@brittarnhild
Along a western wall, under the kitchen veranda, I have a difficult flowerbed. Difficult because "nothing" will grow there. or rater, it grows perfectly well during the summer months, along with the weeds, but in winter the frost is so deep, it kills almost everything.
Almost everything.....until two years ago. In the late autumn then a friend and neighbour came with some peonies which had to be removed from her garden because of some digging around their house. The only place I had to put them were in my "problem bed".
So I did, and last summer they came up fresh and strong.
Encouraged by the peonies survival, I planted some columbines there.
And guess what......
....today this bed is one of the most charming and colourful bed in the whole Blue Garden.