Why balcony gardeners shouldn't be afraid of shrubs

When I was first bandying around names for this column, someone suggested “I Don’t Want No Shrubs”. As history would attest, we never did get around to naming the column. But I Don’t Want No Shrubs, while unruly, appealed. It combined three of my favourite things: puns, small space gardening and Nineties RnB sensation TLC, whose Grammy-nominated song No Scrubs remains the finest way to get me on a dancefloor.

Container gardening presents various challenges – the plants are thirstier, they need more feeding, there’s a constant battle to ensure adequate drainage and I must accidentally unearth at least three bulbs a year – but shrubs needn’t be one of them. They’re not natural bedfellows for pots: these large, bushy plants usually provide filler, height and interest at the back of beds and in proper gardens. Containers force the grower to focus the mind and use every inch of space thoughtfully.

But earlier this year I planted up my newly acquired balcony, and I put in some shrubs. Partially inspired by Kate Gould’s gorgeous (and award-winning) City Living Chelsea Fresh Garden last year, I plumped for a Euphorbia amygdaloides and a Fatsia japonica, for starters, at least. There’s also a bamboo (technically a grass, but shrubby enough) carried over from the old balcony, which has been shuffled around after losing a good third of its foliage to a particularly precocious squirrel.    

After my first tentative steps into gardening largely involving putting small things in small pots – ultimately creating a cluttered chaos – larger containers, complete with a few well-chosen shrubs offer small spaces cohesion, structure and interest. Urban growing spaces, especially balconies, can consist of an awful lot of concrete. Sometimes it’s worth losing a little room to cover that up with lush, solidly reliable foliage.

Of course, if you are going to shrub it up in your small space, you need to plant a variety that will be happy with the confines of a container and the extremes of shade or exposure balconies can too often provide. And for this, I pestered Telegraph gardening expert Helen Yemm, who said that if you’re growing shrubs in small spaces, they have to have more than one attribute: “It may be fantastically scented but if it’s a feeble-looking plant that’s not evergreen, it’s not going to earn its keep”.

“The number one top shrub in my book,” she says, “is one called Brachyglottis'Sunshine' . It’s absolutely foolproof.” Because this is a grey plant, with hairy stems, it both retains water and resists wind, and it’s the only grey plant to grow in shade. Plus, Yemm says, it can be pinned up against a wall, which is vital to create interest and make the most of an urban space.

Yemm also suggests Star Jasmine, which I did keep alive (if unflowering) on my old balcony - probably because it didn’t get enough light. But if you’ve got a sunnier spot, those scented flowers will burst forth even in a container. Another scented option is Choisya ternata , otherwise known as Mexican orange blossom, and Yemm also suggests Pinus mugo , or the dwarf mountain pine, which is tolerant and pleasingly fuzzy.

One last – but essential – point on practicality: if planting on a balcony, make sure it can take the weight of larger tubs and the rich soil shrubs need. “Shrubs really prefer soil-based compost, which is a problem, because it is heavier,” says Yemm, who suggests using broken up polystyrene packing material or 'peanuts' rather than stone crocks to improve drainage. She also advises to resist the temptation to under-plant your shrubs with other smaller filler plants. “It’s instantly competition for water and food,” Yemm warns. “The roots of a shrub extend as far as the leaves. By planting it in a container, you’re putting it into purgatory, so you’ve got to lessen the impact of that.” Instead, mulch your shrub pots with stones and stack smaller potted plants on top.

Alice is the author of How to Grow Stuff: Easy, no-stress gardening for beginners. For more urban gardening, follow her on Instagram.com/noughticulture.