Space for a shrub any suggestions

How about a camellia - you can keep it neat and tidy if you wish so long as pruning is done at the right time so flowers appear next year. I have a really pretty one, white double petals with yellow centre. Looks almost like a rose.

Camelias are a good choice as there are so many varities to Choose from and you can prune them to keep to the size you want. My favorite spring shrub is Amelanchier, easy to prune covered in white flowers and pink leaves in spring and gorgeous autumn colour as the leaves turn red before falling.

I'm a Hebe fan as there are so many varieties to choose from. From pink to purple flowers, and lots of leaf colours to contrast with what's growing around it. They can be trimmed to keep the size you want and all will survive in all types of soil. Nothing better!

How about a grass? They are low maintenance, you can get many lovely shades from greeny blue through to copper, and I love watching the grass waving in the breeze - so soothing!

Camellia are beautiful

Hebes are good and usually really hardy. Loads of choice too.

Cammellia looks lovely

I've got a lovely Hebe called Heartbreaker in one of my borders. It has very pretty pink & green leaves- mostly pink at the moment. In the summer it has purple flowers & is a real picture. I've only had it for 2 years so not sure how tall it will grow.
I love Ceanothus but they die after about 3 years in my garden every time. I've given up now.

Dogwood 'Midwinterfire'They take anything thrown at them and reward you with brilliant red stems from late autumn to end of February when you prune and the new growth provides small white flowers.

A Hebe is a pretty good option. Can put up with most soils/conditions, lots of different ones that grow to different sizes, most are evergreen, some have multi coloured leaves, flowers look like mini lilacs but not perfumed. Butterflies and bees love them and a lot of them flower from late summer through until the first frosts

Viburnum. Flowers at beginning of year before the daffodils.

jusnoneed
Do not know what specie of Weigelia you are referring to but the ones with red flowers ie Bristol Ruby or pink flowers ie florida are deciduous, and CAST their leaves in autumn and need a yearly light, not chopping,! pruning.

My weigelia is also deciduous. It is lovely when it flowers but they can go a bit bonkers. Agree that hebes are a good one to grow. I have just bought ‘Heartbreaker’ for my garden, but there are any number of different shades and sizes to suit practically every situation.

Lavatera for me every time. Quick to flourish and a mass of flowers every year for me. Mahonia is much too prickly for me.

You can get dwarf lavatera now too - height about three feet.

Not evergreen, but if you want colour, I’d suggest a few shrub roses (David Austin, old English are my preference). They are the Navy Seals of plants. They start flowering in May, are at their best in June, but continue through the Autumn, still giving some blooms in December. Despite some people’s fears, pruning isn’t rocket science (there are even YouTube videos showing how to do it) and they are a joy to behold

Also, you could plant Hellibores along the front of the bed. They are amazing in that they flower from January (uneffected by bad weather) through to May. So you will have colour from January through to November or December, with a huge burst if colour in June, July and August.

Quince sprouts heavenly coral coloured flowers in early spring before its leaves appear, not very interesting the rest of the year though.

Peony, smokebush, tamarisk, rosemary.

I second ceaonothus. Evergreen rounded shrub with blue flowers, which can be quite a spectacular display.

There are several varieties with flowers ranging from powder blue to almost indigo. Bees love them. They also come in different sizes.

Some of the varieties suffer from frost damage ( though mine just grow back and pretty quickly too).

Sarcocca confuisa - sometimes known as sweet box or Christmas box. Evergreen, doesn't grow too big and although the flowers are pretty insignificant, the scent is amazing in January/February. Wouldn't have a garden without one.

We used to have a hedge of salvias. There's a huge range, I think ours were salvia grahamii. They have a very long flowering period.
But not suitable for all soils.

Also vote for Pieris Forest Flame. There’s something going on all year round with Pieris. Pretty white flowers (now) followed bright red bracts which look like flowers from a distance, and it’s evergreen.

Likes acid soil.
But is slow growing, and can get a bit leggy (though responds well to pruning - I just chop off any sprig which is going off on its own and that seems to keep it a nice bushy shrub.)

How about one of these, gorgeous mauve berries.
www.gardenia.net/plant/Callicarpa-Japonica-Japanese-Beautyberry

Hydrangea would get my vote. Not fussy and flowers profusely, and there is a huge variety to choose from.

Sorry Sarah, you are right they do shed leaves - mine late in the year and is covered in new growth now. I do however give it a good chop back as it's beside a pathway one side and drive the other, often ten inches or so and as and when needed. It has lived and flowered happily for many years.
Hebe is a good option, I have one with very dark purple leaves and it has purple flowers. It's 3/4ft high.
Choisya Sundance is lovely, bright foliage (again easily kept trimmed) and pretty flowers.