Advice on what to plant

c.p.w.g.w

Looking for some advice on what to plant in 2 raised flower boxes/beds i have

Box 1

54cm x 100cm x 49cm(Depth)

Box 2

49cm x 100cm x36cm(Depth)

Ideally something that isn't too much work, was thinking heather's or grasses...But i think the other half whats something with more colour...I'm a complete novice with regards gardening

looksee

They are decent sized boxes. What kind of situation will they be in? Against a wall, sheltered, what direction will they face - how much sun will they get?

They will need a bit of care - mostly watering and a bit of weeding. You will probably need to stir up the surface of the soil and add a bit more compost maybe yearly. Do they have drainage? Presumably they do, you will need a bit of gravel or similar in the bottom of the box to help drainage then fill with compost with John Innes - this is a mix you can buy most places that sell bags of compost etc. It is a mix of compost and soil which is easier to manage as all compost is almost impossible to wet once it dries out.

Grasses can look nice but they are not as easy as the magazine pics make them look, its easy for them to look sad and scruffy. However a couple of grasses or small phormiums will give height. After that you are looking at small shrubby perennials Heuchera would be good, different coloured leaves, summer flowers, hardy, low maintenance. Generally prefer some shade but they are pretty easy going. Patio roses would give colour in the summer, or even the miniature roses readily available at the moment, they are usually bought for indoor but they are much happier outside and will live for years.

c.p.w.g.w

They will be sitting midpoint of the garden, with sitting out for the walls on each side...

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Both boxes get roughly same amount of sun, throughout the day...

I have some gravel, and rocks at the base, I was just gonna fill it with compost...would compost/top soil combo be good?

looksee

Yes, imo, compost and top soil is much better, maybe about one third top soil. When a pot of compost dries out solid the only way to get it wet again is to put the pot in water, otherwise it just runs off. In a box it would be impossible to do this. The addition of soil makes sure it remains somewhat friable.