Replan for my North facing garden
Jesse2501
Posts: 152
a few years into my new property and I need to rethink my north facing garden.
like a lot of amateur gardeners I planted what I wanted, not what suited into my north facing garden.
now I'm trying to put in some shrubs and plants that will provide some interest and not die away.
the garden gets the afternoon sun from 2pm into the evening.( as it moves around the house) The soil is very shallow though as we live near the mountains so it's rocky after about a foot or so of soil.
I'm planting
winter hellebores
camellia shrubs
hydrangae paniculata
hydrangea lacecaps
mahonia
im wondering can I get away with a floribundas rose, Im keen on rhapsody in blue. (Good for pollinators I believe)
i currently have: Mexican orange blossom
viburnum Daviiii, pieris, Californian lilac, and osmanthus.
id really love a nice rose but is afternoon / evening sun enough? I also wanted a carpet rose but the local centre says I'd get loads of leaves but no flower in a north facing garden.
Any thoughs or additions to my list?
Posts
Not a carpet rose but a sprawling sort of polyantha/groundcover rose - Rosa Bonica - absolutely gorgeous, a pretty colour and shape, wonderful for cutting, repeat flowering and although it does better in sunshine I've grown it in a north-facing garden and it flowered its socks off.
Not the most fragrant rose, but that's it's only flaw.
Put it in the lightest brightest spot you have - you won't regret it
http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/rosa-bonica--meidomonac/classid.77825/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It will be fine. I had 3 in my last garden in a similar spot.It really is a beautiful rose.
Try a Fatsia Japonica. I have one in a very shady position and it does really well. Your soil situation sounds a bit tricky but if you dig in a good amount of organic material it should be happy enough in a foot of good soil. The glossy leaves look great all year round and the cream flowers are very welcome colour in October.
Jasminum nudiflorum, climbing hydrangea, polygonatum, sarcococca...all these will provide winter colour from creamy white through to brilliant yellow. Most require very little attention, though I do tend to compost them occasionally to ensure they don't dry out too much.
Skimmia japonica will do well and if you have a few of them they flowers have lots of red berries all winter!
I also have a north-facing garden and looking out of the window I can see Hollies, Philadelphus, Rhododendrons, Euonymus, Lilacs, Iris, Astrantias, Heucheras, Foxgloves, Roses, Viburnums, Geraniums etc etc etc, all doing well, so you have a huge choice.