Join the shrub club for spring

Get planting this month and shrubs will provide glorious structure for the growing season ahead

- With DAVID DOMONEY

Forsythia is hard to beat for early impact, lighting up the garden with gold when little else is in bloom.

February is the gateway to spring, and it's an ideal time to plant shrubs. While borders may still look a little weary, shrubs bring immediate structure and early interest, while quietly supporting wildlife as the season begins to stir.

Plant them now and you'll quickly see tired spaces transformed, with shrubs providing the backbone for the warmer months ahead.

WHY SHRUBS EARN THEIR PLACE

Shrubs are the quiet workers of the garden. Whether evergreen or deciduous, they give shape, volume and continuity to borders and hedges, often doing far more than we give them credit for.

Some deliver early flowers, others berries, scent or colourful stems, while many offer shelter for birds and insects year-round.

Used well, shrubs will tie your planting schemes together and soften the transition between your trees, lawns and borders.