What in my new beds?

[WineIsMyCarb]

Absolute gardening novice. Time poor (3DC, one being a baby, job to go back to after mat leave).

Just has all the horrible plastic grass taken up, the massive patio cut back and some nice proper lawn out down. Seems to be taking nicely.

Now, what to put in these new beds? I have this laurel to put in the corner for a bit of height, and the rest I want low lying plants.

Ideally I'd like evergreen plants or grasses year-round then some begonias or pansies or similar that I can buy each spring to intersperse to break it up and make it summery. I don't really like pink.

What to buy? As you can see, I've got quite a long run to fill!

North facing garden but beds will get full sun from 9ish til 3pm or so in summer. Just about get the sun in winter.

Can I stress again, low maintenance! My snake plant, cactus, string of pearls and peace lily are thriving on neglect followed by overwatering. I'm looking for their outdoor equivalents please!

Hydrangeas are good - lots of different ones and good in sun and semi shade but not evergreen. Most evergreens do shade so you could alternate some hydrangeas for summer colour with them and infill with annuals for summer?

go to a good plant nursery/garden centre and look at the evergreen area and choose what you like. Dont get anything that gets too big as your planters dont look very deep.

A flowering hebe, good for bees.

What’s at grass level of your planters? Earth or a membrane? If it’s earth that’s ok - good advice above, choisia and daphne are both scented shrubs that you can safely ignore most of the time. Interplant with hardy geraniums which are bombproof and colourful and you won’t need to bother with summer bedding. If the beds are laid on membrane get that membrane out as they will be far too shallow to support a shrub.

Aquilegias are another suggestion for plant and forget them flowers. They'll come back year after year, self seed and can be ignored totally. Partner nicely with hardy geraniums as they tend to flower earlier and the geraniums can then take over.

I have a north-facing garden but get sun most of the day due to not many surrounding houses.
Plants that are doing well for me (live in SW with clay soil):
Salvia
Borage
Hellabore
Jasmine
Honeysuckle
Gooseberries (but they have huge spikes!)
Buddleia (you can get dwarf varieties)
Calendula
Nepeta (catmint)
Oregano
Marjoram
Strawberries
Also you can plant bulbs in autumn to flower in spring/summer & just forget about them:
Daffodil
Narcissus
Tulip
Bluebell
Muscari
Allium
Agapanthus

You want a mix of evergreen and non so there is still some structure in the winter.

Good evergreens for smallish beds:

• hebe (I like the topiaria variety as it grows neatly not leggy)
• pittosporum (some can get huge, but Golf Ball variety is compact)
• Sarcococca (scented)
• daphne (scented, can be fussy)
• Rock rose (likes sun) - flowering
• Convulvulus cneorum (likes sun) - flowering
• Lavender (likes sun) - flowering
• There aren’t many evergreen grasses but there are one or two

Then fill in the gaps between the evergreens with flowering plants for different seasons.

Hardy geraniums and campanula will spread and are very low maintenance

Hydrangeas are a good shout if you have the space

Erigeron is very good value, flowers most of the year round

other low maintenance:
Astrantia
phlox
salvias
Aquilegias
Hellebores for winter flowers

Oh cyclamen too for winter flowers- try to buy the perennial sort - they will die down but come back in winter every year. Very cheering

Wow, thanks so much everyone. Lots of homework for me to do here

Under the planters is earth - pulled out all of that horrible membrane.

Off to do some mad googling of your suggestions. Will come back when I have a plan and then when I have some pics!

One more question: can I plant all this now, in summer? Nothing will scorch or wilt?

I'd sneak a fatsia in there somewhere.

They're nice tidy raised beds!

Perennial bulbs are best planted in Autumn.
Spring wouldn't be spring without them!

After your annuals have faded at the end of this summer, dig them up and put hardy bulbs in underneath. Daffodils and early tulips are reliable. When they fade in late spring your annuals can go in the space.

Progress update. I went with these nice veriagated grasses, heuchera and these Hoya.
I already had the various shrubs feeling miserable and neglected in tubs.
I've left plenty of growing room but also I'm having a garden party in a month so will infill with annuals (pansies or similar) to give it a lift.

Next steps:
Clear our front of big hedge
New table and chairs to arrive
Decide on something a bit wow to go alongside the bench

Here we go

No. 2

Photos not uploading. Try again....

Good choice.
Sarah Raven has some helpful short videos on Youtube, plus Claude Dalby has one of the most beautiful gardens l have ever seen, and he also grows alot of different plants in pots, containers etc.

Claus Dalby.

Campanulas have not been mentioned. There are a wide variety in shades from white, pink, blue through the to purple. Some are petite and low growing, some are large and blowsy. They’re good at spreading, self sowing.

Thanks @Moonface123 will check those out.