Shrubs & Flowers for large North facing garden

LisaGirly

Hi, first post here - please be kind!

Moved into our house a year ago.  We have a 80ft long approx garden with large borders down the edges which are a little bare.  In the summer, didnt look too bad but now its winter it looks barren out there.  We have also just found out our neighbour is going to put up 6ft wooden fence down one side of the garden.

Im trying to source plants and shrubs to put in the borders.  I'd like something fairly sizeable that would hide the wooden fence panels.  But ideally evergreen and some which flower.  Basically want something that is a little easier to maintain but the plants and shrubs give us a different look each season.  The ones I do have in the garden that are lovely and doing really well are camellias and pieris.  Our garden is north facing and we have clay soil.

If you have any advice or recommendations, that would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Fairygirl

Hi Lisa - as you already have Pieris and Camellias, you should find Rhododendrons and Azaleas will probably thrive. There are loads of varieties readily available. I also have Mahonia in a similar position - also clay soil. They are prickly but if that's an issue, you can plant in front of them if there's sufficient room. Hollies will do the same. Skimmias and Gaultherias will also do well.

You could also try Osmanthus burkwoodii - it has scented white flowers in late winter/spring, and Sarcococca - Christmas Box. You could add a few foliage evergreens like  Euonymous and Elaeagnus as well - several good varieties and easy to find. 

Those are all evergreen, but you could add a few other deciduous shrubs into the mix - Viburnums for instance - although there are a few evergreen varieties of those too. 

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Dave Morgan

Hydrangea will like the conditions as well and you can get some lovely tall, over 6ft, ones for summer and autumnal colour.

Fairygirl

You need to get up earlier to fox me Verd....

Meant to say - there's another one whose name won't come to me - like a holly but smaller...you'll know what it is Verd

pansyface

Kalmias?

Fairygirl

Nope - neither of those....it'll come to me in about six months when Lisa's finished planting her entire garden!