Hardy Exotic Shrubs


Hardy exotic shrubs for UK gardens: evergreen structure, dramatic foliage and reliable year-round presence. Eucalyptus, Nandina, Ficus, Catalpa and other tough shrubs chosen for exotic character in a British border, courtyard or container.

170 products

    170 products
    Aronia × prunifolia 'Viking' 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Black chokeberry

    Aronia × prunifolia 'Viking'

    £21.99
    1
    Rhodotypos scandens 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Black jetbead

    Rhodotypos scandens

    £20.99
    1
    Rostrinucula dependens 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Weeping buddleja

    Rostrinucula dependens

    £20.99
    1
    Viburnum dentatum 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Arrowwood viburnum

    Viburnum dentatum

    £21.99
    1
    Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Japanese privet

    Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum'

    £21.99
    1
    Zanthoxylum piperitum 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Japanese pepper

    Zanthoxylum piperitum

    £31.99
    1
    Fatsia japonica 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Japanese Aralia, Paper Plant

    Fatsia japonica

    £14.79£17.99Save 17%
    1
    Griselinia littoralis 9cm / 0.5L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Kapuka (New Zealand Broadleaf)

    Griselinia littoralis

    £6.99
    1
    Sarcococca confusa 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Sweet Box, Christmas Box

    Sarcococca confusa

    £14.99£16.99Save 11%
    1
    Calliandra surinamensis Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Pink powder puff

    Calliandra surinamensis

    £42.99
    1
    Sarcococca saligna (Willow-leaf Sweet Box) Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Willow-leaf Sweet Box

    Sarcococca saligna (Willow-leaf Sweet Box)

    £17.29£22.99Save 24%
    1
    Abutilon 'Patrick Synge' 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Hardy Abutilon 'Patrick Synge'

    Abutilon 'Patrick Synge'

    £17.99
    1
    Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Meteor' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Soft-leaved Mahonia (Oregon Grape)

    Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Meteor'

    £26.29£34.99Save 24%
    1
    Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purple Stem' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Purple Stem Sweet Box

    Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purple Stem'

    £16.49£21.99Save 25%
    1
    Acacia boormanii 13cm / 1L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Snowy River Wattle

    Acacia boormanii

    £19.99
    1
    Chaenomeles cathayensis Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Chinese Quince

    Chaenomeles cathayensis

    £11.99
    1
    Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Oregon Grape

    Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape)

    £14.99£19.99Save 25%
    1
    Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Golden Indian Bean Tree

    Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea'

    £45.99
    1
    Coprosma repens 'Eclipse' 12cm / 1L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Mirror Plant

    Coprosma repens 'Eclipse'

    £7.49£9.99Save 25%
    1
    Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem' 19cm / 3L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    False Spiraea

    Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem'

    £14.29£18.99Save 24%
    1
    Mahonia x media Winter Sun Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Oregon Grape, Winter Sun

    Mahonia x media Winter Sun

    £15.99£16.99Save 5%
    1
    Callistemon salignus 19cm / 3L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    White Bottlebrush

    Callistemon salignus

    £17.49
    1
    Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Sweet Box

    Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna

    £14.99£19.99Save 25%
    1
    Diosma hirsuta 'Pink Fountain' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Confetti Bush (Breath of Heaven)

    Diosma hirsuta 'Pink Fountain'

    £16.99
    1
    Hibiscus syriacus 'Speciosus' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Rose of Sharon 'Speciosus'

    Hibiscus syriacus 'Speciosus'

    £8.99£11.99Save 25%
    1
    Cercis canadensis 'Merlot' 23cm / 5L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Merlot Redbud (Eastern Redbud)

    Cercis canadensis 'Merlot'

    £49.29£54.99Save 10%
    1
    Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' 19cm / 3L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Smoke Bush 'Royal Purple'

    Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'

    £17.99£23.99Save 25%
    1
    Magnolia figo 'Stellar Ruby' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Banana shrub

    Magnolia figo 'Stellar Ruby'

    £34.99£49.99Save 30%
    1
    Mahonia x media 'Charity' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Winter-Flowering Mahonia 'Charity'

    Mahonia x media 'Charity'

    £19.99
    1
    Eriostemon myoporoides 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Long-leaf Wax Flower

    Eriostemon myoporoides

    £13.29£18.99Save 30%
    1
    Hedera helix 'Arborescens' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Tree Ivy (Shrubby Ivy)

    Hedera helix 'Arborescens'

    £21.99
    1
    Acacia longifolia 19cm / 3L (Collection Only) Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Sydney Golden Wattle (Long-leaved Wattle)

    Acacia longifolia

    £15.99£19.99Save 20%
    1
    Nandina domestica 'Gulfstream' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Heavenly Bamboo 'Gulfstream'

    Nandina domestica 'Gulfstream'

    £30.29£34.99Save 13%
    1
    Acer palmatum 'Anne Irene' 19cm / 3L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS

    Yellow Japanese Maple 'Anne Irene'

