What to put in my new planter - advice needed for a novice please!

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

So I've a new planter (53x24x12cm) which I want to fill for autumn winter (or sooner if possible) with a few lovely things which will look green and pretty all year with lovely colour leaves and if possible, maybe occasional flowers too.

It's going to be in full shade until late spring. Then sun at start and end of the day into summer. I'm going to be able to see it from my kitchen window so want it to look as pretty as possible but not spend a fortune on shrubs etc. I'm happy for things that may trail a bit as they grow and also perhaps grow the height of the planter themselves. Definitely want to get as long as possible out of it before having to either replant or move plants on.

I went to a garden centre this am and was surprised to have been encouraged fi wait a few weeks for more choice of flowering shrubs coming in so I get the full benefit of them.

Does anyone have suggestions of lovely things to buy? Or general potting planters up in shade advice?

Thanks ☺️

Did you mean inches rather tham cms?

Definitely cms

Ok so measurements actually 52x30x24! Thanks!

It's not a great time to buy as we are getting to end of summer season planting and not yet into the autumn winter planting. I agree to wait a few weeks and then perhaps go for some hellebores and cyclamen and a plant called gaultheria which has red berries, these should cope with the shade. I find Morrisons good for these plants in autumn, usually about 2 quid a pot. With a small planter I would keep your plant combinations to only 3 different kinds of plants.

When you have some sun I would refresh cyclamen with something like trailing geraniums, busy lizzies or petunias. It is quite hard to have a full year round planter, unless it just has an evergreen shrub in it. I have a planter opposite my kitchen window too and I have managed to just to have a winter and summer "scheme" but it's never in full shade which can be a challenge. Good luck with it.

It's quite shallow so unlikely that you would be very successful with shrubs. I'd go for bulbs with evergreen ivy (variegated) which can grow virtually anywhere, although I'm well aware some people gave a pro lemon liking it. If you contact somewhere like Sarah Raven she does 'bulb collection s' with colour schemes bulbs, with ivy planted so bulbs pop up through. Annuals for next summer...busy lizzie don't need sun.