Recommend some pretty flowering plants to fill small beds?

[d000hg]

I have narrow (1-2 feet wide) beds around my 4x4m lawn at the back of our city house. It's south-facing and a sun trap although one bed is shielded by a wall and mostly shaded.

I have planted some bushes and small trees but would like to fill up the ground level with a low-lying "carpet" of pretty flowering plants - that don't have to be replaced every year. Since the garden is small I want things which generally have small leaves and flowers and will spread nicely to cover the ground and prevent the need for weeding I planted a few small heather plants but I don't think they are well suited although they would otherwise be a nice fit as something delicate and pretty.

I don't know anything about non-edible plants so I have no idea what to look for. Any suggestions please for low-maintenance, frost-tolerant plants and any general advice about such things?

Many thanks.

[Martin H]

That little blue bellflower, Campanula carpatica, spreads quickly, evenly and enthusiastically in sun or shade. In fact it can be a bit too enthusiastic. I should probably get rid of it altogether but can never resist leaving a patch or two as I pull it out by the handful.

Other vigorous low-growing plants are snow-in-summer (Cerastium - needs sun) and Bugle (Ajuga reptens - best in shady spot).

Then there's a vast range of hardy geraniums...

[roitelet]

Small bulbs for spring colour, probably better than in the lawn. Primroses, not the posh coloured ones but the ones that will seed themselves and come on pink, white or yellow and anything in between. Saxifrage, sedums, thrift and alpine pinks. Don't dispair of the heathers mine look awful at this time of year.

[d000hg]

Small bulbs for spring colour, probably better than in the lawn. Primroses, not the posh coloured ones but the ones that will seed themselves and come on pink, white or yellow and anything in between.

That's what I have now - tulips and crocuses - but I specifically want something to fill up the bare soil and reduce weeding needs. If I can grow tupips under such things, even better, but I need stuff that is around all year - and flowers as long/often as possible.

[roitelet]

All those I suggested are perennial and act as good weed smothers as will the ones that Martin suggested.

[d000hg]

Ah, my mistake. I saw "bulb" and mis-read.

[Valleyman]

Year round interest and ground cover? In partial shade? Wow, the gardeners dream huh?

How about this?

A cotoneaster that is underplanted by tulips and daffs. I get the bulbs penetrating through mine in spring, small white flowers on the cotoneaster in summer and bright red berries through autumn and winter. It's ever-green as well so you never see soil. Bulbs are the only thing can can push through, and I don't think I've ever had a weed under there.

I think mine is a cotoneaster 'queen of carpets', but you could equally do a cotoneaster ' horizontalis' which will happily creep up a wall or fence.

[WPG]

I use deadnettle as a ground cover, variety Wootten pink ( I think) , which flowers April-June and has pretty, variegated foliage. It's got a reputation for being invasive, but is easy enough to control.
In the second photo, I've got a blue campanula (not sure of variety) and erigeron karvinskianus (mexican fleabane). They're often used as rockery plants, but I find they'll happily grow and spread in most places.
Last suggestion is a slightly taller plant, euphorbia oblongata. It doesn't flower as such, but the lime green leaves are really pretty most of the year round and it doesn't mind a bit of shade (being a euphorbia, be careful not to get any sap on your hands).

They're all perennials, will spread fairly quickly and don't take much looking after.