Help a novice please - container plants for shaded area?

[AliasGrape]

Hello,

I’ve never really done any gardening beyond cutting the grass, but I could really use some help.

Our house is a mid terrace, and the living room at the front has a kind of naff 70s-tastic floor to ceiling window onto the small patch of front garden then the street. The bottom is kind of patterned, horrid, opaque glass and the top normal windows. I hate it but can’t do much about it at the moment. I’d like to stick some planters in front of it to at least detract from it, there’s a paved bit then it goes to grass.

The other problem is the weird set up of the terrace where it has 2 set forward and 2 set back, so the side of next doors house on one side sticks out, and then our door/porch also does meaning that the area is pretty much constantly in shade.

So - are there any plants that are happy in pots/planters and like the shade and require minimal upkeep? Might be asking too much but please help me hate my house just a tiny bit less! (I have plans for the interior too but gussying up the front a bit will really help I think).

Quite a lot of ideas here. www.gardenersworld.com/plants/container-plants-for-shade/

Ferns are pretty bomb proof in shade, although you will have to water them. They come in a variety of shapes and a range of green shades.
A fernery can look quite spectacular, have a look at examples on Google, although some of theses are very large!

I had a backyard in the NW that was grim when I moved in. Jasmine, iceberg climbing rose, hardy ferns and a Japanese maple all did well in pots. Bulbs of various sorts thrived, they are not just for spring.

Thanks guys! I’m actually quite excited!

I had a balcony in the shade around 10 years ago and grew hostas and cannas for a bit of a jungle feel. Cannas are seriously sturdy. Some builders in the winter poured excess concrete over them thinking they were just soil filled pots and the cannas grew right through the dried cement. People think they need lots of sun but I've found that that's not the case. On a balcony you won't need to bring them in for winter either.

I currently have a canna like this www.theflowerbulbcompany.co.uk/shop/canna-tropicanna/
but I didn't get it from there so cannot vouch for the company.

Fatsia japonica and ferns 😀

Wow Enb to the concrete tale .

What is it about builders that they are inexorably drawn to dumping things ,dropping things exactly where something is growing?

I have planted up some guttering and fixed it to the fence btwn our house and next door .Lots of delicate little plants .Just the place to put your coffee mugs that the kind householder ( me ) has supplied .

And double wow to that canna ! .I'm off to look cannas up .

Hostas are lovely in pots and can easily be divided if they get too crowded. Having them in pots also helps prevent slugs! One of my favourite hostas is ‘The Night Before Christmas’ - it has a lovely stripe down the middle of the leaf. “June” is also lovely, sort of blue and yellow. Ferns look fab and there are loads of types. Check out Arythiums for something bit different to what you probably think of fern-wise.

Wow, I too am impressed by that canna! A canna also appeared on my compost heap recently.

Well, you know what they say (almost)... canna break the laws of physics

Wow @Enb the canna story! If they can break through concrete they might just withstand my tender love and care

@Cakecrumbsinmybra I like the idea of ‘June’ as it was my late mums name.