What can I plant in this difficult spot please?

[WellTidy]

I have a deep raised bed, maybe 4 feet deep x 5 feet wide. It is partly under the shade of an enormous weeping ash tree, but it gets some late evening sun. Until now, There were holly bushes, ivy and some ferns on it. They've all now been cleared and I am looking to plant. Behind the bed is next door's fence, which is about 8 feet high.

I've recently planted most of the rest of the garden using the established shrubs that were there, but I've bought lots of shrubs, perennials, climbers etc. I've spent a fortune, in dribs and drabs. I would like to plan this bed properly rather than buy whatever takes my fancy and then work out where to put it.

In terms of colour, I like anything that isn't yellow, orange or red. The rest of my planting is white, pink and purple with lots of different foliage. I would love to incorporate hydrangea limelight as I don't have anything that flowers as late as that but I don't know if it would suit the spot or what else to put with it.

Crocosmia would manage in this position, it comes in a variety of red to orange and there are some large, striking versions.

Do you know how much water this area gets? There are lots of plants that do well in shade, but things get a bit trickier if the area is dry or if there is a lot of competition from tree roots. E.g. hydrangeas like a lot of water, so won't be too happy if the soil is dry.

Things that do well in dry shade include foxgloves, hellebores, some types of geraniums and spring bulbs.

If there's not too much competition from the tree, things like Japanese anemone and some types of viburnum may work, but it does depend on moisture levels (as well as light).

There is no competition from the tree, as the bed is raised, ad the tree is at ground level. But the general area is dry - I live in the south east, but I do water a couple off times a week and keep plants well watered if I now that I need to.

Do you think I would be best limiting what I buy to just a lot of a few things? Its a big area to fill. I do have a tendency to buy just one of everything so I end up with a complete mis-match and a huge amount of variety.

If you are able to water regularly, you could try a hydrangea. I don't know what the particular light requirements are of Hydrangea Limelight, but as mine is thriving in 10+ hours of full sun, it may be less happy in shade than some other hydrangeas?

For plant suggestions, I like the RHS plant finder, which you can use to search for plants that like shade, dry soil etc:

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-form

In terms of design, limiting the different varieties of plants is definitely worth considering. Like yours, my garden is a collection of random plants, but I've changed that with a new bed I've planted up, where everything that's small is planted in small groups. It looks so much better!

For design ideas, I can recommend Matt James' How to plant a Garden, which happens to have a planting plan for both deep dry shade and for lighter shade, as well as lots of other ideas on garden design.

Thanks. I will buy that book. I should perhaps have bought it before I started buying this that and the other for the rest of the garden, but hey ho! I will have one bed at least that looks more planned.

My choice would be a big impact white bed. Lots of white Hydrangeas and I would leave the heads on all through winter for interest. Although not everyone choice I also love Cockburnianus. The white bramble which glows In The winter and can be cut to the ground, when you cut back the hydrangeas. I would plant the really black Ajuja in front of the hydrangeas . This will make the white stand out and provide deep blue flowers in late spring. I would also be tempted to plant Cornus Midwinter fire interspersed through the bed for winter interest.

Acer Sango Kaku would also look good there. Either to stand alone or underplanted with white hyacinth and white rockery narcissi.

astrantia I've really missed you! How is your garden maturing? I found all of your advice so helpful when I was starting to invest time and money in the garden earlier on this year. It is really coming together now, and I have some beds full of flower and impact, I am really pleased.

So, do you think just some late evening sun will be enough for white hydrangeas to stay healthy then? I love your idea of lots of white standing out with the black ajuja and flame cornus. I also have some black grass in mind but cannot find the one I think I have in mind (pure black, I don't suppose you have any ideas please?).

I don't think I have enough height for that acer, unfortunately. Next door's fence is about 8 foot high from the ground up. My raised bed starts at about 18 inches high. I don't want anything to overhang their garden.

Hi welltidy wow you've done so much !

I have this ,which isn't grass but very pretty

that's lovely sunnyhills, exactly what I meant by 'grass'!! that would be perfect for me as some groundcover, what is it please? Is it flowering? the flowers look like those that have sprung up on long stalks from my heucheras (variety blackberry jam).

I need to stop spending money sunnyhills. I've been getting carried away. I've loved it, but I think I was way too impulsive, and just bought what I liked the look of (and I like the look of lots of things) within a colour scheme. Looking back, I should have bought lots of fewer things, and maybe then the garden would look more 'put together'. But it has been great.

how is your gardening coming along?

Hi WellTidy, I am glad I was able to help. The garden has been amazing, hard to believe that it has only been planted for 6 months. It looks like it has been there forever.

Anyway, I am always amazed at how well plants grow in shade. In my street, all of the front gardens are 7 feet wide and in permanent shade till about 6pm. Yet people grow all sorts in them.

I think white plants sometimes get a bit lost in sunshine but come alive in shade. hydrangeas particularly, look better mass planted. That way they support each other. I was wondering whether you could plant the white climbing hydrangea Petiolaris to cover the back fence. I used to have this bit gave it away in the first flush of clearing the garden. I am thinking of buying another one though.

Couple of pics here of the garden today

Is the black grass you wer thinking of, Ophiopogon?

Sorry welltidy I thought I'd also pasted the link ! Must be the heat !

It is as Astrantia says Ophiopogon.

I think it's good to buy what you like the look of - the plants will no doubt increase and you can move them around to fill the garden .It won't be money wasted .

I'm actually begining to think it's easier to grow plants in some shade than full sun .

The garden looks beautiful astrantia, you must be pleased. I hope it is as low maintenance as you'd hoped it would be. Lovely idea about that climbing hydrangea for the fence. I have a white climbing hydrangea in another part of the garden and I really like it. I am wondering if it is the same one.

Thank you for the clarification on the grass Sunnyhills. I think I am now sorted with the hydrangeas, ajuja, cornus, grass and spring bulbs. I would never have come up with this myself. Thank you very much.

It will be low maintenance from now on. I have bought things that I can leave to seed themselves. Already I have some lovely seeds heads on the Valerian, circium, Angelica and Veronica.I have put in a few fillers this year as I hate bare earth, but by next year the hedgerow plants and the grasses will have, (hopefully) expanded to take over the gaps.

I love the three different levels. Although the garden is tiny I get the feeling of a complete garden with varying views depending where I sit.

Sounds really daft, but I keep moving my chair around just to drink it in. I can see me having Christmas lunch out there. I am glad your garden is coming on. Do you have any pics yet?

I will take pics astrantia if you'd like to see some. I will do that tomorrow and work out how to insert them into my posts. I am years behind the times.

Can't add much to the suggestion for plants that are happy with some shade, except to suggest astrantia itself. Some lilies will also tolerate shade.

If its quite shady, bleeding heart might do well. I have some dicentra alba at the back of a shady, damp bed and the flowers are lovely.

Also I think that white aliums could look really interesting, and add another layer of interest when in flower. The seed heads look good too. I've found the purple ones cope much better in shade than they are supposed to. I was quite surprised that the bulbs I planted in a shady spot have come back again two years in a row, still just as big as the first spring after planting despite being planted in front of a north facing shed.