in a well-manured, free-draining acidic soil.”
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Lavandula stoechas
“Gardens without a lavender plant are poorer for their absence,” says Cushnie.
“I love them all, but if I was restricted to one it would be the French species Lavandula stoechas. Evergreen and with aromatic grey-green foliage growing to 2ft tall, it spreads to just 1ft 4in.
“Fragrant, deep purple flowers appear in early summer on 8in-long stems, each one topped with four 1in bracts that resemble rabbits’ ears.
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“It is not fully hardy, requiring a sunny, sheltered position such as the base of a south- or west-facing wall. Make sure the soil is very well drained and contains extra grit or gravel. Regular pruning will encourage a bushy plant.”
Sorbus reducta
When is a tree not a tree? When it is Sorbus reducta. Cushnie says: “This suckering, deciduous dwarf mountain ash has pinnate leaves that colour beautifully in autumn to shades of yellow, orange and red. It only grows 4ft tall, making it ideal for a rockery.
“The crimson berries appear in early autumn, quickly turning to white with a hint of pink. It needs a moist, fertile soil, preferably in full sun or partial shade, which needs to be neutral or slightly acidic.
“Once it settles into its new home it will soon send out suckers. Thin these out every spring to prevent the shrub from forming a large clump.”
Shrubs for the Garden by John Cushnie is published by Kyle Cathie and is available from Easons, priced €37.25.
Dermot O’Neill’s articles are archived on his website, www.dermotoneill.com