ASK DIARMUID

Q

I have a patch in my garden which is about 10ft x 3ft. It has a magnolia tree in it and I did grow climbing roses up the fence but the ivy from next door has taken over. What kind of plants can I grow there that are easy to maintain, bearing in mind we get a lot of leaves dropping in autumn?

Mrs Wordsworth

A

I would go for some small evergreen shrubs that will be low maintenance but provide you with all-year interest.

For example, Hebe ‘Baby Marie’ is a compact dwarf hebe with glossy oval leaves and white flowers in early summer.

I think some hellebores would be good too – they will give you a long flowering season from winter through to early summer and require very little effort. And with a surname like yours, you must plant daffodils in honour of the poet!