Plant Cover for Lazy Gardener with North Facing Flowerbed

I have a north-facing front garden which is paved over except for a flowerbed under my front window. The green fingers in my family have skipped a generation (my generation) and the best I've managed to do is keep the thing weeded (but to be honest I don't even get that done all the time).

The problem is it's the front garden so it's really visible, and all the front gardens where I live are so well kept I feel like I'm letting down the entire area. The entire may agree.

Does anybody have any suggestions for what I could plant? Ideally I'd like something fairly bushy or dense looking, that won't need too much too much cutting back or feeding but that will give a bit of something to look at, year round if possible.

Does such a thing even exist? I've already killed all my indoor plants and replaced them with plastic, was hoping I wouldn't have to do that with the front as well!

I can't spell it but I've found fuchsias pretty easy to keep alive and I think they look great too, the right type can be thick and strong but they won't be year round

Apart from being north-facing, is it very shaded? As Millie said fuschia's can be good, but will die back in winter, and need some maintaining,(cut back to ground around Feb) as well as some decent light. You could try a fern bank,(ferns grouped together) always pretty and very easy to maintain. Ferns are evergreens and very low maintainence. Another plant that will do well in the shade is Choysia. A lovely plant, and easy to keep. It has a very nice flower and scent.

I have a lovely north facing garden. It has most of the acid loving plants of Fuschia in various colours, Pieris http://www.pieris.eu/pieris-japonica-forest-flame I also have various Hosta plants mixed in among these. They do die off in the winter though.