What direction does that space face @Astraeus? If it gets sun, there's lots of possiblities. Also is the bottom of the planter open to earth below or is it solid? I like the ideas suggested above for an evergreen statement plant but the growing conditions need to be confirmed first, just to make sure!
I'd grow an Aubretia there - it will love the sun and alkaline conditions from the cement in the rubble, and tumble over those lovely walls.
Thanks @BobTheGardener. I'm actually en route to the GC now to collect an aubretia to drape over the wall! My trouble is with the 'statement' shrub/plant in the middle!
@Plantminded, it's south-facing (i.e. south is to the right of shot). It isn't actually a planter, the wall is retaining. There is 40cm or so of good topsoil before it hits clay.
I'm so grateful, there have been some amazing suggestions from people and ideas I'd not have bad before. P. S. Berberis was a thought but I don't want the wee lad to cut himself up if he reaches over - I'm young enough to remember how often I strayed nextdoor to retrieve things. 😄
My thought was that the ‘statement plant’ would be a block of green that totally filled the space … no room for anything else … sarcoccocus confusa would work well clipped tightly into a cube-like shape.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Whatever you choose as your statement plant I would highly recommend that you include with it a Rosmarinus repens to cascade over your wall. It's evergreen, flowers in Spring, Summer and sometimes Autumn, smells wonderful and the bees love it! Here's some photos. (Sorry, tried to reduce size of photo but still no luck with the first photo!)
If your soil is not heavy clay and your climate permits I would try a Cistus such as 'Sunset' for a sunny spot like this...lovely flowers in the summer, a rounded shape and attractive foliage all year round. For winter scent and more prickly foliage in a less sheltered place a Mahonia such as 'Charity' would work well if pruned annually to keep it small.
So we had a little wonder round the nurseries yesterday and narrowed it down to:
- Hebe (saw many varieties we liked) - Sarcacocca confusa (although have since read that they don't like full sun) - Osmanthus X burkwoodii
- Pittosporum
I quite like that the Osmanthus offers something for wildlife over the Pittosporum or most Hebes. As we'll have aubretia planted in front of it and some creeping thyme (the plan is for those to flow over the walling) and a clematis behind and above, I don't know whether I ought to be looking for something just to act as a foil rather than to have flowers itself? But I have no experience of growing any of the above so I just don't know!
The Osmanthus would be best in a shadier spot [ as would Sarcococca] It might be ok, but it would probably bleach the foliage a lot in a south facing site. Mine is west facing, and gets hardly any sun, apart from a little in late afternoon in spring, and late afternoon/early evening in summer. The only real benefit for wildlife the Osmanthus offers is somewhere for birds to hide. The flowers are very small, and although they might be of use to early bees [it's a late winter/early spring flowering shrub] there are better plants for that - species tulips and crocus for example.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
That probably leaves us with one of the Hebes. Nicely dense, nice mid to dark green foliage and some with interesting variegation (such as Rhubarb & Custard!).
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@Plantminded, it's south-facing (i.e. south is to the right of shot). It isn't actually a planter, the wall is retaining. There is 40cm or so of good topsoil before it hits clay.
I'm so grateful, there have been some amazing suggestions from people and ideas I'd not have bad before. P. S. Berberis was a thought but I don't want the wee lad to cut himself up if he reaches over - I'm young enough to remember how often I strayed nextdoor to retrieve things. 😄
sarcoccocus confusa would work well clipped tightly into a cube-like shape.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
- Hebe (saw many varieties we liked)
- Sarcacocca confusa (although have since read that they don't like full sun)
- Osmanthus X burkwoodii
I quite like that the Osmanthus offers something for wildlife over the Pittosporum or most Hebes. As we'll have aubretia planted in front of it and some creeping thyme (the plan is for those to flow over the walling) and a clematis behind and above, I don't know whether I ought to be looking for something just to act as a foil rather than to have flowers itself? But I have no experience of growing any of the above so I just don't know!
It might be ok, but it would probably bleach the foliage a lot in a south facing site. Mine is west facing, and gets hardly any sun, apart from a little in late afternoon in spring, and late afternoon/early evening in summer.
The only real benefit for wildlife the Osmanthus offers is somewhere for birds to hide. The flowers are very small, and although they might be of use to early bees [it's a late winter/early spring flowering shrub] there are better plants for that - species tulips and crocus for example.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
That probably leaves us with one of the Hebes. Nicely dense, nice mid to dark green foliage and some with interesting variegation (such as Rhubarb & Custard!).