Very Shady Garden Area?
The Man From Utopia
Posts: 3
Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be done with an area of garden 5 foot by 6 foot? Here are the details...
The garden's north facing and this is in the north-west corner.
The 5x6 area currently has a shed on it. This shed is going to be moved and turned into a potting shed, thus freeing up the area.
The north border of this area is a wooden fence, covered with ivy, marking the end of the property. A small road's on the other side. The ivy can go, but the fence has to stay.
The east border of this area is lawn, which is staying as it's the only way I can access this area!
The south border of this area is another shed. This second shed can't be moved as it contains electric points and is way too big to shift.
The west border of the area is the border with our neighbour's garden. The border is marked by a hedge, on my neighbour's property. The hedge is ridiculously tall and blocks off a lot of sun. I can't move the hedge, obviously. The arrangement I have with the neighbour is that I can trim what parts of the hedge I can reach, but I can't reach across the whole of the hedge so I'm stuck with some or all of it being 8 foot tall. Suggestions such as "remove the hedge" and "trim the hedge" therefore can't be entertained...
The whole garden's about 90 foot long and about 25 foot wide and the first 45 feet are decking (which will be removed when I have money and time) and the last 45 feet are largely lawn and sheds.
What I'm after are some suggestions as to what I could do with this 5x6 area. I want to stress that I'm not wedded to the idea of planting something - it could, for instance, have a BBQ put into it. Obviously on numerous levels that's an appalling idea (largely due to the amount of wood near it) but I'm trying to illustrate the point that I'm not going to insist that something's planted there.
If I do plant something there, at present the garden is about 50:50 between stuff that looks nice and stuff you can eat, so anything's good. The only thing I don't want to do is plant something taller that the 8 foot hedge, as that will block the sun out even more and knacker my plans for a potting shed as well as a couple of fledgling fruit trees I've put in.
All and any thoughts are most welcome!
Posts
Hostas, obviously.
How about a climbing hydrangea?
with hostas in front.
I'm not biased, honest.
What about a log pile for beneficial insects? Maybe a couple of ridge tiles as hedgehog or frog shelters ( keeps the slugs away from crops). Buddleia grows almost anywhere, is an attractive flowering shrub and bees and butterflies love it. It can be cut right back every year so it doesn't get too big. Hostas may not be suitable if it is dry shade (thinking of the monster hedge)
Here is a list you can try as they all grow in my woodland garden
Ferns lots of different ones will work in shade, pulmonaria, tiarella, hydrangeas, camellia is soil is towards the acidic side, hellebores, snowdrops, fox gloves, rose zephirine drouhin which is a lovely scented large pink flowering rose, japanese anemones, hyacinths, wood anemones, primula and cowslip. Witch hazels, acubas, daphnes, sarcococca, vibunhams hardy fuchsias, trilliums, erythroniums, honeysuckles, clematis pieris (if acidic) heucheras, daffodils. For eating: rhubarb and lettuce you could also try redcurrants. for other suggestions try www.plantsforshade.co.uk.