My first thought would be to plant grass, as the narrow driveway may cause any plantings here to be whacked by a door or an errant foot.

But after seeing the big wheel, maybe something more like a hosta, no worry about winter snow/salt smashing or killing the plant, and it is soft enough to take crash a big-wheel into.

I would keep it pretty simple. As rodium says, hostas would be a good choice. I'd go with the heavier leafed ones - good slug resistance and would stand up better to some accidental abuse. My favorite is the old standard Hosta sieboldiana ÂElegans which gets enormous - 4-5' in diameter - with big blue leaves and quite showy white flowers. Put one of those on either side of the tree closer to the back of the bed. Then you could put several Hosta 'Halcyon' (a smaller -'mini me' - look-alike of the large 'Elegans') along the driveway edge.

At the dogwood end you could plant a Persicaria polymorpha, which is a perennial that dies to the ground (so wouldn't interfere with the spring show of the Rhodos) but by early-mid summer it looks like a shrub as it gets to be 4-5' tall. It will bloom in sun or shade. In full sun it is tall and dense. As shade increases, it gets to have a looser shape but still flowers well. For companions at that end you could add things like the Eupatorium 'Chocolate' and/or some of the dark leafed bugbanes like 'Brunette', which would pick up the color of the plum leaves. You could use Heuchera 'Palace Purple' or other dark leaved heucheras on the edge close to the driveway.

Don't forget to trench-edge the side bordering the neighbour's lawn or else use a grass barrier of some sort on that side.

Just got back from a long weekend vacation and read your responses.
Thanks so much Rhodium and Woodyoak for suggesting hostas, I dont know why I didnt even think about them. I'm going to research the varieties you suggested and the other plants as well.
Woodyoak - are you suggesting that I plant the hostas only in the front half-ish of the long bed? and then the other plants at the back end near the dogwood?
THanks again!!!

If you have a bed and can't think what to plant in it, I think my first question would be "why is this bed here?" If you have a lot of empty beds, that might be a question you want to ask about each of them, so you do not end up with a lot of planting area that serves no real decorative, barrier, or pleasurable function.

KarinL

KarinL - Thanks for asking the question. This bed was always there. It had several juniper bushes which were choking the plum tree. So I got all the juniper bushes removed but left the dogwood and the tree behind it. If I didnt have this bed, I would have to put grass in here. It would be a pain for me to have to mow a tiny strip, since the rest of the grass is my neighbor's. Also, the area slopes quite a bit and I dont know how grass would do there.

The reason I have empty beds is because when we moved in, our yard had a profusion of overgrown shrubs which werent our style and just didnt look good. So I pulled a lot out and have mulched them with the hope of putting plants in. My main motive is decorative and I'm a novice gardener which is why I cant immediately think of what to plant in a given spot. I want to take my time to fill all the spaces up and also learn in the process.

I did have one large island bed in the middle of my front yard which we removed and will be seeding with grass in fall.

Looking at the first picture... What I was suggesting was to put the big hostas under the tree, slightly towards the back (towards the lawn side) and plant the smaller hostas at the front (driveway side). The big hostas will serve as a backdrop for the small ones and they will do a better job of discouraging any lawn grass from creeping under them as they will shade the soil heavily. I like 'Elegans' but any of the big blue hostas would work - e.g. Blue Angel, Blue Mammoth, Bressingham Blue etc.

The other plants I'd put on the left side, with the larger Persicaria at the back (lawn side) with the dark leaved heucheras to the front and the mid-sized dark plants in the mid section. I'd probaly add some green leafed bugbanes too, especially the Pearl one than blooms in November for me!

So the bed would be fairly simple with lots of white flowers at various times of the season picking up the white in the dogwood leaves and the dark foliaged plants picking up the color theme of the dark plum tree. The hostas are sort of neutral in-between, have great presence just from the leaves and are good weed supressors.

Do you have a lot of bunnies and deer in your area? You may not see any in your own yard because of the lack of foliage, but if you've got a deer population, you're going to have some trouble. We've got TONS of deer where I am, and they will eat anything we put in the front yard (they can't get into the backyard!)

