Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Shrubs

Valerie Boujard is a supervisor in the Arboretum at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Previously she worked there in the children's garden and then the Mediterranean Garden. Born in France, she trained at Capel Manor College, London, and started her own design, construction and garden maintenance company in 2012. She worked for seven years for private clients in London before joining the staff at Kew, where she has been responsible for the care of many different types of shrubs.The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has cultivated plants for more than 250 years. Today, Kew’s horticulturists grow over 19,000 species of plants in the gardens – the most diverse collection in the world.

• INTRODUCTION TO GROWING SHRUBSPLANTSAbeliaJapanese laurelBarberryBrachyglottis ‘Sunshine'PROJECT 1: REJUVENATING A BUTTERFLY BUSHButterfly bushCommon boxBeauty berryJapanese camelliaPROJECT 2: BUILDING A BUTTERFLY HOUSECalifornian lilac ‘Puget Blue’Japanese quince ‘Pink Lady’Mexican orange blossomCretan rock roseLooking-glass plant ‘Pacific Dawn’Dogwood ‘Midwinter Fire'PROJECT 3: CREATING A DECORATIVE EDGEWITH DOGWOOD STEMSCobnutSmoke bush ‘Royal Purple’CotoneasterWinter daphneBeautiful deutziaPaperbushPROJECT 4: MAKING ORGANIC NETTLE-TEA FERTILIZEROleaster ‘Quicksilver’Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’Spindle ‘Red Cascade’Evergreen bittersweet ‘Emerald Gaiety’Spindle ‘Bravo’Pearl bush ‘The BridePROJECT 5: CREATING A JUNGLE GARDENJapanese araliaForsythiaFuchsia ‘Genii’New Zealand broadleafWitch hazel ‘Pallida’Curry plantSmooth hydrangeaBig-leaf hydrangeaPROJECT 6: DRYING HYDRANGEA BLOOMS FOR FLOWER ARRANGEMENTSPaniculate hydrangeaRose of SharonJapanese hollyDouble-flowered Japanese rosePROJECT 7: DRIED LAVENDER FLOWER BAGEnglish lavenderTea treeGarden privetWilson’s honeysuckleLoropetalumStar magnoliaPROJECT 8: GROWING A SHRUB IN A CONTAINTEROregon grapeTree mallow ‘Rosea’Great honey flowerCommon myrtleHeavenly bambooBurkwood osmanthusPROJECT 9: PLANTING A POT-GROWN SHRUB IN THE GROUNDMock orange ‘Belle ÉtoileChristmas berry ‘Red Robin’Pieris ‘Forest Flame’TawhiwhiFirethorn Saphyr OrangeRhododendron ‘Cunningham’s White'PROJECT 10: MAKING ROSEMARY AND LAVENDER SOAPFlowering currantRosemaryRussian sage ‘Blue Spire’ElderPROJECT 11: HOME-MADE ELDERFLOWER CORDIALCotton lavenderSweet boxJapanese skimmiaJapanese spiraeaCommon lilacRakai hebePROJECT 12: PLANTING A HEDGELaurustinusWeigelaTroubleshootingWhat to do whenIndexAcknowledgments