Been almost forever since I've done a garden bed from scratch. I suspect this might be a topic with a wide swing in opinions: people who find the free plans helpful for plant lists, spacing, jumping off points; and those who can independently plan out on paper or in their head what they want to plant and where.

The free garden plans are pretty generic - take what you can use and scrap the rest. The plans can confuse when planted up for a square or rectangle and you've got a kidney shaped or circular space... or the only space you've got is the perimeter on the inside of a fence or close against the house. Or you've got different sun, soil, and moisture conditions. Or you have to substitute for zone appropriate plant material. Or if a plant fails, finding an alternative. Or you're really new to gardening and you're dissapointed that the plants in your garden aren't all in full bloom like they always are in the plans.

With 35 x 6', are you interested in putting some shrubs in your plan as anchor plants or focal points? Plan out the bones first. Gardening doesn't stop with the plan and initial planting - stuff grows, stuff dies - you'll constantly be adding, subtracting, tweaking. That's the fun, and the challenge, of it.

Yes, I was/am considering a couple anchor shrubs. I'm over on the shrub forum discussing options as well. The main concern over there though is that my neighbor blows snow from their driveway onto that area and shrubs may not survive that. I think I'll lean heavily towards perennials.

I pretty much plan my own beds, but I've been gardening for a bunch of years and am a plant nerd, so have a pretty good mental vocabulary of plants to work from. I plan my beds mentally with only general guidelines (ie green fern of approximate height and width, or gold-leaved evergreen shrub of an approximate size, or a perennial with medium sized variegated foliage) and then go peruse local nurseries for shrubs, vines and perennials along with websites for vines and perennials. I find that easier than trying to find a specific plant that might not be available in my quite rural area. Before I plant I physically lay out all the larger pieces still in the pots on the site and tweek as needed so that it looks good from different angles, and then add the perennials and groundcovers.

Unless this is an area where no one ever goes in winter and no one can see from inside, I agree with Duluth that you might want to seriously consider some shrubs, a dwarf tree (on the outer edge of the bed or in a bulge so that it's far enough from the house) or at the very least a birdbath, sculpture or some ornamental trellises or tuteurs with vines growing up them so that there is some winter interest and some taller interest during the summer (since many of the taller perennials are for sun.)

I'm attaching a link with a bed I planned for year-round interest, though unfortunately the one illustrated is in full sun, so the plants can't translate. I'll plan to go out and take some photos of a shade mixed border that I have as well. I worked on both these beds (which are 2-5 years old) to get not only flowers (since perennials usually bloom for only part of the season), but also a range of foliage size, texture and color so that even out of bloom there is something going on.

Another thing to consider is the amount and type of light you have. The north side of a building will have shade, but if there are no other structures or trees nearby, it will be a much brighter shade (and you will have a wider plant palette) than if you have overhanging trees which create dense shade. Also, your east and west ends may get some sun morning or afternoon during the growing season.

A final suggestion if you want to do the work to plan your own beds - go to the public library and get out lots of books on shade gardening, especially ones with photos. What your local library doesn't have, you might be able to borrow by requesting a loan through your local library from other libraries. (NH has a wonderful state-wide interlibrary loan program.) Go to Fine Gardening Magazine's website and search for shade garden articles and check out what (if any) garden magazines your local library or gardening friends get. This will give you a feeling for what plants are available, what you like, and how they can be combined in a design. Another good book for design of a mixed border is The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs by Tracy DiSabato-Aust.

Have I given you enough homework to keep you busy during the long winter months? ;>)

Please report back on progress you have made. I love to see and hear about others' gardens.

Here is a link that might be useful: Summer and winter bed

Zaphod42, I think I saw your post over on the other forum. I think garden plans can be helpful if you find a plan for your type of conditions. That gives you an idea for which shrubs and perennials would do well in shadier areas, their size, etc. It can give a good jumping-off point for plant material for that area.

I have a cottage garden area and within it are 6' beds. Along one fence I have about the same length that you are dealing with. I used a red-twig dogwood as an anchor shrub on one end. Along my border I have a 12' grass that does not look out of place because of the proportions of the other plants. I guess my point is don't worry about using a lot of height in your border even though it is narrow.

