Ideas on what we can add to the front garden

Hi all, first post on here, I'm a Gardeners World refugee

Wondered if anyone had any ideas on what we could add to the front garden it's looking quite bare, apart from a lavender, diosma, salix tree and I can't remember what the plant is growing upwards.

Our gardens east facing, it gets the sun in the morning.

The soil has alot of clay.

 

Hello DaveyB and welcome to GC It would help us enormously to give advice if you could tell us whereabouts you are, which way the garden faces, whether it's sheltered from strong winds and what the soil is like. Also whether you're looking for colourful flowers or foliage?

 

I'd suggest planting Mahonia, pittosporum tom thumb, and Darwin's barberry in the space inside the hedge.
Happy gardening!

 

Post updated

 

Thanks I'll take a look at them plants.

The buxus looks like it's coming back well considering we had box tree caterpillar for the first time last year.

 

Mahonias can be a bit spikey, because of this some prefer Mahonia "Soft Caress" Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis &s;Soft Caress&s; | Oregon grape &s;Soft Caress&s; Shrubs/RHS Gardening

 

I'm wondering where exactly the plants would go @DaveyB. Is it in that wee strip with the slate chippings?
There isn't enough room there for bigger shrubs. You need to be able to access the hedge for trimming, and also the house itself - windows etc.
Can you clarify and also give us an idea of the size of the space if it is there?

 

I would go for my fave plant, erigeron, as it has such a long flowering season and will spread itself about. Always looks cheerful and is perennial

 

Ooo I've got some of that in a chimney pot in the back garden they are lovely

 

Yes there's not much space just wanted a few little hardy plants to fill the gaps, but I've also got plenty of spare pots in the back garden which need stuff

 

What sort of size/height are you looking for @DaveyB ?

 

Penstemons would be ok there and give plenty of long flower colour, Hebe would give you an evergreen filler for winter.
You can't go wrong with more lavenders. Most Fuchsias would be happy there.

 

Many Hebes would cope, but there are hundreds of varieties, so choose wisely. They don't all cope with wet, cold winters either, so that's where your location/climate matters. The small leaved ones are generally tougher than the larger leaved, and variegated ones though. Up against the wall would suit them - sharper drainage and warmer.
Iberis, perennial candytuft would probably be fine.
If you haven't already added them, spring bulbs will add some colour for this time of year, and the species/botanical tulips are mostly reliable if they get enough sun. You can always look at that for autumn. Pulsatillas [pasqueflowers] are good too, and very easy. You could try some lilies in the ground and also containers, which can be switched around with spring bulbs too, for a bit of colour at, or near, the door. You have to watch for lily beetles though.

 

Not an answer to your question as such, but keep an eye out for the return of the box caterpillars. They have a tendency to reappear .

 

I'm guessing the location is a lot further south than where I am. We don't have the box caterpillars here. Box always looks healthy in this area.
Whether that will always be the case is anyone's guess, but I'll probably be gone by that time!