what to plant under privet hedge in west facing front garden

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I have privet hedging in my little London terrace front garden which I can't really do anything about other than trim it down and keep it under control. But I want to underplant it to make it a bit more pleasant to look at. I have a couple of vincas which seems to be doing well but what else would survive? It doesn't get masses of sunlight, as there is a 3 ft wall as well but as it's west facing, it's not totally in the dark. I will be renewing the soil as much as I can with manure etc but the hedge is pretty established so whatever I put in needs to be able to fend for itself!

Any ideas?

Hardy geraniums (cranesbill, NOT pelagoniums) are colourful, can make nice domed clumps, come in various shades, and some varieties will spread as ground cover. If you research them via internet, you should be able to track down the habit, shape and size of them. I think there are 300+ to choose from!

www.plantpref.co.uk/hardy-geraniums.html

hardy-plant.org.uk/geranium/

www.thompson-morgan.com/growing-hardy-geraniums-from-seed

Fuchsias are a possibility, but will need more nurturing. They can be fun to propagate though, as root very easily from cuttings.

www.fuchsiaflower.co.uk/index.htm

www.thebfs.org.uk/index.asp

It's really hard to find stuff that does well - you have the worst conditions under there: dry shade, and a thug of a shrub that will try to grab all the nutrients and water it can. I have so much privet in my garden and I hate it!

The one thing I have found that does very well indeed is campanula carpatica. It sort of out-thugs the thuggish privet. I have let it spread right along under the bottom of the hedge and when it's in flower, it looks quite spectacular.

oooh, good ideas! Lots of campanulas round about so that could be a good choice. I do like the hardy geraniums too, some very pretty ones. One side is slightly brighter and more open so I might experiment down that side and put the street fighters underneath the main bit of privet.

And for early interest, snowdrops would be OK. Now is a good time to divide clumps and spread out, if you know anyone has some to spare. And crocus and other early bulbs.

Also hardy cyclamen, come in pink or white, and will self-seed after a year or two; we have thousands!

[Yesterday, forgot to say LOVE your babies!]