Is there such a shrub????

[canesisters]

On my wish list... a shrub that is:
1. evergreen - or that has interesting shape/texture/color when bare in the winter
2. fragrant - possibly even fruits for the birds
3. tolerates wet soil (the drip line from the roof)

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh you aren't asking for much are you Cane? Lol

What zone are you, and what's the orientation, NSEW?
Would it be shaded later in the day by nearby trees?
What kind of soil?

 

[Nyboy]

Holly

 

[canesisters]

Oh you aren't asking for much are you Cane? Lol

What zone are you, and what's the orientation, NSEW?
Would it be shaded later in the day by nearby trees?
What kind of soil?

Oh, but @thistlebloom , I KNOW you can find one!

That spot has a bit of good soil on top (just a few inches) and is clay underneath.
Faces west/southwest
Some late afternoon shade - shaded by the house in the morning
I'm zone 7

 

[bobm]

Blueberries ... but you have to make sure the soil is acidic. See Fallcreek Nursery ( worlk's largest wholesale blueberry producer ) web site for all the do's and dont's for growing them.

 

[canesisters]

Has anyone grown 'Pyracantha 'Soleil d'Or' aka firethorn? Or 'Berberis x lologensis 'Apricot Queen' a kind of barberry? Or 'Viburnum tinus 'Spirit'??
Isn't barberry fragrant?

I found this plant finder site http://www.gardenersworld.com/plant...unexposure=4&soiltype=2&leafdrop=1&position=4

 

[Zeedman]

Another vote for holly. Evergreen, but prickly... a good trait if the shrub will be a barrier.

 

[Smart Red]

Holly (ilex) was my first thought as well and I'm sticking to it. There were some mighty purdy varieties on the page your linked.

Viburnum isn't an evergreen (here) although the birds do love their berries through the winter. Barberry in some forms can be an invasive so check it out carefully. Mine isn't an evergreen but the red fall color is fantastic.

Your other choice Firebush (pythy something) is another invasive around here, isn't evergreen, and I believe it tends toward vining rather than bushing.

 

[digitS']

I'm wondering why my google search turned up so many UK sites for any of those 3 shrub varieties, Debbie. Is it just that google is mistaken about where I am or are you looking at UK varieties?

I deal with 2 shrubs inbetween my dahlia and little veggie garden, a Viburnum and a Berberis. At least, I'm fairly sure that one is a Viburnum. It is not evergreen and must be over 10' tall with this "great desire" to spread. The Berberis is a Mahonia, an Oregon Grape and I'm fairly sure that it is the same species as the wild ones everywhere in our forests here. It is a little prickly but I like it and the bright flowers are pretty.

Pyracantha is a common garden shrub. It is fairly low-growing. I like them. Is the only thing special about the Soleil d'Or that they have yellow rather than orange berries?

I'm not much help about these sorts of things but I thought of the Mahonia right off.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

If I understand your description, it's not going to be as easy as picking a shrub that will grow in your zone. The west/southwest aspect is usually a tough one when your planting against a building.

Then with trees casting shade later in the day you will need to plant something shade tolerant. And the problem with that is that it sounds like it will catch sun at a hot time of day, plus the reflected heat from the house wall. Most shade plants that can take a few hours of sun do best with morning sun, when the day is still relatively cool.

Also your clay soil is a concern being under the drip line of your house. You will need something that can take wet feet.

Off the top of my head, yews are tough enough to grow in those conditions, but they aren't showy, flowering or fragrant. (Barberry aren't fragrant either btw.) Their are a few golden tipped yews that are different from the usual dark green ones.

Well, I just went to your site (nice!) which I should have done before shooting my mouth off, and they say that Viburnum davidii will take a western aspect. I can vouch for their beauty. I would plant one in my border for sure, but the ones I'm familiar with get pretty large. They also have it in the clay soil category, which I'm skeptical of, but maybe...

I have a personal loathing of thorned plants and barberry and pyracantha can be painful to work around. There are a lot of different sizes that pyracanthas come in, ground covers to large shrubs.
Mahonia is prickly too, but evergreen, deer resistant, (actually nearly deer proof, unless you have a lot of deer pressure and they are very hungry) has bright spring blooms, and a nice fall russeting of a portion of the leaves, so I think it's a good candidate. It's also tough as nails.

I like that site you found, I'll have to do more exploring there.