If you are considering shrubs, evergreen nandina in all it’s forms can take practically any sun and soil conditions and has sprays of tiny white flowers, lovely red berries and late autumn colour. I have various types in nearly full shade and blazing sun. I do have cotinus royal purple growing well in part shade as it fries for me in full sun, but I don’t find the colour as intense as it might be..
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Liriope will do well in shade or sun and is flowering at this time of year and well into the Autumn. Brunnera will give you spring flower colour and attractive foliage. Roses with bright hips are very colouful in winter. and I grow both the rugosa types and Rosa glauca in a north-facing border where they do well. Mahonia has scented yellow flowers in early spring and evergreen leaves and Euphorbia (eg palustris or the rounded Humpty Dumpty) is also cheerful in the early part of the year. I have even grown dahlias in an east-facing border shaded for much of the day and they seem fine, flowering late into the year. Penstemons tolerate shade but also enjoy the sun. Things like Salvias, Echinacea and many of the grasses will be better in full sun, although I find that Chelsea-chopping plants like Michaelmas daisies keep them stockier nad less likely to be leggy and fall over when they are in shade. The same applies to Helianthus Lemon Queen, which also grows well in shade despite iits daisy'like appearance.
I lift and split H Lemon Queen after flowering. Each piece divided into three, replant just one of the three. This stops them growing too tall that they fall over. Also extra plants for charity and friends.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Some great new suggestions from you all. I have a Nandina Curly Obsessed in an even more shaded border where it seems happy but just doesn’t colour as well as when I bought it. Perhaps time to move it.
Liriope is new to me so I need to go looking for that, and the Helianthus would be fabulous. I have a Cephalaria Gigantea and Rudbeckia Maxima in my collection of things waiting to be planted but neither would be right for this part of the garden but the Helianthus looks like it would be a very good alternative. I do have a thing about flowers on spindly stems.
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In the sticks near Peterborough