But, if deer are not a problem, I suggest Hostas. These are perennials, they're pretty hardy and roughly maintenance-free. We've got a bunch around the yard and we planted them there at least 10 years ago, and probably have not done much since planting them other than feeding once in a while. The rain provides enough water. However, when we tried putting them in the front yard, the deer munched happily on them. Same with the lilies, even though I was pretty sure deer did not like lilies (or maybe the bunnies ate the lilies?). Black eyed susans are self-seeding, and quite strong too. If you want a few smaller flowers for cutting, snapdragons are very attractive and provide a nice burst of color, and depending on your zone, since they are self seeding, they may come back in higher numbers the next year, and so on. Iris is a very nice choice too, as it is a fairly sturdy plant and does not require too much maintenance. I suggest finding some bearded iris rhizomes online right around now, because they are late summer/fall planted. There are a number of very attractive "rebloomers" that will bloom in the spring and again in the summer, which is always nice. Deer won't eat them, and they're nice. However i'm not 100% positive 6hrs is enough sunlight for an iris, but it might be. (iris experts, chime in!) You might want to consider some kind of wild flower seed. check online (i always buy my seeds and bulbs from americanmeadows.com and they do have a section, IIRC, for what seed mixtures are best for each area of the US) as these can provide a colorful splash to your garden bed. If you're looking for spring time color, invest in some daffodils. These are totally maintenance free, other than planting the bulbs. They take care of themselves, you don't have to dig up the bulbs, and they will multiply over the years. Any spot is okay for them, though they do prefer a little bit of shade, and so your 6 hrs of light is perfect for them. If you're looking for some border annuals, petunias are a nice choice, as are portulaca. Portulaca is much easier to take care of though--you really don't have to do anything other than plant them. With petunias you have to make sure they don't get too much water--and if you get a lot of rain, they're going to rot and get moldy. (though this is the same with most plants, i suppose)

I'd suggest pulling some of the planting away from the driveway area. I know that when people park on our driveway, the passengers always end up at least a little bit in the bed next to the driveway. I put down some sort of groundcover mint that smells amazing when you rub it, and with 6 hours of sun, you could probably get away with something similar. The occasional step on it will release the amazing smell, and it will help to choke out weeds and give the area a more lush look.

One reason I asked is that when the bed has a purpose, it is easier to make planting suggestions, because if it is just there because you like it, then planting options are just a matter of personal choice, and not a design issue... this being the design forum and all!

I would be curious whether you have a problem with soil washing down the slope now that the junipers are gone. I might be inclined to but a little rock wall or some boulders at least along the bottom, but that may make your neighbour's mowing more difficult and is obviously not a piece of cake to do.

With or without rocks, I have to say that in terms of meeting the criteria you've set out, you could do worse than replanting junipers. There are some great varieties - the golden Motherlode, the very flat Pancake, some incredible creeping blues, and you could make a fabulous carpet that would require only weeding and watering as it grows in and very little maintenance after that. Those plants can bear being stepped on a bit too.

I am not clear on why you are thinking shrubbery unless you want to create some screening. Shrubbery will narrow the usable space of the driveway, and it won't cover the ground - you still need to underplant. For that reason, the perennial garden idea might be best. And honestly, if it is 6 hours of good sun (as opposed to dappled shade), you can grow almost anything, from shade plants to sun plants.

KarinL

Wow, so many things to think about. Thanks so much for making so many thoughtful comments and suggestions.

1. We do have rabbits. One got through my rabbit fence and gave birth in the middle of my veggie patch - go figure. We see the occasional deer, not in the front though, but many behind my fenced in back yard. I have another hosta in my front yard that hasnt been touched by any creature for 2 years now, so I'll assume it is safe. We do have TONS of squirrels. They ate all my crocus and tulip bulbs a few years ago where I lived earlier. I love the thought of putting in spring bulbs, I think daffodils are squirrel proof so that may be a good option.

2. So far there has not been a problem with soil washing down the slope. That may be because there is a weed block fabric covering most of the soil and a 2" mulch layer on top. In the pictures, the mulch is looking thin but it was put in almost 2 years ago. We just put a new layer of mulch on. I did think of a retaining wall but the expense is not justifiable for this part of the yard that we cant even look at from our property.

3. Wanted to clarify that the house at the end of the driveway is a detached garage with an apartment. Our main house is at the left end of the picture (the red brick is the chimney!) So there is almost no foot traffic here. Usually one car is parked here and the driveway is wide enough. Chances of anyone stepping in my bed are small. Except maybe my young kids who store their bikes in the garage and might accidentally step in the bed. But I love the idea of the mint groundcover.

4. The juniper shrubs that were here before were about 8 feet tall. They reached the leaves of the plum tree and there were 7 of them around the tree itself. It was very hard to prune them and when I pruned some of the top off, the shrub was all brown underneath. I wanted to reduce the height so as to open up that space and not "block" my neighbor out. But there was no way to do that, so they had to go. The shrubs I was thinking are somewhat "softer" if that makes sense. The junipers were like this hard to prune thick wall but I'm thinking a shrub like hydrangea or burning bush would be easy to prune and keep at a manageable height.

Hope this makes sense. It has helped me sort out some things in my mind.

I am really loving the idea of the hostas in the near half of the bed. And also the combination of perennials of different heights at the far half. And I do love the suggestions of dark colored plants. I want to get to the local nurseries and browse around for some of the plants suggested.

KarinL - I went and looked at some of the juniper varieties that you suggested. I'm going to check them out for another bed that will need some evergreen interest.

Hello I have found one design that would be great to your long yard. I hope you like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: long yard design