Ideas please

How a bout Ceanothus?

There is a shrubby honeysuckle called Lonicera Nitida "Baggensens Gold" So this is not a flowering plant but has small leaves and is as its name suggests a light goldy colour. You can let it grow or you could trim it to a shape too, and it would give you a lighter colour to brighten that area. I have suggested it to people to replace Box plants which have been hit by the blight.

If you have acid soil I would suggest Pieris, as they give year round interest with flowers, foliage and autumn colour.

LizH13

Much lower than what you want, but I have a lot of bergenia under my apple tree. I love that it is evergreen and it looks beautiful in the spring as there are naturalised daffodils amongst it and snowdrops around the edges. I love the look of your garden.

The deer love the flowers. Azalea, you probably don’t have deer in an enclosed garden. The Bergenia flowers are lovely when there are few other flowers.

Thanks All
@Pattie47 I love ferns, and have quite a few under a tree which I’m told is a willow. They look close to death in this heat, so hope they survive.
@Quizzer - wow, that’s gorgeous! I definitely need to find an excuse to buy one.
@LizH13. Thank you, yes I want a little more height than bergenias although I do like them. Very envious of your snowdrops - I don’t know what I do but they never last longer than two years. 🤷‍♀️

I am assuming under your tree will be dry shade?.....a shrub we have under our huge hornbeam tree is Skimmia "Kew Green"....evergreen & doesnt get too big & we do trim it. Otherwise ferns grow well but you may not like those?

Pittosporum- some nice variegated ones. Everygreen and if seems to grow anywhere.

Much lower than what you want, but I have a lot of bergenia under my apple tree. I love that it is evergreen and it looks beautiful in the spring as there are naturalised daffodils amongst it and snowdrops around the edges. I love the look of your garden.

Thank you @ OldFrill - I actually have one in that border. It’s lovely.
@ TheHappyGardenet - SOLD! The Osmanthus Aquifolium Tricolour will be perfect. I’ve had one in a pot on the patio for a couple of years now, so can picture it in the border already. I think I’ll start with three ………. 🤷‍♀️
Thanks, both of you.

Look at Mahonia Soft Caress, apparently smooth and soft (I've only grown the prickly ones)

Hi there, I might not be much use because I’m not a huge fan of spikey plants or shrubs but a few of my current (non-spikey!) favourites are Eleagnus Ebbingei (evergreen and beautifully scented small white flowers in Autumn), Pittosporum (several kinds but most variegated and evergreen, although Tom Thumb is dark leaved) and Abelia Grandiflora (the leaves seem to glow bronze in sun). A good evergreen ‘do-er’ that IS spiky though is Osmanthus Aquifolium. Hope some of these appeal!