On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:01:46 +0000, Lisap470
wrote:

pruned a bit

I would ideally like to plant something there which can be left to
pretty much look after itself but I'm drawn between planting a conifer
with ground cover plants or a fern or a hydrangea....

Any inspiration much appreciated!!
BTW I'm in Stevenage Herts

Thanks
Lisa

First of all, I'd suggest that you avoid conifers. They have a habit
of growing a lot larger than you want and the slower growing ones can
be susceptible to browning at the bottom if neighbourhood cats choose
to "scent" them.

If you want "low maintenance" then as a first step you might want to
consider digging up the small front lawn (as otherwise you'll have to
cut the grass and you'll still get weeds), then lay some
weed-supressing membrane, planting through the membrane (you cut
cross-slits where you want to plant something and then fold the
membrane back over the root ball) and then covering that with
chippings.

As to planting, you could then create a decent centre-piece with the
fern and hydrangea you've already thought of together with, maybe, a
skimmia and a sarcococca. The latter two are evergreen and have the
added benefit of flowers and berries in the first case and flowers and
glorious scent in the second so you have year round interest. The
hydrangea will need a little bit of seasonal attention and the fern
will need its dead fronds removed once a year but that's all the work
you'll have, really, at least until you need to do a bit of
"containment pruning" in a few years' time.

Cheers
Jake