Talkback: Plants for shade

Gardeners' World Web User

I completely agree with the comments about Jack Frost. I myself planted one last year at the foot of my ancient apple tree. This year it is ten times the size and the flowers are just stunning. A real centre piece to the border which includes heuchera mocha and caramel as well as ferns, snowdrops, bellflowers, dwarf gladioli, astilbe the list goes on. A genuinely beautiful plant

Gardeners' World Web User

As a beginner to this gardening I feel I need all the help I can get! Can anyone help me with any flowers that will survive with a small amount of sun (new flower bed is under a beautiful but large copper beech)

Gardeners' World Web User

Yes, you can make a garlic solution to deter slugs and snails. I think this was shown on Gardeners' World last Friday if you saw the programme. The recipe demonstrated by a grower on the programme was, I believe: take 2 heads of garlic and crush. Boil in 2 pints of water for a few minutes. Make the solution back up to 2 pints. Now use by diluting 1 tablespoon of this solution in 1 gallon of water, and water the solution over the leaves so it dries on to form a barrier. Repeat applications after rain.

Gardeners' World Web User

Does anyone know if the Garlic solution used against slugs and snails would also deter Rabbits? Or would they just consider it a tasty addition? It would be incredibly useful to deter two pests with one application of Garlic solution.

Gardeners' World Web User

I have some shaded areas in my garden,one area I refer to as the woodland garden,this area is under a huge maple which I've named the devil tree, because of the thousands of little trees which have come up allover the garden this spring.I think this might be because of the wet weather in spring, because last year I didn't get any and we had at least 6 weeks of hot dry weather anyway all sorts of woodland plants do well,I have a watering system in it for very dry weather but I find a good few inch or pine bark works for most of the year.Under a silver birch on the other side is very different, its heavy clay soil dries out to a very hard cracked surface but 3 plants which do very well are Pulmonaria(lungwort)which is so bright and lovely,Aquilegia which come in so many colours and Hardy geranium and the best thing about these three is the slugs and snails leave them alone,unlike the woodland flowers which I've started visiting at dark looking for slugs and snails.

Gardeners' World Web User

I've never heard of garlic sprays keeping rabbits away, but anything is worth a try! If it works please let us all know.

Gardeners' World Web User

Tried the garlic slug juice as recommended..boiled two heads of garlic in two pints of water for 5mins, added 2 tablespoons to a gallon of water..watered all plants with it for 2 days. When I went out with the torch I found the snails back at work. Purely in the interest of science I removed two of the snails from the plant and placed them in a small puddle of the concentrated garlic mix (not the watered down solution) and observed what happened. The small snail seemed to die within a few minutes. The large snail took about half an hour to die..it seemed to lose it balance and its shell was swaying from side to side. Not very pleasant to watch. Perhaps the diluted solution should be stronger than 2 tablespoons to the gallon. Would be interested to read anyone elses observations.

Gardeners' World Web User

I have also used the garlic solution, but didn't find it made much difference, especially on my larger leaved hostas, as the solution just seemed to run off the leaves ! However, I will try a stronger mix next time to see if this makes a difference. Would also love to know what plants rabbits don't eat! We are over-run with them since our two cats died.

Gardeners' World Web User

I tried the above garlic solution and used 1TBSP per pint via a plant sprayer and found snails feasting away on marigolds. Hostas were much better. Even Slug Stoppa doesn't protect the marigolds. Going to try beer trap now.

Gardeners' World Web User

I feel I have grown and nurtured my climbing bean seedlings purely for the rabbits. I planted them out and overnight, to my dismay every leaf has been eaten. Do I just take up knitting?

Gardeners' World Web User

I have just made a shade garden with the usual shade plants bergenias, pulmonarias, rodgersia etc I am very pleased with the result. But I have found that many of the plants have a covering of brown dust on their lower leaves and many of these leaves are dying -turning yellow and then brown. Is this powdery mildew or something else? If so how do I best treta it?