Join the shrub club for spring

FEBRUARY is the gateway to spring, and it's an ideal time to plant shrubs.

- DAVID DOMONEY

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.

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.

Find out more about adding some striking evergreens to your garden on my YouTube channel, @daviddomoney.