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  Chris Auld April 16, 2012 at 9:04pm

  Are those conifers in the back? If so you wont get much to grow in there, definatley nothing with flowers anyway, you could try Aucuba japonica, Viburnum davidii, Ilex, maybe Mahonia.
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  Anthony Toop April 17, 2012 at 9:41pm

  If you can improve the soil as much as possible and keep the existing laurels etc under control then maybe try the following, it goes without saying that what ever you try will need watering regularly until well established, which could be most of the year if weather is hot!

  BRUNNERA MACROPHYLLA

  BERGENIA

  EPIMEDIUM PERRALCHIUM + E.PINNATUM

  HARDY GERANIUMS, the ones which are listed as coping well in shade

  LARGE LEAVED HOSTAS, the bluey green ones are best

  HELLEBORUS
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  Darren Walters April 21, 2012 at 8:25am

  Thanks guys. I'm only up there once a fortnight so whatever I plant, I could do with weather like this week to keep it watered!
  
  Chris, yes Conifers in the background and all under the canopy of a massive Cedar.
  Anthony, thanks for the suggestions. The soil is currently covered in needles from the Cedar and grit from the drive that needs re-surfacing. So plenty of improving needed.
  Paul, I like your thinking with the Laurel but the budget won't stretch that far.
  
  I'll keep you updated with what I decide.
  
  I've got some bare rooted Lawsons Cypress to plant in another area on Tuesday. They were delivered to my home yesterday, left UPSIDE DOWN, outside the front in full sun (well, in between the showers). So, fingers crossed for keeping them alive!
  
  
  Thanks again, Darren
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  Franne Ravensbergen April 21, 2012 at 12:39pm

  Agree, cut back the laurel as much as you can/are allowed to.

  If you want to underplant with herbaceous plants,

  try Liriope muscari Variegata to light it up a bit,

  or Vinca minor and

  Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (woodspurge) or

  Geranium phaeum as groundcover

  If there is no irrigation and noone to water it, it will need soil improvement and lots of it!

  Good luck and post the pics of the result?!

   
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  Simon Payne April 21, 2012 at 9:42pm

  Rip everything there out as nothing present seems functional or attractive ... if you want herbaceous plants then I would plant the whole bed up with Epimedium Frohnleiten or go for a very tough prostrate evergreen shrub like Lonicera pileata which has beautiful fresh green leaves in the spring and can be kept neat by clipping and allowed to stay at any height between 400mm and 800mm.  If there are any trees existing in this bed then keep the planting to one species.

  Good Luck whatever you decide.
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  Jennifer Lauruol April 30, 2012 at 5:59pm

  I would crown lift the laurel, and underplant with daphne odorata aureomarginata and sarcocco hookeriana--both strongly scented shade lovers. This would add a nice sensory touch for the old people. 

  I would underplant these with massed vinca minor, and drop in some spring daffs for colour. See if you can get the management to fund a bit of extra scented planting for people elsewhere--such as the climbers traecholospermum (Confederate Jasmine) and clematis armandii--both really lovely and scented, as well as evergreen.  Are there any paths you could edge with lavender? Any sunny spots for rosemary? Any hedges you could do with rosa rugosa for scent? These things add a lot of interest and value for older folks.
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  Julius Bell April 30, 2012 at 10:06pm

  Pruning the existing shrubs properly would make a big difference to start with