Landscape Plants

A guide to species and cultivars of popular or useful plants for landscaping or use in public green spaces, with tips on how to use them.

Calluna vulgaris

These plants survive severe exposure and make good ground cover in cityscapes to wildlife gardens, writes Sally Drury.

3 September 2020 , By Sally Drury

Hebe

These plants are enjoyed for their dense spikes, panicles or racemes of flowers and for their foliage, writes Sally Drury.

Quercus

Oak trees are iconic, produce spectacular autumn foliage and benefit the natural environment, Sally Drury reports.

Spiraea

With a wide variety in habit, flowers and foliage, these ornamental plants ensure months of enjoyment, says Sally Drury.

Crataegus

These shrubs and trees have for centuries been used as boundaries and are also important for wildlife, Sally Drury finds.

Leptospermum

These long-lasting pretty flowers add a splash of colour to borders in spring and summer, says Miranda Kimberley.

Hebe

These colourful, undemanding and versatile evergreen shrubs offer year-round interest, Miranda Kimberley finds.

Olearia

Attractive colours and simple daisy-like flowers make these little-used shrubs very appealing, Miranda Kimberley finds.

Corokia

These underrated evergreen shrubs or small trees can be good alternatives to box hedging, writes Miranda Kimberley.

Hedera

Ivies can clothe walls or provide ground cover and are ideal for brightening a dark corner, says Miranda Kimberley.

Cryptomeria

These evergreen architectural plants provide feathery foliage and seasonal colour, writes Miranda Kimberley.

Libertia

These pretty flowers are great for amenity planting and combine well with grasses, says Miranda Kimberley.

Deutzia

These versatile flowering shrubs offer great value and are easy to grow, notes Miranda Kimberley.

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Head of Gardens and Grounds
Liverpool Hope University Liverpool, Merseyside
Senior Gardener
Rudding Park Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Experienced Gardener
Somerset White London (North), London (Greater)
Contract Maintenance Manager
Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd Farnham, Surrey
Gardener
Aldourie Castle Aldourie Castle, Inverness

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Abelia

Glossy leaves and fragrant flowers can provide welcome colour at bleaker times of the year, Miranda Kimberley finds.

Thalictrum

These elegant plants are ideal for gardens with a shady area and soil that will not dry out, notes Miranda Kimberley.

Sambucus

Versatile and tough, this genus is easy to grow and is tolerant of a wide range of soils, says Miranda Kimberley.

Thuja

These attractive trees and shrubs add great value to the landscape and are good for hedging, says Miranda Kimberley.

Choisya

These evergreen, aromatic shrubs work well in gardens, parks and amenity schemes, writes Miranda Kimberley.

Alnus

Tough alder trees can be economic as well as offering decorative leaves, catkins and cones, writes Miranda Kimberley.

Myrtus

Myrtle is a tender shrub so it is a plant for milder gardens, but with our changing climate the limits are being pushed, says Miranda Kimberley.

Pyrus

Attractive ornamental pear trees are great for street planting as well as gardens, writes Miranda Kimberley.

Alchemilla

These tough, long-lived, ground-cover plants are great in borders, rock gardens paths and walls, says Miranda Kimberley.

Arbutus

These evergreen trees and shrubs have decorative bark and can flower and fruit simultaneously, says Miranda Kimberley.

Euonymus

These evergreen and deciduous shrubs feature bright foliage, corky bark and coloured fruit, says Miranda Kimberley.

Sophora

A graceful habit, attractive foliage and often fragrant flowers are all selling points, writes Miranda Kimberley.

Celtis

This underused species could add to the diversity of our urban tree population, Miranda Kimberley discovers.

Cotinus

These useful shrubs can fill large spaces in borders and provide colourful foliage in the autumn, says Miranda Kimberley.

Ilex

Customers do not often know about the different leaf colours and shapes offered by hollies, Miranda Kimberley reports.

Crocus

These heralds of spring are highly suited to being planted in tree circles, grass and rock gardens, says Miranda Kimberley.

Camellia

These versatile, evergreen shrubs can flower from October right through to the end of May, Miranda Kimberley finds.

Living walls

The benefits of green walls make them worth investigation by all green-space professionals, says Miranda Kimberley.

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