Front Garden Bed - Any help would be super!

henrygregory

Hi here, 
I have a small garden bed at the front of my house, sadly some of the plants there have died and it looks quite untidy.
My section is the bit to the right of the red line:

xxx

Can anyone suggest some plants I can put in here to improve the look of this area?
There are only two criteria...
1.I need to fill this whole area similar to what is there or else the resident cats will come and leave brown presents everywhere. 
2.If it is too nice, the resident ASBO kids will no doubt tear it off such as nice pretty flowers.

I had a few thoughts, I thought a small bay tree or two would look nice but I would need to put something down at ground level or else the cats will take over. 
My friend had suggested maybe Japanese Holly (rather than Buxus) or some Alium though they don't flower most of the year.

Any suggestions and ideas would be very much appreciated.

This is what it looks like on the other side of my door...

25_Years_On

I'd put in a blue geranium - Geranium rozanne for ground cover and good colour. Although it would need cutting back in late autumn so may no cover the whole area in winter and early spring.

twopenny

I'd use the same plants as you have on the good side as they obviously like the conditions and all pretty/evergreen/hardy. Just reverse so they compliment and balance.
You can always add a wallflower or pansies to embellish if you suddenly get the call of spring or bulbs

fatbelly

I've got a dwarf weigela in a patch like that.

This isn't my photo but it looks like this

theoretica

I think what you have there is one of the euphorbia types that really likes being pruned (mind the sap) and might come back if pruned hard after flowering.

Some of my thoughts are lavender, rosemary, hebe.

Flugelhorn

theoretica said:

I think what you have there is one of the euphorbia types that really likes being pruned (mind the sap) and might come back if pruned hard after flowering.

Some of my thoughts are lavender, rosemary, hebe.

^agree - also euonymous / small ceanothus 

ka7e

Ceanothus repens forms a dense mat. It is used for ground cover but will grow higher up a supporting wall. Evergreen with blue flowers that bees love.

Floss

Or pyracantha - it's tough, Hardy & evergreen, the thorns will repel felines, bees love the white flowers & birds love the orange berries.

dancingmaster1651

Anything with sharp bits. Pyracantha, some roses (I think there's one called pimpernellifolia which is both pretty and lethal), berberis, or holly as mentioned. Local garden centre should be able to advise. I'm not a horrible person (honest!) and I love cats -- all ours have been rescue -- but your front yard does look vulnerable to felines and rapacious youngsters. 
I'm still waiting for a telly producer to make a series like Garden Rescue for the much more tricky and hence more neglected area of *front* gardens. 

dancingmaster1651

PS to previous post. We had damp problems probably caused by a wisteria planted too close to the wall. Can you get a friendly surveyor or house builder to advise on that? At the same time, the soil must be rather impoverished and dry, so whatever you plant, especially if roses, will need some careful prep. What about a large pot, bolted or screwed into wall, to address both issues? I like other posters' ideas too. 

Black_Cat2

Another vote for lavender.  Bee friendly and lovely scent.  Maybe a rosemary bush too 🐈