What can I plant in this spot?

[Aparecium]

The picture is taken facing almost due east.

What can I plant in the space between the Japanese acer on the right, and the deutzia on the left? There is also a jasmine climbing over the deutzia. The jasmine is a bit of a thug!

In the past, before the acer and the deutzia were so big, I have tried magnolia stellata, hebes and lavatera. They all died, sooner or later, so I wondered whether there was something in the soil that was inimical to woody plants. We had honey fungus in the garden when we moved in, but it seems to be completely gone now. I have no problems with woody plants elsewhere. And the acer is perfectly happy.

I’ve left that patch alone for several years. It’s just spring bulbs and forget-me-nots now. And grass. And weeds. As you can see I’m a lazy gardener 😉

Another acer a small one that spreads rather than goes up? You might need to dig a bit more border though to put it in...

Choysia or Peiris. Will brighten it up .

I have a choisia in the front garden. Doesn’t it want more sunshine?

Pieris is very similar to photinia, and there’s a photinia in the corner on the right.

I’m not sure about another acer. There used to be a mature tree where the photinia now is. Sadly, it was blown down in a storm in 2018. Until then it cast quite a lot of shade, and everything planted in the area of the photo grew away from the shade, towards the light. The acer was completely lopsided and the lavatera (which has since died) stretched so far it overbalanced, fell over, and continued growing sideways into the lawn. I rather loved that quirky lavatera. But it’s why I think I need something that will tolerate shade and very uneven light.

I do need some colour there, you’re right. Something that flowers late, after the deutzia and the jasmine?

I have a couple of skimmia ‘kew green’ in similar spots. It’s coming into flower now though.

A camelia, rhododendron(s) or viburnum?

Oo a camellia, that’s a good idea. I love camellias and I don’t have one.

Do they need pampering?

What about non-shrubby plants? Any perennials that would be good in that spot after the spring bulbs have finished? There’s a similar space on the other side of the acer…

Camellias are tough, in my experience. If you want flowers you have to make sure they don't dry out in the summer but I've only ever watered my younger ones when it's been really dry, the old ones just look after themselves. The only thing is there's not a lot of space in that patch, stuff might just be a bit overcrowded.

Not in my experience. I've never planted one, but had one in the previous garden, and two in the current one. I have a spectacular pink/red camelia (hence my nickname :) ) One grew in full sun, others grow in shade, all look great. I have never watered the established ones.

Camellias can be susceptible to frozen buds thawing too quickly if east facing. The buds then turn brown and drop off.

It's not a very big space when you've two fairly large shrubs either side. I'd be tempted to plant daffs or native bluebells and a perennial that will give colour in summer.

The deutzia is massive. I haven’t printed it properly in years because of the jasmine. Deutzia needs to be pruned immediately after flowering, as it flowers on the previous years growth. But the jasmine that grows over and through it flowers immediately after the deutzia. I’ve never had the heart to sacrifice one or the other 😅 I’ll just have to bite the bullet. And the acer is stillslightly lopsided - it won’t lose by a light prune.

Ohh a bleeding heart would look lovely in there and give it some colour they don’t mind shade either

A Camellia would look good. They need acid soil so plant in ericaceous compost, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow.

Re the acer - you can try crown lifting on that and remove some of the lower branches, which would let in more light underneath. Smear vaseline on the cuts.

With the deutzia, you don't have to prune the whole thing at once; with established shrubs you can do renovation pruning by reducing a third of the branches one year, another third the next and so on. Then you still have two thirds of the bush that can still flower that year.

Jasmines are brutes. If it's anything like mine it will bounce back no trouble.

You could try a red-leaved berberis in the gap - late MIL had one in her garden in a similar situation, and it seemed happy enough.