Does the 6 after your name mean you are in zone 6? If so, do you get snow in the winter, and how much snow?

I ask because that's just tracks on the ground sort of driveway- which might be a PITA to keep clear in the winter. More so if you are worried about potentially damaging plantings or hitting something if you choose to use containers.

Other than that... what do you want to grow? Flowers, herbs, greenery? Not much veggies will grow, but some can- particularly if you put in raised bed action so the plants aren't endangered by cars driving in and out. If you just want the area to be nice and green and plush, you could try a thick carpet of moss.

Yes I am zone 6, We generally get a few light snowfalls over the course of a winter, Less than a foot on average. This winter was an anomaly. We have gotten a total of about 16 inches, most of it over the course of 10 days and it stuck around about 2 weeks.

Yes it is just tracks on the ground. and the area I have to plant is is about 14 inches deep. What I kinda want to do is a nice splash of color. Maybe a mix of herbs flowers and greenery. Here is what I have thought of so far, Creeping thyme, because it wouldn't matter if I drove on that if it spread. Lily of the Valley, because its small and smells good. Am wondering if I could do caladiums as well mixed with some ferns.

Moss I worry about only because it may get slippery when its wet and we get a fair bit of rain. I had also considered planting lettuces there for the summer. Its the cooler side of the house and I may be able to extend my season that way. I could do some small containers, not sure if I could work a raised bed into that but I will go out and look, that could actually be the best way to work with it if I could. Actually I could do do 3 and they would be narrow, about 14 inches, but I could raise the height and then do small holes in the front and do some vertical plantings as well. Not sure if that is a good idea or not.

OK now here is a few things I should add this area gets no sun at all. 100% shade 100% of the time. I do have catnip, spearmint,parsley and lovage seeds. What about soapwort? I have seeds and they are pretty little flowers. I also have seeds of Lettuce, spinach carrots and radish. I don't have beets but I could always get some. I am thinking I could do the ones that get colored leaves that could be quite pretty.

I dunno about the soapwort, I think it will only go part shade. I don't know how colorful the colorful beets will get- I've grown basic red beets in full shade, they were a little small by comparison to being in sun, but did ok. The 100% shade might impact the carrots and radish more too, but I've had luck with spinach in full shade. Lettuce might get leggy- it likes at least some light. I can't tell ya on the catnip- I've only grown it in full sun.

And this is why I have reached out for help, I have never had an area with 100% shade before so it is a challenge. I have a couple different kinds of spinach seeds, so I will be starting those there. Now I will wait on the creeping thyme only because I have a small amount of seed and that is going to be in a bed in my front yard. But I can collect seed later for it and I am pretty sure I can grow clippings. I also have lemon balm and spearmint, so those will go there as well. Still a bit cold for them but I am pretty sure I can start the parsley and spinach now and it would be fine. Thank you so much for your input.

You can start your lemon balm now- it can be started between 6-10 weeks before setting out, so you are probably in the middle of that time frame now. Spearmint is about 8-10 weeks, so that should be good to go now too.

Ajuga might be an option.

In an area that gets no sun at all, the north side of a wall, you have 'bright shade". Forget lettuces and most of the other plants mentioned. Look at hostas, pulmonarias, ferns, and lamiums for ground covers, among the most commonly available plants. Another handsome plant that might work is Hakonechloa macra aureola, a weeping ornamental grass.

And be aware that all the mints you mention spread like crazy from underground roots. They should never be planted except in pots to control them.

Enough already.

Put in a porous pavement driveway, right to the house. Build a little wooden cabinet to conceal all the utility array, and plant on the wonderful "sunny side of the street", where you can have some color and crop production with the nice background wall of the hedge.

If you want color by the house, used colored bricks for your driveway. or add sculpture on the house wall. You have a wonderful area to grow plants, curb it and use it. You can even enjoy it from the windows of your home!

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Now I am planting on that side, except where the shrubs are, I haven't yet decided what I should put there. But between the end of the shrubs down to the garage I am installing a rock garden, and growing a lot of herbs and butterfly plants there. I am hoping to get some good aromatics growing there as well. This is right outside my dining room windows and will look great once done.

We will eventually pour a driveway and I like the idea of the colored pavers there that could actually be awesome.

Permeable pavers for the driveway all the way to the house.