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Help me pick some container plants for my North facing front door

Dinnerplatedahlias🌸Dinnerplatedahlias🌸 Posts: 99
in Plants
I’ve attached a photo of the space in question. Still need to buy some large planters for this area. 
The front of my house is north facing and gets no direct sunlight. I’m looking for an evergreen tree and or shrub for this area that will tolerate these conditions. I feel like I’m going round in circles a bit looking at stuff online myself so I’d really appreciate any suggestions or advice anyone can give.
In terms of weather conditions I live in Zone 8B in Scotland and I’m more than happy with plants that require some maintenance also.
Any and all plant suggestions greatly appreciated ✌️
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  • Dinnerplatedahlias🌸Dinnerplatedahlias🌸 Posts: 99

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Don't know what zone8b is but sarcoccoa is evergreen, shade loving and fragrant winter flowers.




  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    @K67 - zones are an American system for denoting temperature ranges in a geographical region which acts as a guide for hardiness of plants.  8b equates to RHS H4 so winter temps down to -10C.

    Shrubs that could cope would be mahonia, holly - which can be variegated but you'd need a female to get berries and there has to be a male nearby, cotoneaster harrovianus, viburnum tinus and maybe escallonia.   You'd need a decent sized pot so the compost doesn't freeze and good quality John Innes no 3 compost mixed with maybe 1/3 MPC for moisture retention in summer.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 1,017
    Sarcococca are lovely, especially the small leaved cultivars. The scent from the tiny white flowers, in winter, is intoxicating and so it’s a good one to have near a path or door.
    Blackish berries follow.

  • SuesynSuesyn Posts: 664
    Sarcococca can be trimmed to shape too so it won't get in the way of access to the door. I've got one in a pot which has been there about 6 years and gets pretty much ignored, occasional water and top up the compost in spring and that's it. 
  • Dinnerplatedahlias🌸Dinnerplatedahlias🌸 Posts: 99
    @K67 @dappledshade @Suesynsarcoccoa sounds like a great idea! Never even thought I’d be able to get something scented for this area. 
    @Obelixx all fantastic suggestions 👌 I particularly like the idea of the holly and viburnum as I’ve seen these online trained into a nice standard tree shape. 
    After a little bit more googling I’ve seen some mixed information about Hebe being ok in full shade....does anyone have any experience on this as I’d love something i could train into a nice buxus ball shape but I know box would be unlikely to cope with full shade.
     
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Hebe is not amenable to tight pruning.  Has a tendency to throw a wobbly and not re-grow - or so I'm told.  Only ever had mine "pruned", fatally, by frosts in previous gardens and haven't yet needed to prune the ones I have here. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Dinnerplatedahlias🌸Dinnerplatedahlias🌸 Posts: 99
    Ahh I did not know this. Saw it advertised as an alternative to box balls so thought it could be pruned the same. So glad I asked on here 😅 
    Any shrubs/ trees that could be trained into a nice topiary shape that you think would tolerate shade? 
    I’m point blank refusing my partners suggestions of artificial plants!
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited July 2020
    I'm also looking for exactly the same as you for my north facing front door.
    Sarcococca seems to be the obvious choice and I may get a couple of those (I like sarcococca Ghorepani).
    But I previously had a bay laurel just outside the front door for 20+ years. It never got any direct sunlight and was also partially covered with a porch canopy and that grew well.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Have you though about Astelia?  @Pete.8 and @cbennett17  Many people put them in full sun, as they look like the kind of plant that would like that, but they actually do much better in shade.

    They are evergreen, very architectural, slow growing, and need minimal maintenance.  We used to grow Astelia Nervosa Westland, which had a slightly bronze tint to the silvery leaves.  Now we grow Astelia chathamica Silver Spear, which is more of a pure silver.

    They can get to a decent size, given about 5 years or so.  The one in the photo (Westland) was about 1.5 metres in width.  When we moved house, sadly we had to chuck it out, as it was too heavy to move. 

    Check on hardiness for where you are, as I think they are not fully hardy in all parts of the UK.  If you have an unheated greenhouse, that might be OK for Winter.


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