THESE shrubs produce masses of zingy yellow flowers each spring and are lovely grown as informal hedges or towards the back of a border. They’re also great for covering walls and bare ground, particularly if you haven’t much else flowering around this time.

They are not fussy about their soil and will grow in sun or very light shade, but you must prune them immediately after flowering, cutting back only those shoots with faded blooms. If you leave pruning until summer you will cut off next year’s flowers.