Trees/Shrubs??

MelMoo

I am looking for recommendations of what to plant inside the fence on the right? This was taken last year but I now have a raised bed from where the two slabs are to about a foot past the bit of dead grass (about 5ft long although it doesn’t look it). The plan is to have the circular lawn and a path all the way around it but I need to fill that 4ft gap between the path and fence. I am new to gardening and would like something that doesn’t grow more than about 5ft high as the fence is 4ft and I don’t want to lose too much light or view. This photo is taken facing East so garden gets good sun until around 2-3pm and soil is well drained and most things seem to like it! 

hogweed

The world is really your oyster but you need to have a think about what type of plants you want - shrubs, perennials, annuals etc etc, even what colour scheme you are aiming for. Have a look round your nearest garden centre in a couple of weeks time - it will be bursting at the seams with plants by Easter. In the meantime you will have to do a little homework first to decide what you want in order to refine your search. Otherwise it is a bit like walking in to Tesco's and saying you want to buy food. What you really need to be saying is that I want some type of red soup, something to spread on my bread and some yellow fruit! We can then suggest bananas, or melons or lemons or tomato soup or beetroot soup or jam etc.........

MelMoo

Haha that makes sense! I’d like a mix of flowering and evergreens so that there is colour or interest most of the year. I have a lot of roses already and I favour white or red, although I do have some pinks and one orange. I’m looking at possibly a medium sized Opal plum tree for a bit further round and the raised bed has Euonymus and Choisia at the back with white roses at the front. I also get a lot of birds (robins and blue tits are frequent visitors) and I’d like to encourage more bees and butterflies as well. I’ve got Buddleia in pots that is growing well and I tried a Camellia but it seems to be struggling. Does that help? 😊

Busy-Lizzie

From the title of the thread I imagine you are wanting shrubs. It mentions trees but you want plants not over 5 feet, so think of short bushy shrubs such as dwarf lilac, flowering currant, Abelia, Exochoda "The Bride", Ceanothus, Deutzia, Abelia, Spirea "Anthony Waterer", "Shirobana" and "Gold Flame", Hypericum "Hidcote" etc. Have a look at them through Google.