Low maintenance flowerbed in full shade - what to plant?

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We have a long flowerbed, sandwiched between the side of our house and the boundary fence.

It's a side of the house we rarely walk up, so I have zero energy for anything high-maintenance, but I think I can do better than the sorry selection of overgrown holly bushes, ivy and brambles. I'm paying someone to give it a total clear-out and will start again.

I'm envisaging some well-behaved slow-growing shrubs, a bit of weedblock/bark around them, just needing a tidy-up every now and then. But the flowerbed gets no sun at all.

Any suggestions as to what to grow which will be easy to maintain but will still thrive?

No sun at all . Is it also dry ? I would give up and build a shed tbh. Or I would plant some things in pots that are tall enough to get light over the fence, and/or raise the bed up to a decent height.

Just peacemaking this, as I need the same advice!

Ferns and heuchera(various colours) worked in a North facing site in my garden

You could get an interesting selection of ferns perhaps. I have some box balls which do ok in shade. Foxgloves for some colour?

Nicotiana sylvestris for scent? some of the smaller spreading bulbs? Try the RHS website.

We have a slim shady border that was planted before we arrived. Ferns do really well and we just leave them to it.

It's not dry at all (clay soil).

Would be a long shed - the bed is over 10 metres long!

Ferns....not a bad idea. We have one there already which has been quite happy for the past eight years. Hellebore also happy. Ivy LOVES it.

I'd probably plant it out with some largish ferns and then put in some pretty shade loving bulbs and plants like snowdrops, Solomons seal, anemones and sweet woodruff for a bit of seasonal interest- it'll look like a woodland garden (without the trees!) and will pretty much look after itself

Have a look at a specialist hydrangea nursery. There are loads of different types of hydrangea and you'll get some colour in there.

I've had hydrangeas in a spot like that before. Also rodgersia, ladies' mantle, fuchsia and hostas. All very low maintenance.

I have some acers that are growing in close to full shade. Surprisingly, they seem to like it.

Heuchera - lots of lovely colours!
Snowdrops, crocus, crocosmia, day lilies, Busy Lizzie as bedding plants, primroses, primula....loads of choice!

Euphorbia, but some spread really rapidly, so you’d need to be careful which ones you choose.

Wild garlic? Have a couple of tubs of it & it likes the shade, but it will spread & seed if left.

Comfrey does well in a shady spot in my garden and the bees love it

And bluebells

I have a similarly long strip in pretty much full shade, and have struggled with it. My wins have been ferns (much as I didn’t want them, I have accepted ‘right plant, right place’), euphorbia, hellebores, bergenia and foxgloves. The best of them all has been the ferns and the euphorbia.

I would imagine that an evergreen like euonymus or pittosporum would do fine too, but I wanted to keep the plants to a smaller height.

For height (ours is backed by a fence too), I’ve tried a climbing hydrangea and rose Madame Alfred Carriere, both of which I was assured would do fine despite there being little sun. They both grow - the hydrangea not as fast as the rose - but hardly flower at all. And if they do flower, the flowers don’t last (I assume because there is no sunlight to sustain them).

Thanks all, some really useful suggestions. Liking the idea of ferns, hydrangea, possibly euphorbia, nothing crazy big.

Certainly don't want annuals, as I am not expecting to maintain the bed much, if at all. It's quite damp, so the slugs will make short work of a Hosta. Seasonal interest - not bothered....it is only visible from the dining room window, and my son's bedroom window (if he ever opened his blinds ). Heuchera doesn't seem to like our soil much - I have got a few dotted about but they always look a bit weedy.

Anyway, food for thought....

Epimedium is good for ground cover in shade, and there are lots of varieties with different colours/flower forms to choose from

Hellebores, evergreen ferns, acers and skimmia are happy in my north facing clay border

I've got a Japanese quince that does surprisingly well in the same conditions - lovely coral coloured flowers for months in spring and then nice yellow green fruit over winter.