I have a Kerria japonica in quite deep shade and it blooms nicely and also has nice green stems for winter interest. I would think it would be able to handle some snow. I also have a rose of sharon in shade and it blooms its head off w/no problems. I'm sure that can handle snow. Maybe taller shrubs could withstand the snow better. I had an andromeda really beat up from snow a couple years ago. We pruned it heavily and it looked fine even later that season so that shrub appears to withstand snow damage followed by liberal pruning. And one last shrub I thought of is Pee-gee hydrangea. Mine blooms well and gets great flower color in very deep shade. I've pruned it up to more of a tree. One large perennial I have in a shadier area is persicaria polymorpha. Might work since you can cut it down in the fall. Offhand I'm having a tough time thinking about other taller shade perennials. The darker-leaved ligularias would be nice with your house color.

If you have any way to protect an oakleaf hydrangea from your neighbor's snow, the fall color would be killer next to your house color.
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Good luck with your planning and have fun!!

Thyme - I love the leaves on your Oakleaf Hydrangea! I agree it would look good against the color of my house. Might just have to give that one a shot. I was also thinking a Coppertina Ninebark would be a good color as well though it may be too close in coloration and get lost instead.

Nhbabs - Thanks for the book suggestion and image link. I've requested the book from my library. I've only been gardening for a few years and am slowly learning what's what. I feel I need to do a lot of research and question asking before I go to buy. Normally, I go the garden store, get overwhelmed, wander around aimlessly, and wind up with a bizarre assortment of plants that catch my eye with no real idea where they'll go or even if I have a spot for them. This year will be different. I'll have a plan and a list and a mission... This is what I keep telling myself. :)

I am in that bright shade situation you mentioned with the corners picking up a bit of sun. I've got two Bridal Wreath Spireas on the Northwest corner already.

Here's a pic of the spot I'm working on.

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ZAP.....this is off topic but was browsing and saw your house. Any chance you know the brand and name of the color of your siding? My son lives in the Keys and he is looking for a similar color to yours..thanks bobby

Bobbygil - Our house is wood sided. We painted summer before last. Color is Cayenne and the color chip came from Lowe's (might have been Valspar.)

IMO a stock design may not translate well to your bed. It runs along the foundation of the north side of the house, and specific characteristics such as gutters, windows, etc need to be considered in the design. You probably need shade-tolerant plants, although the plants at the ends of the house may catch more sunlight. You may want to use the foliage of perennials like Hosta to minimize the downspouts or pipes.

If you plant shrubbery, consider the mature size of any woody plants - will it crowd the house, block the view from windows, etc? Also, I wouldn't plant shrubbery (or large perennials for that matter) anywhere near your basement window wells, where overhanging branches can eventually 1) block sunlight to your basement, and 2) drop leaf litter and organic matter onto your window wells. Consider dwarf or compact shrubbery if you don't have enough room for large shrubs.

As well as Thyme's suggestion of red-twigged (or gold-twigged) dogwood which will be brighter with an annual early spring pruning of at least some of the branches, summer blooming spirea and Annabelle hydrangea are a couple of shrubs that can be trimmed to ground level in spring if they are damaged by snow, either what might fall from the roof or what your neighbor throws from the drive. They will both still reach a good size and bloom each summer. You could also plant a type 3 clematis (which is best with severe pruning between hard freeze in late fall and growth each spring) to give some height on a trellis in the summer, and either have a trellis mounted near the house wall where the snow won't damage it (hopefully) or else have an obelisk that gets moved out of harm's way before the snow each year. All these plants will do fine with 1/3 to half day sun in my experience and provide some focal points, at least in summer, so might be good for the brighter areas.

Here are a few taller shade-tolerant perennials you might want to check out. Some of the meadow rues (Thalictrum) have tall bloom stalks with white, lavendar or yellow blooms. The taller cimicifugas (AKA Actea) can get to 4 feet when in bloom and some forms have dark reddish leaves. Solomon's seal (Polygonatum) can be medium tall and has both a form called Giant and a variegated form.