Help, clueless about plants!

[Movingonup2023]

Hi everyone,
We haven’t long moved into our home and I would love some advice on best plants to care for. I don’t have much confidence and would like something that is easy to keep alive and preferably lives all year round.
I’d like to get 2 planters for either side of my doorway and like the topiary trees but don’t want artificial ones. Not sure if these are easy to look after? I fear whatever I get won’t survive as I am absolutely clueless! I also would like to put a couple of small planters in my front garden but not sure of what the best options are.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated. TIA

At our front door we have a big mauve pot with a hebe in ….although saying that, I think the frost may have killed it!

I think box (the topiary trees) is quite easy to look after - but I think there’s a certain time to cut it. Have a look at the type of light you’ll have wherever you choose to put things because that will influence what you get.

Something Hardy for sure by your front door if you want the same thing to stay all year round. Something like bay trees might be nice. Or conifers if you keep them neatly trimmed, with heathers around the base.

The planters in the front garden also depend on what your light is like - south/north facing etc. A mix of heights is nice if you plan to plant them up with shrub that will stay every year.

I love helibores (flower over winter/spring then die right back and come up the following year.
I also love plants like Lady’s mantle - as the raindrops look like mercury on the leaves.
Check out this RHS list of hardy perennials…

RHS list of 10 perennials

Thanks will have a Google at these and see what I like. Lots to look into! I had actually been looking at heathers before I posted and also lavender. The front is south facing so I think that’s good sunlight if I remember correctly. So far loving the hebe and lady’s mantle ❤️

Before I planted up my hebe at the front door, I did have 2 mauve pots of French lavender - harder to keep going than English lavender- which would be a great alternative to your topiary trees if you wanted more colour and something for the bees.

You could pop along to a nice garden centre and ask any of the staff and they’ll advise you if you need any help.

I have two standard photinia red robins either side of my front door in large pots. Standard meaning they're in that sort of lollipop shape. They're extremely easy to look after and clip into shape if you need to, are evergreen and if you're south facing that's the best light for getting their red colour to come through.

I underplant mine with spring bulbs (tulips and daffodils) in the same pot so I have a bit of spring interest. The only thing to watch out for is you'll need to keep them watered if they're south facing and in pots (when the top few cm of compost is dry it needs watering.)

Lavender is a good suggestion as it's a bit more drought tolerant and good for wildlife. You could also look at a ceanothus trained into a standard shape as again it's evergreen but has lovely blue flowers in spring/summer and the bees love it.

Bay trees are pretty hardy, they can be pruned to a cone or lollipop shape.

Olive trees would look amazing either side of your door. Then a planter with lovely Mediterranean plants, lavender, a trailing rosemary, under planted with bulbs.

I have bay trees in my garden. They seem pretty hardy (if a plant can survive the Western Isles for several winters, then it's not delicate!). I don't have any in pots by the door, simply because it's too windy for the pots to reliably stay in place. I had two box balls which looked very nice either side of the door, but they took flight in every gale, so I planted them in a border instead. There is an issue with box blight in some areas, so bay might be less trouble from that point of view.

Pair of Euonymus Bravo Mini Standard for outside doorway- hardy, everygreen, striking golden foliage, low maintenance.

www.palmerplants.co.uk/store/p/rtf1mq4jpfre0mdbf83jyggq4heye0

Hi everyone thank you for all the suggestions. Managed to get to a couple of garden centres today and now I’m at a loss so many beautiful ones to choose from!! My favourites are bay trees and Euonymus Bravo. My mum also has I think it’s called buxus?? Which are really nice. Now sketching plans for back garden and then will decide as I think I want them all 🙈 completely new to this but my aunt is an avid gardener and grows a lot from seeds and cut offs (if that’s what you say😂) she always comments on so many sad looking plants at the garden centre and today I really noticed it! Actually quite sad seeing so many wilting plants and a few trees full of brown crunchy leaves too!

Buxus is box; unfortunately in the uk it’s under attack from box blight and a caterpillar. Bay is certifiably indestructible; it’s a great plant for a beginner.

You can't kill a bay tree! Give those a go in a topiary form.

Box will die. Box caterpillars are absolutely rife. It also smells a bit like cat pee, so although it is beautiful, it's not that great an option.

Oh really thank you. God don’t want folk thinking they smell cat pee whilst waiting for me to answer the door. My mum has had hers for 3yeses this summer will say to her about the caterpillars thanks.

Spider plants

Spider plants don’t grow outside in the UK winters, they’re not frost hardy.