27-Mar March Shrub Spectacle

Sometimes they get confused with the myrobalan plum P. cerasifera which is also found in hedges and has similar white flowers, although they generally come out a little earlier. If a small tree is seen rather than a shrub it will be a myrobalan plum. If it has young green branches rather than black this will also indicate it is a plum. If you are still perplexed then look at the leaves. Those of the myrobalan plum are hairy along the midribs underneath and those of the blackthorn are not.

There are not many other wild shrubs to catch our attention this month except for the ever reliable gorse, similar patches of broom Cytisus scoparius and mountains of wild clematis seeds covering trees along the Downs. There is, however, still the newly emerging leaves of endless hawthorns. Always described as emerald green, their appearance changes the whole landscape.

Looking for flowering shrubs in gardens provides much richer pickings as they have been collected from all over the globe the provide some interest now. From last month there will still be various forms of Viburnum, Chaenomeles, Kerria, Daphne, Lonicera, Ribes and Forsythia. This month, although the date of first flowering varies, they will be joined by Spiraea, Pieris, Pittosporum, Buxus, Erica and Ceonothus. There is a good collection of the latter in the unlikely setting of Eccleston Square in Pimlico. Shrubs noticed more are the snowy mespil, Berberis darwinii, cherry laurel and, above all, camellias.

The snowy mespil Amelanchier laevis stands out due to its snow white flowers often covering this large shrub before its leaves have opened fully. Its flowers are also very attractive to bees. Sometimes its long stems look like fishing rods which is what they were originally used for.

There are one or two berberies likely to be seen but it is Berberis darwinii that always stands out due to its perfect vermillion coloured flowers. Although not particularly attractive the sheer abundance of cherry laurels P. laurocerasus and the size they reach cannot escape our notice. Their dull white candles can be seen everywhere all month but their leaves are more interesting. They have been two and four circular glands underneath which exude a nectar very attractive to insects. Their leaves used to be crushed to stun and kill insects whilst emitting the famous almond scent of prussic acid. Small pieces of leaf were also used to flavour custard till the practice not surprisingly died out. Photinias, often grown as garden hedges, get noticed not so much for their dull white flowers as for their fresh,shiny cherry red tan-coloured leaves.

A much rarer shrub worth keeping an eye out for is the Oso berry Oemleria cerasiformis. This shrub comes from the canyons of America where it is the only member of its genus. It produces clusters of pendant bell-shaped white flowers among sea-green leaves.

The stars of garden shrubs this month are of course the camellias. Some have been in flower since Christmas but this month there is a real show including the ever popular shocking pink Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’. A wide range of other varieties can now be seen without the burnt petals so typical of the white winter camellias. There are small but interesting collections in both Chiswick park and Claremont Landscape park.

The latter includes some famous old varieties such as Lady Hume’s Blush (1806), ‘Great White’ (1792) and Princess Charlotte (1834) which simultaneously bears both white and pink flowers. For rarer shrubs it is worth taking a trip to Kew where Euonymus japonicus ‘aureopictus’, Abeliophyllum distichun, Atherosperma moschatum, Genista sylvestris, Decumaria sinensis, Coronilla glauca and Medicago arborea all stand out.