What can we do with this small space?

Slinky

Front garden has been completely trashed with our building work This small part faces east and is shaded to the south by the wall on the left hand side. We plan on putting a slate/shingle base around the plants. We have a pretty pink/yellow rose which used to grow up to the left of the main window which we may put back in, having trimmed it back. The small slabs at the back will come out.

gwynlas

I would use pots and change seasonally

FreeBear

Get rid of that nasty geotextile, then put down a good thick layer of decorative gravel. A couple of decent size tubs containing a few drought tolerant plants will add a bit of interest.

wort

I have shrubs facing east, pieris,hebes, Rosemary,Choisia ,heathers,skimmia, and groundcover and bulbs, Mexican fleabane, scillia, tete a tete.
The list is long shrubs can be trimmed to keep under the window height, but I would check sizes they can get to as some are more rampant than others. My rosemary is quite upright ,bushy and around 3 foot but can be kept quite small.

[Deleted User]

That's going to be a difficult area, i completely agree with Freebear, it's the best plan.

twopenny

I'd dig in some top soil then it's a choice.
You could make a neat tapestry with flowering shrubs that have different coloured leaves.
Hebes are easy, low maintenance, all sizes, grow in natural mounds and a colour variety
If using plants I'd skip the slate as leaves will mess it up.
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/65794844528599833/

Or go for slate with a couple of statement shrubs like shaped box.

Slinky

Thanks for the suggestions. Don't want to go down the pots route, the water butts are round the back of the house and I just know that pots here will get overlooked.

Slinky

FreeBear said:

Get rid of that nasty geotextile, then put down a good thick layer of decorative gravel. A couple of decent size tubs containing a few drought tolerant plants will add a bit of interest.

Agree that the old weed barrier is horrible, we had some leftover from our previous home and stuck it down in an attempt to get the borage that was running rampant in there under control. We knew it was only temporary because of the building work we had planned.

Trouble with gravel is A) we have a cat and there's a sycamore tree on the other side of the road and this area is a wind trap for all the leaves and seeds.

[Deleted User]

Slinky said:

FreeBear said:

Get rid of that nasty geotextile, then put down a good thick layer of decorative gravel. A couple of decent size tubs containing a few drought tolerant plants will add a bit of interest.

Agree that the old weed barrier is horrible, we had some leftover from our previous home and stuck it down in an attempt to get the borage that was running rampant in there under control. We knew it was only temporary because of the building work we had planned.

Trouble with gravel is A) we have a cat and there's a sycamore tree on the other side of the road and this area is a wind trap for all the leaves and seeds.

Use stones or slate, they're larger product.

[Deleted User]

Slinky said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Don't want to go down the pots route, the water butts are round the back of the house and I just know that pots here will get overlooked.

That area will also require watering because it's a dry micro-climate of its own -  maybe just go the stone/slate route then.

Farway

[Deleted User] said:

Slinky said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Don't want to go down the pots route, the water butts are round the back of the house and I just know that pots here will get overlooked.

That area will also require watering because it's a dry micro-climate of its own -  maybe just go the stone/slate route then.

If going that way, maybe look into Alpine style?

Like stonecrops / sedum / ice plants? The sort used for living roofs, low growing, hardy & resilient, plus flowers loved by insects