What can I plant here?

[Iwant2beJessicaFletcher]

I'm really hoping for some expertise & guidance as I'm not a gardener.

What can I put in this corner of my garden to fill up the gaps in the flower beds?

Ideally something that flowers, smells lovely & doesn't look half dead most of the year.

I've got passionfruit growing up the back fence, jasmine (smells divine) growing up the side fence as well as a beautiful torbay palm right in the corner with a tall camelia bush/tree next to it.

We live on the South coast, that part of the garden backs onto the south of our garden so only gets sun from 3pm onwards til it sets & the soil is very clay heavy.

Ideally I would like a few things to fill up the space and grow up to a metre tall to hide the bottoms of the plants growing on the fence.

Also, we have a dog & tortoises so nothing that may be poisonous to them (& football mad DC so nothing prickly that could hurt them every time they get their ball back).

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thank you

I think the thing is that the soil isn't going to be brilliant there as they tree roots and fence will make it very dry. If you improve the soil a lot - add compost/manure/grass clippings - that will help it retain moisture. Also water in whatever you plant well and keep it watered once a week or so for the first year - even if it's been raining. And by watered, for a shrub it would be a bucket of water a week.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/for-places/under-trees

Some ideas here - but I immediately thought of a Daphne.

I'm thinking perennials such as hardy geraniums (cranesbill). They are regarded as woodland plants and will come back year after year and bush out.

I would put lamium, periwinkle, nasturtium, and Brunnera. Need to water well to begin with, but then they will all survive poor dry soil.

I would plant ferns (large native ones like dryopteris or polystichum) with some of the flowering plants already mentioned: vinca, hardy geraniums, brunnera, Japanese anemones, epimedium and hellebores, all of which handle dry shade quite well.

I have Hydrangea Annabelle, geraniums and deadnettle in a similar corner of my garden, all do really well. Also clay soil and dry shade.

I agree, there are scented varieties, ones that creep, and some will wander throughout other plants. They range in colours from white to the darkest purple and flower from spring till autumn. I have quite a few growing under trees and even under a leyllandi hedge.
You might find that to get interesting ones you’ll have to go to a specialist nursery.