In message , Pete
writes
One of our flower beds is about to be completely cleared out, a
membrane laid and new flowering shrubs planted and I would welcome some
advice on suitable plants.

Some indications of scale would not go amiss. Not only how big your
border is, but what size of shrubs you are intending to plant (2 feet
high Potentillas, or 15 feet high Buddleias).

We are in South Cheshire, the bed (mainly solid clay) is on a slope
(being the canal bank) and faces South. We are in a rural area so the
bed is fairly exposed. I am looking for colour from Spring through to
Autumn.

Not everybody approves of Forsythia (for most of the year it's a rather
ungainly shrub), but for early spring colour it's hard to beat its
luminous yellow flowers.

You may be looking for shrubs with long flowering seasons. Perpetual
roses would be one of the classic solutions, and if I recall correctly
they're happy with clay. (I think that roses are usually more trouble
than they're worth, but many people disagree.) The sterile varieties of
Lavatera ('Rosea', 'Barnsley', 'Kew Rose' will flower for half the year
if the weather remains mild, but clay soil isn't ideal for these.

Any suggestions please.

Jeanne

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley