


(Image credit: Ian Lamond/Alamy Stock Photo) Up the sensory appeal with a budget-friendly water feature Avoid cutting into old woody stems and feed regularly with liquid fertilizer. 'Very versatile, they also look fantastic clipped and planted in formal border patterns, rather like a parterre design.' There are lots more ideas for landscaping with shrubs in our dedicated feature.Ĭlip up to 4–6 times a year, during the warmer growing period, removing fresh new growth. They're also very dense plants, which provide additional definition if you want to define a specific space,' he adds. 'These both have a neat, compact, little leaf, which will give you crisp and defined lines when you clip them as a pillow or ball. Other reliable plants include shrubby honeysuckle or Hebe sutherlandii, as recommended by Guy Watts, founder of Architectural Plants. 'The best species for shrub topiaries are evergreens with small, dense foliage, such as the boxwood, yew shrubs, and thuja conifers,' explains James Ramnought of Phostrogen. Plus, not only is it an opportunity to get creative – perhaps with some topiary – but it can also let more daylight filter in, encouraging other plants to grow. It's quick and easy to do, and as long as you already have a pair of the best loppers or a hedge trimmer, it won't cost you. Bring fresh form and structure into your garden by reshaping large, unruly shrubs.
