West-facing border - what would you grow?

[Mummymay2]

My PIL have zero gardening knowledge and have just moved into a house with a north facing garden. It's quite narrow, made more so by the mixed hedge along one side being seriously overgrown to a depth of 4-5feet so regrettably I think this is beyond renovation so we'll have to take it out and replanted with lower, smaller shrubs to open up the garden a bit.

The border is west facing, about 20 feet long and is the only part of the garden that will be planted - the other side has a garage and we are planning a patio at the end. The remainder of the garden is grassed.

So what plants would you suggest that aren't fussy, need minimal maintenance (I could prune a couple of times a year but not much more), and will look generally neat and tidy?

And I meant to say the soil is neutral to alkaline and free draining. The garden isn't overlooked so no need for screening plants

Reliable, fuss-free mix of shrubs that flower and evergreens, I think. Choisya, weigela, hydrangea, cotoneaster, viburnum, holly, that kind of thing? Maybe with some spring bulbs and summer bulbs (allium, nerine) for variety and colour.

Doing really well in my west facing bed is eriseyum Bowles mauve and escallonia pink Elle at the moment. The escallonia is fuss free and stays at about 4 foot, but the eriseyum is doing so well that it needs a bit more regular pruning.

Yes, thanks - exactly those sorts of shrubs! I'd also thought of continus, ceanothus and euonymus. Escallonia very good idea.
I would go for spring bulbs but am a bit out off by the clear up after flowering (at which point PIL would probably pull them up entirely 🙄)

My perennial sweet peas, Lathyrus, do well in the West facing border,.

Ceanothus, of course. I love mine, I am quite evangelical about it.

What about pittosporum? I have P. Elizabeth which is really lovely, variegated with a pink tinge. I also have P. Tom Thumb which is reddish, and a P. Golf Ball which is a deeper green. They serve their purpose as easy space fillers well!

Lilac? Buddleia? Too much maintenance?

Camellia might serve them well, you could get a winter and spring flowering ones for more interest.

Thanks. I'll look at the pittosporum. There is a huge lilac in the corner that I'm hoping to cut right back but keep; I love buddleia but think it's too big for the space.
Perennial sweet peas could be a good idea for some height and colour without bulk

I’m currently evangelical about a new book, Brilliant and Wild, which is all about planning and planting a border of perennials and bulbs, with the emphasis on wildlife-friendly plants. You make a plan, plant the plants, enjoy the flowers in spring/summer and the seed heads in winter, cut down in early spring and let the whole thing start again. No messing about worrying when and how to prune a bloody —triffid— shrub. It’s by Lucy Bellamy.

Thanks. I don't think it would suit my PIL but it's the sort of thing I like so I'll take a look