Container plants for a north facing garden

[hugglesfor4]

We've just completed a path at the front of my house and I want to put some pots on it to brighten it up. I'm useless at knowing what plants to have and normally end up with plants my mum suggests which ends up with my garden looking like hers. This isn't a bad thing but I'd like something different.

My garden is north facing and not sheltered. I've just ordered 4 pots that are 50cm diameter each. I'd like plants that are green all year round and flower.

Can anyone help with any ideas before I end up with all hebe's (mums suggestion)

Thanks

Not too many plants fit all your criteria but the beauty of pots is you can move them around to give prominence according to season.

And you can have different soil conditions - I'd probably put a Pieris in ericaceous compost in one of them (though apparently they don't like drying winds in winter so a bit of shelter might be good)

Do you get any sun at all? I have two gorgeous potted camelias that have bloomed for 3 springs now with very little input from me and have lovely glossy leaves the rest of the year. One is a gorgeous crimson red, the other is white.

It gets the sun from around 2pm till 6pm so not completely in the shade.

We have a field next to the house so it gets quite windy.

I hadn't thought of camellias- do they need to be sheltered?

Camellias are lovely - our NDNs have one which is on our driveway, so we get all the benefit!

According to the RHS they do prefer some shelter www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/camellia/growing-guide

They're another which needs ericaceous compost/food, and I'd guess that if you have them in pots it's probably helpful if you have a water butt so so you don't have to use tap water.

I think it'll be too exposed for a camellia- we lost a hebe last winter that was sheltered by a dwarf wall.

Look around at neighbours. What do they have facing the same way that looks healthy/ attractive. They are likely to have similar soil. if you are too shy to ask them what they are, take a photo and ask here.

Erysimum mauve bowles is a perennial that flowers pretty much all year round in my garden. It does better in full sun, but 4 hours of sun is enough I think for it to flower in yours. One plant costs about £8 in a garden centre and it grows quickly.

Escallonia Pink Elle would do ok, as long as you can give it some shelter. It is evergreen and has large pink flowers in late spring.

Viburnum davidii likes a bit of shade. It is an evergreen and flowers in spring too.

Have you had a look down your road (and others parallel to it, perhaps) to see what other people have in similar locations which look to be doing well?

Sorry I’m not answering your question but what pots did you order please?

I’m looking for some big reasonable priced ones and struggling. Thanks.

We've only 2 neighbours- they seem to have different firs planted together which looks nice in their gardens but wouldn't get the same effect in pots.

When we moved in there were some rhododendrons that were old and woody so we took them out. I'm joe thinking rhododendrons might be the way to go.

Just found this one on the RHS website

The pots I ordered are these from Amazon

The Escallonia Pink Elle looks nice - not seen that one before.

It looks quite like this one which is suitable too

You can get white flowering skimmia japonica too (I think they may be females), they give good winter interest.

Rhododendrons sound like a good idea, but I guess you should choose ones which don't naturally want to be a huge bush - maybe some of the dwarf forms?
There's some advice on rhodos in containers here

www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/qa/how-to-grow-a-rhododendron-in-a-container

One thing about your tubs though - a leafy shrub in a plastic pot is very likely to get blown over, especially if it gets much height. My Pieris is a frequent toppler - I moved it into a plastic pot when I potted it up so I could move the darned thing, forgetting the wind can move it too (it's not even particularly exposed). I'm thinking of trying to use some dense (non-limy) stones instead of broken terracotta crocking in the bottom when I repot it.

Re the skimmias - scented plants are lovely along a pathway.

Daphne Eternal Fragrance will flower for about six months of the year, they need shelter, and are semi evergreen. Homebase have them for £8 at the moment which is a brilliant price as daphnes can be really expensive.

Would you consider a hydrangea (I know you said evergreen)? As they like a mix of sun and shade (which you have) and you can get ones that suit containers very well. Hydrangea Runaway Bride especially will suit a pot as they stay compact and flower all summer along the length of the stem and not just at the end.

Thank you @hugglesfor4

Gosh, those are lovely, welltidy.

www.thompson-morgan.com/p/daphne-x-transatlantica-eternal-fragrance/p93935TM

www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/plants/a20870648/chelsea-flower-show-2018-plant-hydrangea-runaway-bride-snow-white/

Rhododendrons are lovely but won’t give you much in the way of flowers. Mine are in the ground and quite big but already they have finished flowering for the year.
Hydrangea grow well in pots in semi shade.p and I have a mock orange that is also doing well in a shaded pot.
Hardy fushia either standard or bush, ferns or hostas would all look great as well.

Aiming to please Errol! I bought a hydrangea runaway bride a couple of weeks ago from wyevale. It was £32 which is quite expensive I feel for a hydrangea, about 2 litre pot. But I fell in love with it watching the bbc coverage of RHS Chelsea last year and I WANTED it! It look so lovely but is starting to take on a pink tinge. I must remember only to water it with rainwater as I think that is what’s doing it.

Well tidy, I thought I was the soil that changed the colour? I have just planted a lovely new hydrangea, black stems and huge white heads. ( B&m £13)
It so fabulous against its green backdrop. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will stay white. I have pink and blue which have kept their colour and one which is now two tone.

Op, I have a hydrangea in a pot in shade, it flowers well.

Another vote for hydrangeas. I know they aren't evergreen, but I have several different types of hostas in pots in a shady part of the garden. They need protecting against slugs and snails.

What about a rose bush, a David Austin repeat bloomer, you can google his website.

I'd also second a camellia in another one of them. They grow slowly though.

I'd then look at a small palm for some structural interest.

Thank you all for your help - there's some really plants suggested. I'm looking forward to googling them all properly today.

Have any of you ordered plants online or do you go to your local nurseries?

I mostly use a local nursery, which is a nursery rather than a garden centre, with staff who give sensible advice. Except I got my roses when we moved to this house from David Austin (housewarming present from the in-laws)

Re hydrangeas, there's two distinct factors. One is how much pigment they produce - so whites should remain (more or less) white, and a pale variety won't ever be intense. The other is the availability of aluminium in the soil - the aluminium ions are only available in acid soil. So, if your blue hydrangea starts to turn pink, add aluminium sulfate, which provides both the aluminium and acidifies. If you want pink, you could add lime, which would make the aluminium unavailable.

All you ever wanted to know (and possibly a bit more) here:
www.americanscientist.org/article/curious-chemistry-guides-hydrangea-colors

I hadn't thought of roses- they remind me of my childhood. My Nan had a rose border which was beautiful.

Would roses be ok where i want to plant or does it depend on each individual one?