Hi I’m looking to plant some Easy maintenance plants in my new rendered planters. I don’t want to fill them totally with soil as the wooden fence is on one side and I don’t want it to rot , so I’m looking for ideas of low maintenance plants that can be grown in a shallow bed - roughly 12inchs , but would grow tall . Id like a Japanese Acer or some Cordylines but not sure if they would grow in shallow soil. I’d like a Mediterranean low maintenance look . Can anyone advise me or give me inspiration. The planters will be rendered in Pewter Grey Thank you

Looking to plant up this planter with some light screening and architectural plants for year round interest. Modern planting style preferred. Thinking about bamboo but not sure which sort to pick as don’t want to get too high or invasive and / or grasses but worried they won’t provide screening in winter. Maybe some nice flowering perennials too for summer colour. Screening needs to be light as will take light from next door. Must be easy to maintain as I am hopeless at gardening! Bed is 9m x 1.2m deep x 0.8m high. Has irrigation fitted. Thanks in advance!

Looks like a real suntrap, so how about a Mediterranean garden with some fruit trees? Espalier are great as they don’t take up too much room, but my favourite fruit tree for a sunny spot is a Fig tree. They grow very well in the U.K. (my parents had 2 in Herts) and there was loads of fruit. They do grow quite wide but they don’t mind being pruned, although a great bit of shade on a hot day. Other shrubs that will like those conditions are Hibiscus, Cistus, Ceanothus, Choisya, Roses and the climber Star Jasmine. Plants that love the sun and are good for the front of border are Lavender, Nepeta (catmint, loved by cats!), Clematis, Crocosmia, Agapanthus. Herbs love the sun so things like thyme, sage, chives and rosemary. There are lots more but those are ones I’ve successfully grown and I don’t want to bore you with a long list! Most shrubs prefer growing in the ground. They will be easier to care for and won’t need as much watering than if they are in a pot, but some of the smaller shrubs won’t mind a pot. I have a few shrubs in pots. If you do decide to put some in the ground, add lots of compost or top soil to your soil. Some of the shrubs you mention don’t do well in the sun and may shrivel, so unless you have a shady spot I wouldn’t include them - Hydrangeas and Japanese Acers. I’ve never had much success with Olive trees as they don’t always cope with our winters, but I know some people do. I’m not good with design but I did create a small garden on my sunny plot. The big blue shrub is a Ceanothus, evergreen.

First pic look like ferns (the little green ones, and the purple leaf plant looks like a Phormium. The hanging plants in the second pic look like summer bedding, so will add colour throughout the summer but will die off when the frosts arrive, so will need to be repeated the next year. The taller red leaved plant may be a type of Yukka? Have a look at Crocus’s website, they are a very good quality online garden centre. They supply Waitrose. www.crocus.co.uk. They’re not cheap but everything arrives very well packaged and customer service is good. However as Sarah suggests, visiting a good garden centre is a great option and staff seem to know their stuff. You may also see other plants that would suit what you are looking for.