Help - North Facing Bank

[UKSky]

I've got a high, north facing bank in the garden. it is very steep but has been terraced. It has 4 levels of terrace. The top 3 are coming along nicely with plants, but I have a problem with the lowest terrace.

The plants need to be fairly low - between 12 and 24 inches in height. As this area is right next to our table and chairs I'd like colour through the summer. We also suffer badly with weeds which bark and weed-free netting has not resolved so need good ground cover too.

Can you recommend me some lowish, ground spreading plants which have all year round foliage if possible and flowering.

Thanks very much.

Sorry, I've put a picture on my profile so you can see what I'm talking about.

Can't open your profile, but I would suggest

Heucheras - there are lots with coloured foliage - lime green would be zingy

Alchemilla mollis

Penstemons

Lavender - will like the drainage (assuming this is a raised bed) but may not like the light level

Ajuga

Houttuynia chameleon

Eryngium

Astrantia

Hi i would suggest Vinca Minor, has green leaves and pale blue flowers, there is also a vinca with green and yellow variegated leaves, called Vinca minor variegata, these are evergreen.
Try Euonymus Emerald and Gold or Euonymus Emerald Gaiety, again evergreens, but will provide bright foliage colour during the winter months.
Pachysandra terminalis is another great carpetting evergreen plant with white flowers.
Consider using some herbs, like Thyme,Green or purple sage.
If you want to see what these look like, check them out on google images or go to crocus .co.uk, if you want more ideas let me know.

I didn't suggest vinca because in my experience it is too vigorous for a mixed planting and smothers its neighbours - which is good if they are weeds, otherwise not - but it is certainly very pretty.

Joe Swift was waxing lyrical about pachysandra on the telly only the other week.

You're not going to like this, but to get weed free(er), do a massive hand weeding, taking the lot out, THEN plant, THEN mulch. It's a bore but worth it as the resulting fewer weeds are easier to control.

I've done this myself in big shady bed, and it's woke a treat .

i don't have any plant suggestions, as all the ones I use are not frost tolerant.

there are lots of good suggestions here but some general points are don't attempt anything unless you've got the persistant weeds sorted (I know, toooo boring), that's grass, bind weed, ground elder etc. Once you decide on some suitable plants buy multiples of the same thing, that way it won't look bitty if some things fail. Finally be wary of people who give you stuff and say this does really well in my garden That always means 'this has taken over my garden and I can't get rid of it fast enough'. Good luck.

Without a doubt you need the perennial geraniums such as Johnson's Blue. There are plenty of others and you could have a succession of colour . Many will grow 2-3 feet across but only 12 high.

lavender likes sun- don't bother. Astrantia likes wetness /damp- ditto.

Suggest hostas, ferns, lily of the valley, and don't forget the Christmas rose- hellebores which come in all shades of pink, plum, and white. Cut off the flowers early when dead or seedlings go everywhere.

annuals such as Nigella, Night scented stock and nicotiana.

If you want some structure maybe at each end, a box ball would look good.

Thanks for all the info. Well I have spent the weekend weeding, and weeding, and weeding I have also taken all the soil that was ontop of the weed free matting and put it back underneath. It's not finished yet, but 2 of the terraces are now weed free and mulched. I've also put about 2 inches of chipped bark on the area I've cleared so hopefully this will help keep the weeds down.

Now all the weeds have gone, and I've pruned and moved around some of the plants, I don't actually need that many, except on the lowest part of the terrace.

But I've now got some great ideas for the spaces I do have.