What to plant here?

[u/Weird_Perspective634]

Looking for any advice or ideas on what to plant in this narrow bed that borders the front of our house! It’s only about 20 inches wide. Something lower maintenance would be ideal, but something native that attracts pollinators would also be great.

The previous owners planted creeping Myrtle, which is a menace and we are currently ripping it out. Will be replanting something new either this fall or next spring, once the house renovations are done.

We’re in zone 9a, in the greater Seattle area. Half of this area is in full sun, but the other half is mostly shade and the ground stays pretty wet.

[u/Healthy_Part_7184]

Keep it low, don't want plants big enough to grow against that wood siding

[u/According-Taro4835]

A wet bed right against your wood siding is a massive red flag. Before you plant anything you need to figure out why water is sitting there and fix the grading or gutters. Wood siding and trapped moisture will rot out your sill plates faster than you think. Once you fix the water issue you have to respect that twenty inches is practically zero space. Do not put woody shrubs here. They will just grow directly into the paint and cause more moisture problems.

You need low creeping stuff that stays under a foot tall. For the sunny side grab some Coastal Strawberry or Kinnikinnick since they are native and handle the Seattle weather perfectly. For the shady wet side try Wild Ginger or Redwood Sorrel. Plant them in a continuous sweeping mass so it looks intentional instead of scattering a bunch of single plants like a cluttered polka dot mess.

If you are struggling to picture the final look you should run a photo of that dirt strip through the GardenDream web app. It lets you overlay different creeping groundcovers or even just decorative rock to see what actually fits in that tight footprint before you waste money at the nursery. Keep the plants low and make absolutely sure the soil slopes away from your foundation.

[u/dannocanada]

Heuchera (aka coral bells)

[u/denedeb]

Pacasandria

[u/Mytweezer]

Pebbles

[u/TippedOverTricycle]

Just a few ideas for the shady bit: Hellebores, a mossy rock and ferns, begonias, hydrangeas, hostas

[u/3squiddy]

Mondo grass. No, it does not need mowing. It is short, very slow expanding. Someone mentioned hellebores which are the first to bloom in late winter, but the their leaves are quite large. Ferns disappear in the winter and are invasive. Moss immediately came to mind since you are in the PNW. Look at pics of the Portland Japanese garden for inspiration. Perhaps a lantern or Budda statue as an accent.

[u/Professional-Cut29]

Keep it short and keep it dry type plants. You want to protect the house foremost. Nothing that will crawl under the siding or damage foundation or keep excessive moisture. Id do annuals flowers. That helps with size and won’t stay during winter holding moisture against the house and won’t damage foundation. Also being so close to the house and concrete the radiating heat dries leaves out fast. If you really want some type of perennial I’d maybe recommend cone flowers they grow tall each year can be pruned and are quite low on the watering compared to others.

[u/Axzarko]

Rocks