Plant suggestions please

I have a trough shaped planter which is about 10cm deep I am looking for suggestions


Something hardy

Evergreen

Is ok with multipurpose compost and soil

Will ideally produce fruit or berries

Will not grow too tall 10-15cm max

I can plant now

Will not spread out of its allocated spot


Although i I can move it the planter is in an area that is quite shady

 

I doubt anything will really fit that description.
The only thing I can think of is one of the prostrate cotoneasters, and the fruit is for birds, not humans.

 

Plastic ivy?

 

OK I guess i can take suggestions where one of the criteria is not met

 

i don't think plastic plants are good for outdoors

 

Strawberries, maybe alpine strawberries?

 

I am sure someone has come up with artificial plants made from recycled plastic. They make just about everything from it now.

 

A height of 10-15cm is very low, any reason why so short?

Most things that short are some of the ground cover plants so they may trail out of your pot at some point but could be trimmed back

Gautheria procumbens is a low ground cover which has red berries. I think it likes acid soil (please check) if so would need ericacious compost. Mine is very low so would meet the height test, but it hasn’t really grown at all so maybe mine is sulking.

If you forgo berries, Ajuga reptans and/or Saxifraga urbinum are evergreen and low

If you forgo berries and have some extra height, you could try some of the smaller Heuchera or tiarellas. Not good enough on varieties to confidentially suggest small ones other than Green Spice

If it was in sun and forgo berries, one of the smaller or creeping thymes. Winter Savory as well but maybe a tad taller than 15cm, but happily clipped

Definitely not plastic. My neighbour has plastic hanging baskets (contents). After one year they are faded and bedraggled so cannot justify they’re existence on any criteria

 

Are you sure your planter is only 10cm deep, that would be tiny?

 

i thought about this for a hanging basket but don't they spread a lot. I don't want to create another weed

 

Yes - I meant to say that too @Escarpment - are you sure it's only 4 inches [10cm] ? The overall size of the container is also a factor, not just the depth.

Some basic alpines would also manage if they have good drainage - saxifrages or arabis, but- while many are evergreen [those two are] not many I can think of have berries apart from the wild blaeberries [bilberries] and I'd guess they wouldn't really be available without a serious search, unless you can go out on a hill and collect seed...

I grow the prostrate Gaultheria but it wouldn't be happy for long in a container - and certainly not one that size. We have slightly acidic soil, mainly neutral to acidic, but it only does well in a couple of areas, and often gets crowded out by other plants.

The strawberries wouldn't spread in a trough the way they would in the ground, but they'd need similar attention to any other strawberry.

 

i'm not home now but its not very deep

 

I have attached a picture , its the long white one

 

Succulents! Semprevivums are always interesting and some Senecio to tumble over the corners would look fine. Lewisia might be ok.

For evergreen edible berries, Lingonberry might just about survive in ericaceous compost.