Aucuba japonica will give you some height(1.5-2m), Vinca major or Alchemilla mollis for ground cover

As long as by "near" you don't mean within a foot, there's lots of stuff - Rogerbee mentions some above, plus there's Mahonia aquifolium, Ruscus, Sarcococca varieties, Lysimachia, Convallaria, Tiarella, Lamium, Fatsia japonica, Brunnera, Pieris, ajuga reptans

Rogerbee I was looking at my neighbours vinca they don't use therir garden they are students just moved in ina bed alday!!!! I was thinking of pinching a bit .... no not really! Does it spread everywhere theres hasen't as yet

Oh Bamboo I have never heard any of them. Guess I will get my books out ha ha The fence is right there if you check my photso the one of the catcus in the window i think you may just see the fence

A word about Vinca - I hate the stuff - no one ever grows it properly and in no time at all, those long, straggly growths it puts out root at the tips, where its on the ground, so you end up with a garden full of scraggly stems, it's useless as groundcover, doesn't stop other things growing at all. The way to grow it properly is to cut it back after it flowers, and then again later in the year, to stop it doing it, but people rarely do. Right, that's my rant over - as for the plants I suggested, you did ask!

Ok, had a look at the photo - I see there's no planting bed, as such, so I wouldn't recommend planting anything at all there until you've prepared an area for planting - even a climber up the fence will need the ground prepared for it beforehand. As your garden is so narrow, if you're not going to make beds (which I would, staggered, meaning one on the left, then one higher upon the right, so you end up with a curved "path" of turf in between them) then you might just be best off with something like hydrangea anomala climbing up the fence.

Bamboo is that why people say Vinca starts of as a plant and ends up a weed!!?

I didn't know that's what they said, but without proper care, it's absolutely true.

bamboo thank you for your suggestions. I have had a look at them and we already have creeping Jenny all over the back of the garden, very pretty but evasive. Lilly of the valley is beautiful isn't it? We have this too but we mught get some more. Thank you

I didn't mean that Lysimachia, I meant Lysimachia punctata, the upright one.

ok thanks. I have prepared the planting area today so watch this space. I am getting excited about choosing plants. I need to concentrate on all year interest and not as my garden is at the mo lovely in late spring and summer. Perhaps I'd better ask a question.......................