Front garden planting ideas please

Yes, patience isn’t my forte especially when it comes to gardening. So, this will do me good!

 

And if you have any more suggestions for planting in that centre flowerbed let me know? Trip to garden centre is beckoning

 

Perhaps an ornamental grass? Stipa gigantea, Molinia Skyracer or a group of four Panicum Northwind to create a block are possibilities, if you like them!

 

Use a hedging supplier for Lonicera. You'll get a variety of sizes/prices. Some online nurseries will stock it too. I've grown one of my front hedges from cuttings from an original plant [the gold one]. They're easy to propagate. It's been in about a couple of years and is about 18 to 24 inches in height and width. It's needing a wee tidy up now. Your conditions will always dictate the speed of growth too.
Re your central bed, one decent sized shrub will be enough, with other seasonal planting around it. The oak leaf hydrangeas tolerate a fair bit of sun, and drier conditions, and have great autumn colour. White flowers. I think with the hedge at the front, and the other houses, the sun might not be a huge problem anyway. You could try the paniculata types - they get cut back in late winter/early spring, but don't need much attention apart from that. Various colours. You can have bulbs for spring, and hardy cyclamen for autumn to add extra colour if you wanted.
The good old combination of spring bulbs and hardy geraniums is always easy and reliable too. Lots of colours and you can team that with the spring bulbs and hydrangea colours too.
If you want an evergreen shrub, Pieris will be fine if the soil isn't too alkaline. Slow- ish growing, and can be pruned later if they get too big. Various types, including variegated ones. White flowers, and bright new growth which is red, befoire turning green again. Choysia is another useful evergreen shrub. The yellows are a bit more tricky, but the green ones are pretty easy. White flowers.
Acers come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, and are pretty slow growing, so you wouldn't need to worry too much about eventual sizes. They can be pruned later too, although you have to be careful about the shaping. The red/purple ones tolerate more sun than the yellows/greens etc, and the dissectums get more easily affected by winds and frosts, as do those greens/yellows, so that needs to be considered.

 

Thanks so much for this, absolute gold for a novice but enthusiastic gardener like me. Lots to consider here. I’ve always fancied the really big and beautiful white hydrangeas as a showpiece like strong Annabelle so might try this with the mix of planting you suggested to add interest through the seasons. There was a question mark over whether this would work in my space but good to hear it might just work with the protection from the hedges.

Otherwise a friend recommended the Sango kaku acer and will consider this too after your suggestion - although am a bit concerned by eventual size. As you said, prune and shape!

 

If you opt for an Acer, just make sure it will be suitable in terms of the soil, as most need neutral to acidic to be at their best. They need plenty of moisture but good drainage, and as you're in London, you may find it better to collect rainwater for summer watering. If they're growing well in nearby gardens, you should be ok, but as you've added soil, it's always worth checking first, especially if you're buying a more mature specimen. It can be a costly mistake otherwise!
There are plenty of good online suppliers though, so it's always worth looking at some of those to get an idea of varieties [can be overwhelming though!] although many GCs stock a decent range. The easier, dark palmatum ones, might be the best option as you're a newer gardener too.
It also might be better to wait until autumn to plant any shrub to make it easier for establishment - cooler and damper. It's easy enough here where I am to plant just now, but in hotter, drier areas, it can be harder to keep them happy.
Good, regular mulching of any organic matter will also help keep the soil in good condition. Bark is a good top layer, and finishes the area off well too. That's ideal for over winter and will also break down into the soil.