Gardening Help

[pea12]

Hi, I have recently moved into a new house and have a small front garden which at the moment just has grass in it.   Ideally I would like to plant maybe some sort of bush (in each corner, or to grow all the way round) which would not need much looking after/grow too high and preferably look nice all year round (maybe I am asking the impossible!)  I've never had a garden before and not sure about any of this.  Has anybody any suggestions, or any advice they can give to somebody who has never gardened before in their life.   Any help would be much appreciated.   Thanks in advance..

[Jules001]

I too have a small front gardenand we have put in a plant which has grown into a bush which we keep in a rounded shape. It looks good all year, and it is quite a bright greeny/yellow in summer, it is easy to keep in shape but will grow quite fast, it is dead easy to take cuttings from, in fact when my husband cuts it, if a bit falls on the flower bed and gets missed in the clearing up it will take root, we have actually got another growing next to our main plant. They are quite cheap to buy as well. This is a link to info and a picture of the plant http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant _pages/501.shtml

[buchanan]

Dwarf bamboo would look nice - I've got one in my back garden, it won't ever get bigger than 1.5 - 2m.  I planted it in its pot to make sure it won't go bananas - probably over the top as its a non-invasive variety (bamboo can take over).  Its called Fargesia Simba.

[sddsddean]

We use 'Red Robin' to great effect. You can get it as either a bush/shrub or as a standard (like a 4' high tree). Just needs a trim once a year to keep in shape and the leaves are a mixture of green and a maroony sort of colour.

[ann_h]

There are lots of dwarf conifers that come in all shades from green through silver, gold and blue.

[woofgang]

red robin is photinia

[pea12]

thanks to everybody for their suggestions, it's much appreciated...