Summer flowering shrubs

We often rely far too heavily on herbaceous perennials at this time of year to give us a sparkle in the garden but why don’t we look to shrubs to enhance summer colour, scent and attract pollinators?

Some of my very favourite shrubs will flower at this time of year.  The first that springs to mind is flowering away at this very moment in my garden and that is Itea ilicifolia, once tricky to find but now much easier to source.  This is an absolute beauty, an evergreen with holly-like leaves (hence the name ilicifolia), with long racemes of sweetly, honey-scented, cream flowers that bees just adore.  It is in my top five shrubs of all time, as it adds so much to the summer border. It does need a sheltered position and preferably in the sun, but I must admit mine is on a north-facing wall and flowers just fine!

My next choice is Myrtus communis another fine evergreen with tufty, white, deliciously scented flowers.  It’s another one that prefers a sheltered spot and idea for placing next to a sitting area.  It will also tolerate a little bit of shade but like the Itea the warmer and sunnier the spot, the more floriferous it will be.

My next choice is a little-left field, and I never can understand why it is not used more in the UK. It is Clethra alnifolia, a sweetly scented shrub, good for woodland shade.  It can be prone to suckering, but my thoughts are that it is a great choice for a location where it is welcome to sucker, like a woodland.  It prefers a lime-free soil too.  The common name ‘Summersweet’ says is all really!  So do give my sweetly scented selection some thought and extend your summer interest.  The bees will love you for it!

Nursery sources:

Beth Chatto - www.bethchatto.co.uk/shop-plants.htm

Pan Global – www.panglobalplants.com

Great Dixter Nursery - www.greatdixter.co.uk/visit/nursery

Burncoose Nursery - www.burncoose.co.uk