Low maintenance front garden suggestions

Grenage

We've got a small front garden which goes down in three steps to the road.

I did originally plant quite a few bulbs - the crocuses, tulips,  hyacinths, and dhalias are reliable and pretty.  The 200 lilies were decimated by lily beetle in the first year.

It's mostly just a den of weeds at this point as I'm not the biggest gardener; could anyone suggest low-maintenance shrubs or the like.  I'm not overly bothered about flowers. It's a southern aspect and we get wind fairly hard when it picks up.

This is down in Portsmouth.

Black_Cat2

Hiya Grenage, might not be a shrub but how about some lavender plants and maybe one or two heathers.  Would love to see a pic of the area if possible 🐈

Silvertabby

How about dwarf Hebes ?

fatbelly

I've found Euonymus, Spirea and Weigela very trouble free. Ajuga Reptans for ground cover

Davesnave

Erigeron glaucus stays evergreen for me and flowers for a long time and Erigeron karvinskianus is almost never out of flower and colonises places like steps and the base of walls etc. Both need almost zero maintenance. For shrubs, I agree with hebes and also lavender if the soil is light, but you can get a similar effect from Cotton lavender which is dead easy to propagate and comes in several forms. Just hack it back occasionally. A geranium 'Rozanne' stuck in there somewhere will flower nicely for a long time in late summer.

Grenage

Here's a picture (forgive the wall, it's on the list).

Thank you for all your suggestions, I will look them up!

goldfinches

There are a lot of campanulas that basically spread out and scramble through everything else as well as covering the ground.
This one Campanula portenschlagiana - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
and this one Campanula poscharskyana | Thompson & Morgan (thompson-morgan.com)
are both good doers with no attention here in the Thames Valley and bees love them.

twopenny

The small lavender Hidcote is easy to keep in the shape of balls for the winter. I've also seen Euonymus varigated cut into balls in a front garden. both require little care and will be colour all year.

Euonymus is available in supermarkets in spring which brings the cost down.

I've seen Hidcote planted with small white rose bushes behind/between which looks pretty. I love Erigeron karvinskianus, it adds a bit of joy almost all year round. I've seen it planted on a huge mound and it looked wonderful.

With the wind avoid anything tall. I bought standard lavender trees from the supermarket and had to wire them to the wall because of wind. I'm in a seaside town too.

I do my 'exercise' walks around the area to see what other people have planted that I like the look of. Quickest way to pick up tips.

Davesnave

Now I've seen the site, I think I'd find it impossible not to counterbalance the neighbour's pre-emptive strike to steal my audience of passers-by.

I'd have to go full eco-crazy with, say, prairie planting; like teasels, huge grasses and maybe even a pampas grass or three*. Then, in the middle tier, (tiers are 'in' this year ) I'd probably install one of these:

*Don't worry, those who know what having a pampas grass in your front garden used to signify are all well north of 70 now!

Grenage

Davesnave said:

Now I've seen the site, I think I'd find it impossible not to counterbalance the neighbour's pre-emptive strike to steal my audience of passers-by.

I'd have to go full eco-crazy with, say, prairie planting; like teasels, huge grasses and maybe even a pampas grass or three*. Then, in the middle tier, (tiers are 'in' this year ) I'd probably install one of these:

*Don't worry, those who know what having a pampas grass in your front garden used to signify are all well north of 70 now!

Lol, I know from gardener's question time, so there are at least a few younger folk.

I do rather like the bug hotel.  The first year we just went with wild flowers, but it was a bit.. chaotic.

Farway

"The first year we just went with wild flowers, but it was a bit.. chaotic."

Maybe your "Den of weeds" are in fact the germinating wild flower self sown seeds from your previous growing?

PS, bet the insects loved your chaos though