Thanks, Ornata
I will be putting in some perennials, in fact the
Gardening Direct catalogue has just this morning dropped through my
letterbox so I'll be placing an order. The camellia I will be including
also, although I'm not certain how it will fare as although I am on the
coast we suffer from sudden prolonged frosts. I think that I will also
include euonymus for ground cover, I was going to use periwinkle along with
my pachysandra but have decided against in case it takes over. I'm still
waiting for the builders to finish and then I'll get stuck in to it
(probably in the snow!).
Thanks for your input,

regards,

David
"Ornata" wrote in message
...

David Wrote:
Hi everyone,

I would like to plant some evergreen shrubs (or plants) in a 1m x 6m
bed
which during winter is shaded by a 6ft screen block wall to the east
and to
the south by a 8 ft conifer hedge.

Apart from the mahonias and conifers I am struggling to come up with
ideas for shrubs which will look good in winter (they will be visible
from
my conservatory). Any suggestions for shrubs or plants and to where I
can
get them?

thanks,

David

A few ideas:
1) Euonymus fortunei cultivars make very attractive, evergreen lows
shrubs or groundcover, e.g. "Emerald & Gold" (green with yellow
variegation that turns pinkish in winter) or "Emerald Gaiety" (green
and white). "Harlequin" is another good one - the small green leaves
are heavily sprinkled with white - it really sparkles in a dark corner.
They will also grow up against walls to a height of several feet. I
have lots of them in the very shady borders surrounding my patio and
they seem very happy.
2) There are other evergreen Euonymus varieties, such as Euonymus
japonica, with gold variegation, that grow much taller.
3) Hellebores are fairly evergreen perennials that do well in shade.
Most have beautiful flowers from winter into spring. Small plants do
take a long time to establish, though.
4) (and this might sound a bit daft...) you could do put in a few
obelisks planted with variegated ivies, to introduce a bit of height
and... er, daftness...
5) Primula are good for ground cover, with bright flowers sporadically
from autumn through to their main flowering period in late winter/early
spring (sorry - I know you were asking for shrubs, not perennials!)
6) Of course, if you have acidic soil, you could add a camellia or two.
The leaves are maybe a bit dull, although glossy and light-reflecting,
but the flowers in spring are worth it, and being shaded from morning
sun is ideal for it (the buds can be damaged if they are frozen and
then thaw too quickly).
7) The tree heath, Eric arborea, gets gets to about 6 feet (and can
tolerate a bit of lime). "Albert's Gold" has allegedly greeny-gold
foliage, but mine just looks green.
Most of these won't like dry shade or impoverished soil, so dig in as
much organic matter as you can before planting.


--
Ornata