Deep Shade, North Facing Garden Advice Please

cheryl0001

Hi all

hoping for some help. I recently purchased a property and the front which was laid to gravel so I have relaid to grass in an effort to embrace “greenery”.

i have put a small border next to the wall of the house but this is north facing, full shade. The ground is also quite damp in the border.

my question is what plants or shrubs would work here? I’d like to avoid hostas bcause they just don’t survive the slug population I appear to have.

just after some kind of evergreen border/Sharyn border to break up the dull brickwork. I have planted a fern last year but it hasn’t grown very much

thanks in advance 

barry island

Hostas are nice plants but as you say they do suffer from the slug and snail attack, a while back on an episode of gardeners world a chap from the midlands who had a Caribbean style garden with loads of hosta plants in it said that he prevented slug and snail attack by spraying the leaves with garlic water, I have't tried it myself but his plants were thriving, might be worth giving it a try.

oooft

I have an area like this. I recently went to poundland  who now have garden stuff back in stock. If you get there early in the season it's not bad quality and definitely worth spending a quid on. I got hostas in a two pack, lily of the valley and astillbe which i'm going to plant. The hostas will go in pots and i will smear the tops with vaseline to keep slugs off. You can also spray them with a garlic solution to keep slugs off. Just boil a couple of cloves in water and use the liquid. I'm going to try some peas on a trellis in this area too. Poundstretcher has nice begonias which i'm planning to use in my shady place too. I think they were £1.50 for 4. Good luck

steephill

Crocosmia will grow there. I have a bank of them in a similar north wall position. My only problem with them is the deer eat the flowers 

Loxley

I think Viburnum davidii is nice, and I would also have a look at some more ferns and perhaps some shade tolerant grasses/perennials - the picture below has Shuttlecock Fern, Luzula nivea (the grass, which is evergreen) and Solomon's Seal. Carex 'Ice Dance' is another evergreen grass you could use. 

cheryl0001

Thank you for the suggestions so far! I have done a lot of research but found conflicting advice on some retail sites about which areas are good for different plants so definitely interested in first hand experience!

Flinster

Maybe skimmia, sarcococca and bergenia, foxgloves. What is the soil type, acid/alkaline/clay etc?

edhelka

Fatsia Japonica. Evergreen ferns. For shade loving/tolerant perennials, plantsforshade.co.uk are very good.