Plant for shady border

[AutisticLegoLover]

There's a space in mum's front garden border in front of the mixed hedge that's begging to be filled. It gets virtually no sun at all but is quite sheltered. It's a sloping bed so good drainage. Something pretty with out without flowers but interesting to look at. What would you recommend please?

What size is the gap? There are many options! My favourite is probably Japanese anemone

I love heucheras in all different colours, they’ve always done well for me in my shady border - I’m no expert though!

Hostas might work.

When I’m doing, plant a geranium (cranesbill, not bedding)

Oh yes I love Japanese anemone too, but they’re v tall and spread quite fast so just make sure there’s a solid border to stop them taking over. I miss mine, I tried to transfer some from previous house and it didn’t work :-/

Sorry, it's an area of about one metre diameter.

Heuchera
ferns
euphorbia
cyclamen
solomons seal
dicentra
alchemilla mollis
sedum
lithodora
ophiopogon

Japanese anemones are gorgeous! She's got the cranesbill already and it would be next to that. There's red crocosmia in there and Lily of the valley. There might be heucheras too. I'll have to look again. The anemones are a good call though.

Hellebores for late winter flowers. Sweet box for year round structure and winter scent. Astilbe for showy feathery flowers. Geranium for lots of summer flowers (hardy geraniums that is). Primulas.

I'm going to look at these up, thank you. I've talked her into things that spread because then there's less weeding for the useless gardener to do. He's just unnecessarily pruned a summer jasmine ffs and when asked to plant something already in a pot into the ground as she wants it off the patio he said to buy a bigger pot!

when in doubt

Euphorbia?

Bleeding heart does well in shade, ferns, and angelica (but that gets tall).

There are variegated hostas and some have very sweet scented flowers. Variegation is useful as lighter leaves make the space feel lighter.

The Rozanne hardy geranium is a great plant, spreads to about 6' and 8" high. Beautiful deep purple flowers that the bees and butterflies love.

Thank you. We are off to the garden centre to look now.