Fatsia provides year-round structural interest with its large evergreen leaves. Berries on the Viburnum and Podocarpus brighten up autumn. The Bistorta and Podocarpus provide some ground cover, which will help prevent erosion of bare soil. Keeping the ground covered with plants can also help to reduce moisture evaporation from the soil surface and suppress weed growth.
While waiting for the plants to fill out, an organic mulch, preferably homemade compost, will help in the same way. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer.
Some of these plants will also attract vital pollinators to your garden.
1 - Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ is a deciduous shrub with flowers that open entirely green at first, turning pale lime green and later fading to white. A slight pink flush in places gradually deepens to give a pink and green colour mix at maturity.
2 - Fatsia japonica is an open, spreading evergreen shrub, with large, glossy, lobed leaves and small white flowers held in round clusters in autumn, followed by small black berries.
3 - Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’ is a deciduous shrub with green leaves turning purple-pink in autumn. In early summer, flat heads of small fertile flowers are surrounded by cream-white sterile ones, and are followed by bright red berries in autumn.
4 - Anemone x hybrida ‘September Charm’ is a semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial with divided leaves. It has slightly cupped, light rose-pink flowers, held on strong upright stems in late summer and autumn.
5 - Podocarpus ‘Country Park Fire’ is a low-growing conifer with year-round interest. Creamy-yellow leaves appear from red shoots in the spring. These change to pink, green then bronze as the year progresses. Inconspicuous flowers in the summer are followed by bright red fruit.
6 - Bistorta affinis ‘Donald Lowndes’ is a semi-evergreen perennial, forming a dark green carpet of leaves with spikes of small pink flowers rising above the foliage in summer and autumn, which darken with age, finally turning orange-brown.