ASK DIARMUID
A
Could you advise me on what to plant in my small 7ft by 4ft semi-circle garden plot? It is south facing and I would like it to be low maintenance with all-year round interest. It backs on to a 6ft-high brick wall.
A
Kath, York
For a tree, how about a West Himalayan birch (Betula utilis jacquemontii), great for front gardens. It grows with a formal upright habit and its brilliant white stem looks great all-year round.
A good evergreen shrub is Winter Box (Sarcococca confusa) which grows as a small 3ft-4ft rounded mound, and likes a bit of shade and the soil to be well drained. The flowers that produce the scent are white, but fairly insignificant, and they are soon followed by black berries.
Another shrub which provides great value as a groundcover is the Japanese pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira Nanum). It has fun “crinkly” leaves and will hug the ground, covering space. And for a bit of height go for the Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra). Its stems emerge green and they are also quite thirsty. With all bamboos, I’d recommend installing a root guard as they can become invasive.
And multiple English lavenders mounded together as you primarily plant will look fantastic.