What would you plant here?

[AstroPete]

This our first home and I’m quite clueless about planting, I’ve only kept plants in pots before now. This is the front garden, it’s west facing and so far it only gets sun for a couple of hours right at the end of the day. It might get more sun in the summer months? I’m too late to plant bulbs now I think? I’d love some flowers though. Any tips or advice would be very helpful.

Also the Astroturf is a job for another day, I don’t want to put it in landfill if I can avoid it.

I would think about a mix of deep coloured rose and hydrangea annabelle

I was thinking roses too @RubyRoss but was wondering about black spot? My mum lives nearby and all of hers are affected

I would put some pretty cottage garden annuals in there this year (very easy to grow from seed). When you have time and are ready for the astro project I would make the bed at least twice as deep. I would then plant a mixed herbaceous bed of cottage garden plants, or you could have a row of hydrangeas. I think that will look lovely once you have some colour against the house.

Thanks @Sprig1 I do love hydrangeas, especially blue ones. I hadn’t thought about making the bed bigger but that’s a great idea!

Hellebores if it's shady.

Yes I think widen the bed. I'd go for hydrangea annabelle, roses (you can buy ones that are quite resistant), lavender and alliums. It will get plenty of sun in the summer.

If you’re willing to put in an irrigation system or water frequently, hydrangeas would look really lovely. If not, lavender would look really nice too. If you’re just looking for summer flowering perennials, astrantia major do well in part shade and would look really lovely (Roma is the longest flowering).

If you’re not looking for height, then hellebores look good all year round and like shade.

What about grasses? Some flower.

We have just moved and are waiting to see what develops then plan for next year.
When the bedding plants are in B&Q and other places we will buy a few and watch.
We have just removed some large Hydrangeas from a bed like yours. We are going to give them more room in back garden.
Sweet Peas can be sown now.

If it’s getting sun for only two hours a day now, I’m not convinced it’s going to get much more in the summer. I presume it’s the house shading it and not, eg, the house next door, in which case it’s too close to the house to benefit when the sun is higher in the sky. So it will get a longer period of sun in the evening, because sunset will get later, but I don’t think it will benefit a great deal earlier in the day.

There’s no need to confine yourself to “shade” plants, but plants that say they need full sun wouldn’t be my first choice. So hydrangeas rather than lavender.

Before you plant anything might be worth moving some of the soil/bark which is directly against the brick work to check that there aren't any air ventilation bricks or weep holes which have been covered, which could cause issues with damp later on. We have a bay window with several air bricks and weep holes at a lower level than the grass close by and were advised to keep them uncovered. Will try and attach photos to show what I mean.

This 👆

I'd have thought it would get a lot more sun in the summer months from early afternoon onwards if it is west-facing.

@AstroPete It isn't too late for bulbs, just go to the garden centre and buy some already flowering in pots. You can plant them in the bed now.

I would put in a few hardy geraniums, they are low growing, look pretty and will spread if they are happy there.

If you go on a website like Crocus you can enter in info like soil type and sun/shade conditions and it will advise you on suitable plants

White hydrangeas

Thanks everyone, this has been very helpful! I’ve got some mulch for now, I’ll dig down around the wall and check for ventilation bricks, good to know!

It is the house that’s shading the bed, but it’s good to know I don’t have to limit myself to full shade plants which is what I’d been looking at. I’ll hit the garden centre tomorrow armed with your tips

I would just do a variety of hosta there.