Colourful Eco Hedge Collection.

This is a collection of 10 varieties of hedging shrubs that are easy to grow and maintain, selected for their remarkable foliage in various colours, deciduous or evergreen in winter. They are perfect for creating a changing and colourful hedge throughout the seasons. This kit of 10 plants in pots can be used to create approximately 10 metres (33 feet) of colourful foliage hedging.

The collection includes:

- 1 Choisya ternata Sundance - Mexican Orange Blossom: approximately 2 metres (7 feet) in height and 1.50 metres (5 feet) in spread. It is a compact bush with a rounded habit and evergreen foliage in winter. The leaves are aromatic and start off yellow-gold in spring, turning tender green, making it a bright focal point in the garden. The small pure white flowers, delicately fragrant, bloom in spring and reappear in autumn.

- 1 Cornus alba Elegantissima - White Dogwood: approximately 2 metres (7 feet) in all directions. Its grey-green foliage margined and variegated with cream-white turns pink and yellow in autumn before falling, revealing its dark coral red stems. Cream-white flowers bloom in May-June in small flat heads, followed by small round fruits that turn bluish-white.

- 1 Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple - Smoke Bush: approximately 3.50 metres (11 feet) in height and 2.50 metres (8 feet) in width, with a slightly wild habit. It has beautiful deciduous foliage in dark purple-violet, turning into flamboyant colours in autumn before falling. The flowers in June are made of yellow-green panicles, which transform into long panicles of smoky pink-purple. In autumn, both the panicles and foliage take on sumptuous colours, ranging from orange to dark pink and scarlet red.

- 1 Elaeagnus pungens Maculata - Silverberry: approximately 3.50 metres (11 feet) in height and 3 metres (10 feet) in spread if not pruned. Its evergreen leaves are a brilliant green colour with dark yellow central spots. The fragrant flowering occurs in autumn, in October-November: the pendulous bell-shaped flowers are silvery-white and discreetly fragrant. The fruits are small olive-like berries that turn coppery when ripe.

- 1 Euonymus alatus - Winged Spindle: approximately 2 metres (7 feet) in all directions, with slow growth. Its winged branches with 4 prominent and thin cork bands bear deciduous leaves that change from medium green to pink, dark red, and brilliant purple in autumn before falling. The insignificant small white-greenish flowers give way to very decorative reddish-purple berries containing orange seeds.

- 1 Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea - Purple Beech: this tree can reach 20 metres (66 feet) in height and 15 metres (49 feet) in spread if not pruned. It is appreciated for its dense foliage, composed of undulating and hairy leaves that go from pale green to coppery violet. The leaves are marcescent, meaning they dry up but remain on the tree until the following spring when new leaves appear. It blooms in spring with male catkins in yellow and female flowers in green, followed by shiny brown fruits called beechnuts, covered with prickles.

- 1 Photinia Red Robin: on average, 3 metres (10 feet) in height and 2 metres (7 feet) in spread without pruning, it stands out with its red young shoots and leaves, contrasting with its mature foliage of shiny dark green. Spring flowering (from March to May depending on the region) occurs in clusters of small flowers that are somewhat uncertain in colour, fragrant and nectar-rich. Its foliage is evergreen.

- 1 Physocarpus Dart's Gold - Ninebark: approximately 2 metres (7 feet) in height and 1.50 meters (5 feet) in spread. This deciduous shrub has a rustic appearance and decorative golden yellow foliage from spring to autumn, which falls at the end of the season. Its white flowers are grouped in balls in May-June and are followed by small red fruits tinged with green in late summer-autumn.

- 1 Sambucus nigra Black Lace (Eva) - Black Elder: approximately 2.50 metres (8 feet) in height and 3 metres (10 feet) in spread. Its finely cut foliage resembles that of Japanese maples, maintaining its dark purple, almost black colour throughout the season. In June, it bears delicate clusters of pinkish flowers that fade to creamy white, then giving way to red berries that turn black and are enjoyed by birds.

- 1 Ligustrum ovalifolium Aureum - Golden Privet: approximately 2 metres (7 feet) in height and 1.50 metres (5 feet) in spread. It has very dense foliage, semi-evergreen in winter, consisting of glossy, narrow, oval leaves with wide margins of golden yellow, appearing very early in spring. It blooms in June-July with panicles of small, highly fragrant, cream-white flowers. After flowering, small spherical black berries appear in autumn, which will persist during part of the winter.

This mixed hedge provides colour to the garden almost all year round. In addition to the appeal of foliage and flowers, it also offers attractive berries that will delight birds during the colder months. Plant these bushes preferably in autumn or early spring, in full sun or partial shade, mixing them together and spacing them 70 cm (28in) to 1 metre (3 feet) apart (1.20 metres (4 feet) for the wider ones). They are suitable for any well-prepared garden soil enriched with leaf compost. 

Tip: Only prune if necessary to limit growth, individually on each bush, and preferably after flowering or in winter.