Surrey,
United Kingdom 
I have an east facing bed along the west boundary of my garden. It is backed by a row of cupresses & similar high bushes (no morning sun!). it is 2m wide by 10m long. I have dug it & removed all roots and overgrown shrubs. I plan to laydown a heavy duty weed prevention sheet and dress with bark chippings. On the whole my garden has some early flowering shrubs & trees but no colour, other than shades of green for the rest of the growing season. Could someone advise a selection of small flowering shrubs that would give some colour to the bed during high summer and autumn. I live in West Surrey & my soil is very light (gravel over Green Sands)
7 May, 2010
Previous question
Your problem is that anything that likes light, thin, gravelly soils also likes hot, sunny conditions, thus ruling out most things that would tolerate those conditions. Think I'd be inclined to sink pots in the border and plant things like Pieris forrestii or P. japonica varieties, Skimmias, (both ericaceous compost) plus perennials like Lysimachia punctata, Hostas, Foxgloves, Lamiums, Ajuga reptans, Tiarella, Convallaria etc. About the only thing I can think of that might tolerate the conditions is something like Campanula muralis.
12 May, 2010