Shrub help please

Caleo

Silver bordered euonymus doesn't have eye catching blossom but with its pale green and silver foliage all year round it hardly needs extra decoration. It's hardy , tolerates dappled shade , in full sun and decent clay soil it spreads well including over gravel, and can be lightly or heavily pruned to taste.

What it lacks is height. I doubt if it ever reaches more than 18-24 inches high

I was going to suggest this - looks nice all the time, and will have small/insignificant flowers to attract wildlife.

Cotoneaster is very bee friendly and easy to grow. Ours (in a tub) has survived for years. Can be cut to size. Recommended.

Silver bordered euonymus doesn't have eye catching blossom but with its pale green and silver foliage all year round it hardly needs extra decoration. It's hardy , tolerates dappled shade , in full sun and decent clay soil it spreads well including over gravel, and can be lightly or heavily pruned to taste.

What it lacks is height. I doubt if it ever reaches more than 18-24 inches high

Maizie suggested a Daphne .
They are exquisite and not seen so often in gardens .

Why not plant the lavender around the base ? You'll need about three of them . If fact you could plant them around the base of most shrubs .

I love Ceanothus , but mine has become enormous .
Viburnums are really tough . I love Viburnum Bodnantense .

There's a huge choice of flowering shrubs .
I envy you at the plant nursery !

I garden on clay with compost and grit added when planting. So far I have had success with Abelia " Edward Goucher" (evergreen/semi evergreen), which survived the latest drought and hard frost here in Surrey. Abelias are long flowering and attractive to pollinators. It is easy to prune into a shape that's not too dense.

There are several types. I think I might treat myself to another.

I was about to start a thread with that very question.

My shortlist includes sarcocca hookeriana. Anyone tried that?

Ceanothus is lovely, but only has a short flowering period. Camellias are good too, but they have a short flowering time too. They do have lovely glossy foliage though.

Lots of Ceanathus too, blue or pink.

Lots of Escallonias to choose from.....

Does it have to be evergreen?
Hydrangea arborescens

Lilac and Honeysuckle are happy in clay of course but tend towards straggling. There is an evergreen honeysuckle however.

Lavender won’t like heavy soil, Hydrangeas come in a variety of types and flower for a long time. However, they are not evergreen. Viburnums come in a wide variety and would suit your situation. Some flower in spring and have fabulous scents. Osmanthus is another lovely shrub with a scent.
Shrubs with long lasting flowers are quite rare, most have a flowering season and then berries.

Sorry I should have added it would be in sun, not full sun.

Love Eleagnus. Flower in early autumn with clove scent, berries that birds love. Or another favourite is Myrtle, lovely little white flowers in august, pretty berries in late autumn that the birds love, and every part is edible.

It depends on whether the shrub will be in full sun. If it’s in shade or partial shade, I’d recommend a skimmia. I have a skimmia japonica Nymans, and it’s lovely all year, with shiny leaves, white flowers and red berries. I do snip mine to use stems for flower arrangements, but I think it would be still compact regardless.

RHS suggestions here www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/shrubs/evergreen-by-size

The daphne sounds luscious. And there's good old lavender, though both might be smaller than you want.

I have heavy clay soil which I have worked to improve over the years. I do find that a layer of gravel around a plant seems to satisfy those that need good drainage. I killed several rosemary plants before I planted one in a gravel topped area.