Ideas appreciated

Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb' with golden-green young leaves, turning to bronze-purple. AGM award. Thriving in neighbours front South facing garden and in my North facing back garden.

Thanks Shirley. I will Google it to see how big it grows.

P. 'Tom Thumb' gets about 3 ft in many years, so ideal. Good suggestion. How about the tiny penstemon pinifolius, daphne retusa, phlox douglasii cultivars, or coprosma (dependent slightly on how protected it is from the north - good dainage), nandina domestica 'Firewpower', rhaphiolepis umbellata, or, the unusual fascicularia bicolor (see my pics). Phil J

I think the Photinia would be too big for what you have in mind, Sheila. I see it described as growing to 2 - 3 metres high - hardly "low growing". Phil's come up with a lot of unusual suggestions, and I like Shirley's suggestion of the dwarf Pittosporum as well.

How about Ceratostigma? C. griffithii is evergreen with good leaf colour in autumn.

Thanks very much Phil J and Beattie. The bed in question is to the right of my front porch; there is an existing bed to the left of the porch with (surprise!) 2 Nandina domestica (which I love) and one Ceratostigma. They have both grown surprisingly large (see my photos), and my OH keeps threatening to prune them (never a good idea). I will definitely look at Phil's pics to see his unusual suggestions. I've had a Photinia davidiana in my back garden for many years - it just appeared - and perhaps because it is in a wild patch, I have never pruned it, and it is only about 2' high. But I see from others' comments that it CAN get much larger. Still have an open mind until I (eventually!) decide.

What about Cotoneaster horizontalis, Lavender, Skimmia or a Juniper?

My Photinia davidianas are definitely too large, Sheila. The one I planted stayed small for a couple of years, and then took off and is growing steadily now. It's up to about 4', while the inherited one has reached 6'.

Be aware that Coprosmas are not hardy - I lost all mine in the winter of 2008/9, and tucked my new ones into the greenhouse last winter, where they are again now. They won't be planted out again. The only one that survived ( but still protected with fleece!) was C. 'Beatson's Gold' - but that was the oldest one, too, so it had its roots down.

Look at Viburnum tinus 'Variegatum' which is a lot, lot slower growing than the non-variegated one. It's a lovely shrub.

I also have three Lophomyrtus ralphii of different sorts - I do fleece them, but they seem happy with just that protection in severe weather. They are all evergreen. Do take a look on my plant list. I also have Loropetalum chinense, and L. chinense 'Firedance' which do need a sheltered spot and fleece in very cold weather, but they're very attractive shrubs, with the added bonus of little pink ribbony flowers.

Spritz, how did you know that my favourite flower colour is deep pink?!! Loropetalum looks wonderful, and ideal for the spot in question. THANK YOU. I shall track it down. Will write again tomorrow as it has gone midnight . .

Glad to be of service, Sheila. :-))) Just be careful to protect it - maybe have it in a pot until next year if you do find one before the spring, so it can be removed to a safe place if the weather turns severe.

Thank you very much Shirley, Phil J, Beattie, Denise and Spritz. It's so great to get advice so promptly (and amazes me that I've been gardening for tum-te-tum years and still coming across new plants!). I really covet a Pittosporum Tom Thumb, so have decided to get one for the LH bed mentioned and get rid of sorry-looking existing Weigela. I'll hope to find a Loropetalum, and will keep it in the greenhouse with the 2 Libertia Taupo Sunset (not Blaze as I thought). I can't plant the bed up anyway until a new window has been installed. Very happy the decision has been made with your help! :-)))

It's a wonderful gardening forum! I have only been a member since January of this year, yet I have learned so much from members. Good luck with your planting. : o )