Ms

[Jules.]

I need ideas on what shrubby things to buy to blend my WIR into the garden. I'm going to extend my flowerbed on the right hand side down to the bottom of the garden, currently it stops before the willow tree, & the bench has been moved.

I also want to plant up to the left & right of the run door ( it opens outwards), but to the left need to be smaller plants as that's where I'll walk to open the door.

I'm also going to plant in front of the side of the cube ( where the door handle side is) .

 

here's the view of it from the house

 

 

and closer up

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

What a lovely garden and walk in run you have . (I know I've seen it before but it's still lovely .)

 

Re shrubs, don't do what I did .

[Redwing]

Troughs would be good, I dont know what sort of style you want to create but bamboos, Fatsias and lots of other architectural plants would look fab, most are evergreen too

[Janty]

We have just built a raised bed out of railway sleepers in front of our WIR. We have planted it up with dwarf lavender and other herbs.

[poachedegg]

Near to our cube and run, some of the shrubs we have are:

 

Photinia Fraseri Red Robin - in the spring the new growth are wonderful bright red leaves which turn to green and grows tall

 

Viburnum Tinus - gets quite bushy and gets small white flowers, grows tall

 

 

Choisya Mexican Orange blossom - glossy leaves, eventually can get quite tall.

 

Pyracantha - Good for anywhere you may have a security issue as is very spikey - at the moment ours is covered in lovely red berries.

 

I pick the shrubs for their leaves as the flowers don't last that long, whereas the leaves are all year round. All of them take cutting back in their stride, which we find we have to do quite a lot....must be the chicken poo!

[bellekatz]

Glad you are keeping your run Jules. I have acers near my runs, astilbe and honeysuckle trailing over.

[Olly]

My WIR is still only in my mind (unfortunately I have two minds on where it should go, and I'm wavering in between them) but I am planning a clematis in a pot. I'll get the sort you cut back after flowering so it will climb over the run to shade it in summer but then be cut back.

 

I think the biggest issue is getting quite large established shrubs, or protecting them maybe with some chicken wire or netting until they are established - I find with most things it's the scratching that is worst, not the eating.

[ubereglu]

Herbs and perhaps a clematis to go over your run!