North facing front garden looks sparse..low maintenance shrub ideas?

[minkah]

I need some advice. I want to plant some nice shrubs that have attractive foliage and won't grow into huge bushes, and that like North facing light.

Any ideas gratefully received, I'm a total noob.

Is lavender a good idea? Love the fragrance.

I'd suggest flowering currant, but it's deciduous and does need a lot of pruning. Completely bomb proof, though, with spectacular pink flowers in Spring. The only other big thing people have on the shady side of their houses here are conifers, but we have pretty harsh winters.

Generally, anything without darkish green leaves needs more sunlight, so doesn't do so well in deep shade.

All the lavender in our street is on the sunny side of people's houses, too.

Prunus laurocerasus otto luyken.
Christmas box- saracocca
Euonymus fortunei
Caster oil plant
Slow growing yew in green or gold form
Weigela
Some camellia

Daphnes eg daphne odours or tangutica.

We have lavender in our north facing rear garden which is doing fairly well

Some hebes and hydrangeas might work, I have cotoneaster in mine but needs pruning. Possibly an acer I have one in mine that seems to do well in the shade, greenrememberedhills suggestions sound lovely!

ceanothus
ceratostigma
fuschias
hydrangeas
japonica
deutzia

are little shrubby plants which do well in my north facing garden. If you have acid soil, or conifers beneath which the soil is acid, then azaleas and rhodedendrons might do well too

Choisya ternata - Mexican Orange Blossom does fine in shade, although it won't have as many flowers as if it were in sun. The flowers and foliage are scented.

For good flowers, although it is deciduous try Lavatera - they love shade. They don't live very long - say 5-10 years but grow quickly, and are easy to grows cuttings from.

Also, in my experience, hardy fuchsias and hydrangeas do well in shade and flower in summer, although they may lose leaves in winter. They do need some attention - some fuchsias die back over winter and need cutting down to the ground in spring then come back to flower all summer, and hydrangeas need their flower heads cutting off though I like them staying on over winter.

Hydrangeas
Teuchrium
Cotton Lavender
There is a honeysuckle that likes some shade.

Spotted laurel is boring but reliable, and can brighten up a north facing garden. Can eventually grow huge, but will take forever to get there, and can be cut back.

Camelias can do OK if your soil is acid too, I have seen some nice ones in north facing gardens.