By Springbokdoc
Middlesex,
United Kingdom 
Front garden disaster... I am very beginner gardener and need some help for ideas for our neglected front garden.
We have a typical U-shaped front garden with 3 beds roughly 2x1m each. The front section has amazingly hardy rose bushes which in spite complete inattention flower beautifully (and I'm leaving well enough alone).
The remaining borders need some attention - the side border is pretty much in constant shade due to a (shared) hedge. The border in the front of the house has full sun in the morning followed by shade in the afternoon. We had attempted to plant a number of 'partly shady' plants but they seem to have all either died or made a bid for sunlight by growing forward.
So, current plan is to restart, place weed suppresant mat down and try container gardening on slate chips till we have the right mix of plants. Does anyone have any suggestions of what might work well or any rose bushes that would cope with being in a container and the sunlight conditions?
14 Feb, 2011
One of the first things you will need to do is find out just how much sun the "partly shady" area gets. How many hours of direct sun? Two, four, six, or eight? Does the "afternoon shade" start at 11:00 am, or at 3:00 pm? Is the sun really direct, or filtered through a tree? All of these considerations will affect your potential plant palette.
15 Feb, 2011