    Acer palmatum 'Anne Irene'

    £39.99
    1
    Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' 32cm / 18L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Cutleaf Smooth Sumac (Scarlet Sumac)

    Rhus glabra 'Laciniata'

    £85.79£107.99Save 20%
    1
    Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes' 31cm / 15L - Collection Only Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Tiger Eyes Staghorn Sumac (Stag's Horn Sumach)

    Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes'

    £91.29£113.99Save 19%
    1
    Frangula alnus 'Fine Line' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Fine Line Buckthorn

    Frangula alnus 'Fine Line'

    £83.29£99.99Save 16%
    1
    Callistemon Inferno ('Yanferno') Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Bottlebrush 'Inferno'

    Callistemon Inferno ('Yanferno')

    £18.79£24.99Save 24%
    1
    Callistemon Hot Pink ('Kkho1') Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALSSale

    Bottlebrush 'Hot Pink'

    Callistemon Hot Pink ('Kkho1')

    £18.79£24.99Save 24%
    1

    The GrowTropicals Guide to Hardy Exotic Shrubs

    What are hardy exotic shrubs?

    Shrubs are the workhorses of a garden: multi-stemmed, long-lived, and structural in a way perennials rarely are. The hardy exotic ones bring that structure with a tropical or sub-tropical accent. Nandina domestica gives fine-textured evergreen foliage with red seasonal flushes. Eucalyptus gunnii 'Azura' offers silver-blue rounded juvenile leaves and glaucous stems. Deciduous Catalpa 'Purpurea' and Albizia 'Summer Chocolate' contribute dark-purple canopies through summer. Together they build a shrub layer that looks nothing like a standard UK border, and they do it year after year with almost no maintenance. Read our honest guide to what to expect from hardy exotics through the seasons before ordering.

    Care essentials for hardy exotic shrubs

    • Position: Species-specific. Nandina and Eucalyptus want full sun. Catalpa colours best in full sun but tolerates partial shade. Check the individual product page.
    • Soil: Most hardy exotic shrubs want moist but well-drained soil enriched with compost at planting. Avoid waterlogged heavy clay in winter.
    • Hardiness: Individual RHS bands per product. Most stocked here are H4 to H5 (fully hardy across most of the UK). Eucalyptus is faster to establish than to overwinter as a young plant.
    • Pruning: Deciduous shrubs like Catalpa and Albizia respond well to a hard spring cut-back for larger leaves. Evergreens are best only lightly shaped; heavy pruning stresses them.
    • Watering: Water in deeply through the first two summers. Established shrubs in the ground rarely need watering. Container shrubs need regular water year-round.

    Explore the hardy exotic shrub range

    Combine hardy exotic shrubs with architectural foliage for structural focal points, exotic border plants for a jungle scheme, screening plants for privacy, and plants for pots for balcony and patio use. See the full Hardy Exotics range for companions.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Exotic shrubs are woody plants grown for their bold, often evergreen foliage and lush, tropical look, while still being tough enough for the UK climate. They give a garden structure and a faraway feel all year round.

    Compact evergreen shrubs in pots are ideal for patios, balconies and courtyards, keeping their leaves and shape through winter so a small space never looks bare. Choose a variety whose final size suits the spot.

    The shrubs in this collection are chosen to grow outdoors in the UK, and each is labelled with its hardiness rating. The more tender types simply appreciate a sheltered position or some winter protection in colder gardens.

    Yes, many evergreen and exotic shrubs grow well in large containers for years, making excellent patio and balcony plants. Use a loam-based compost, water through summer, and feed and topdress in spring.

    Most need only light pruning to keep their shape, usually after flowering or in spring. Evergreen shrubs generally want the minimum, just removing any dead, damaged or wayward growth to keep them looking neat.

    Exotic and evergreen shrubs for year-round structure

    Shrubs are the framework of a garden, and exotic shrubs give that framework a lush, faraway feel. With bold or glossy evergreen foliage and a solid, dependable presence, they hold a garden together through every season and make a green backdrop for showier plants. This collection brings together hardy exotic and evergreen shrubs chosen to thrive outdoors in the UK.

    Shrubs for pots, patios and small gardens

    A good evergreen shrub in a pot is one of the most useful things you can own. It gives year-round greenery by a door, frames a patio, or screens a corner of a balcony, all with very little fuss. Because shrubs keep their shape and leaves through winter, they stop a small space from looking bare in the colder months.

    Structure and screening in a border

    In a border, exotic shrubs provide the bones. Use them to anchor a planting scheme, create evergreen screening for privacy, or give height and substance behind perennials and grasses. A few well-placed shrubs are what make a garden feel full and established rather than flat.

    Planting and care

    Plant in spring or autumn into soil improved with organic matter, water well through the first year, and mulch in spring. Most exotic shrubs need only light pruning to shape them, and evergreen types simply want the odd tidy. Check the hardiness and light needs on each plant to match it to your spot.