What to put in my planters?

[Wannabealantitchmarsh]

Hoping for help from some more experienced gardeners as I am an absolute novice! Renovating our garden and built some planters around the border (see pics) and I now need to style them with plants that won’t die on me so I’m feeling some pressure.

I was thinking of a mix of box balls, big white hydrangea Annabelle and lavender to add a bit of colour. Ideally a couple of trees for height. Does this sound okay? Very happy for any suggestions.

I'm not an expert but I know that the answers may depend on whereabouts you live and what direction the borders face/how much sun and shade.

I gather that Box Tree Caterpillar is causing devastation in various parts of the UK so that may not be a good choice (I don't know if there are any resistant varieties).

The other thing I'd be wary of is whether the raised walls will be ok with tree/large shrub roots.

Hi OP

They're going to look great 😊

I'm a garden novice too. My advice would be to get things that are ever-green.

I used to find the garden do depressing in winter when lots of things died off. So a few years back, I replaced everything with ever green plants. I also tried to mix summer and winter flowering plants to there are flowers year-round.

In spring/summer, I add pops of very vibrant colours by sticking some bedding plants into unfilled spaces between more leafy and non-flowering shrubs.

My evergreens are:

• Crispy pink photinia
• Lambs ears
• Garden ferns for shady areas
• Christmas rose for winter flowering
• Camellia for spring flowering
• Choysa
• Euphorbias
• Japanese azaeleas
• Climbing hydrangeas for sheltered spots

Here's are evergreen and can have flowers.
Abelia is semi evergreen, has fragrant flowers bit scruffy.
Some varieties of berberis are evergreen, scented flowers and berries but thorny.

Don't forget to put in bulbs.