Plants for a narrow urban garden strip

Blisterman

Have a small garden with a plant bed strip of about 5m x 0.8m beside a wall, which I'd like to plant a variety of plants with contrasting textures and colours year round to form quite a dense area of planting.

It will be mostly shaded except for an hour or so a day.

Anyway, I'm a complete beginner with this, and a bit lost as to choosing plants that go together, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions, or knew sites where I could find this kind of information?

At least one of the plants, I'd like to be big enough to screen out a utility box behind it. So some kind of evergreen bush.

looksee

Its shady and close to a wall, though that width is fine, but it could be a bit dry. I would plant a basic selection of shade plants, ferns, berginias, hellebors (christmas roses), a sarcococca shrub, maybe not tall enough for the utility box but glorious scent and flowers in winter. A few roses will grow in shade and a climber might do for your disguise situation. Some small campanulas and geraniums (not pelargonums) will give summer flowers.
Primroses and small flowered pansies (treat as annuals) in the spring.

Reckless Abandonment

Looksee fairly nailed it to be honest
Ferns would definitely be top of my list .

Blisterman

Thanks for the advice. I think a reasonably large bush will need to form a centrepiece.

rje66

Blisterman wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I think a reasonably large bush will need to form a centrepiece.

Acuba japonica.

wildwillow

Looksee has given you a great selection. How high is the wall. Thinking of an evergreen clematis and climbing rose if it is high enough.

Hostas do well in shade but it may be too dry for them.

Be aware when choosing a large shrub or tree as the roots may not have enough space and cause damage.

I am hoping that the area is not overly wet in winter. Sometimes these strips can hold water when we have a lot of rain.

Blisterman

The wall is about 1.5m high.

Are Acuba japonica roots wide spreading?