Dull front garden area

At the front of my house we have a little growing area that was already planted when we bough the house, it looks really dull and depressing when pulling up. Any tips on what I should plant to make it jump out and welcome you ?

This is the spot







This is east facing and has great top soil, as you can see it slopes down to the neighbours house so would like a way of separating with a border and building my side up nice and level. If possible I would like to hide the electric box and gas box with climbers but I guess I will need access also .

I do like these kind of plants both the spikey one and the green and yellow leaves, no idea what they are and if they would suit that spot or grow to big for the area.


Thanks for looking and any ideas would be great jamie

 

Hi Jamie, Whoever planted the existing strip used the slate very cleverly to disguise the manhole cover, so I'd keep that, whatever you plant! Equally, if you raise the level, you'll need to take into account the manhole..perhaps build a 'collar' on it to bring the level up?
With a background of red brick, a cordyline (red-leaved, spiky thing) would be a bit lost, so how about a Phormium 'Yellow Wave' which will give the same shape but with yellow and green striped evergreen leaves? Then there are Thymes, Hebes, Cistus, Helianthemum, Ballota, Lonicera nitida, Pittosporum, Aucuba, Griselinia...all evergreens and low-growing or can be kept low. Being planted near a wall, you could risk shrubs that need a bit of shelter inland. Get Googling

 

A great list to get looking at. I do like the slate, suppose I could put a potted plant in the cover, maybe a dwarf conifer

 

If you don't mind watering regularly Try not to choose anything that likes really damp conditions, as the base of a wall is pretty dry...that's probably why it was planted with lavender !

 

Just came across a plant called a montbretia, would they be suitable for this little plot?

Also like the ballota and lonicera, could both of these be planted in a pot to keep them small?

Hebes and Helianthemum are both also very nice

 

Montbretia tend to become rampant and once you have got them they are very difficult to get rid of Bigbore.

Lonicera would be better in the ground, a pot will be quite restricting unless you plant it in something quite large.

Helianthum and Hebes will be fine in pots but I'm not sure about the Ballota.

 

Still really hate this spot, thinking of removing everything and leaving as soil, then i can just fill it of bulbs for spring to give me some great colour and then remove them once done and fill full of summer plants

 

Hi bigbore,

There would be no need to remove the bulbs, they should flower again the following year. You could maybe put a pot on the manhole cover with a heucura in, and an evergreen in front of the gas/electric box.

Rusty

 

Would heather cover the box?