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Planting in shade

ian thenutian thenut Posts: 45
in Problem solving

Hi, 

We've just had our garden done, the wife is curious if there are any flowers/vines etc that can grow at the side of the shed nearest the gate and along the fence on the right.

Photo taken just before mid day so that's about as bright as that area gets.

I've assumed the answer is "no" due to the lack of sun but i could be wrong.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks.

image

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 23,513

    Some climbing and some rambling roses will do well on a shady aspect as will many clematis.  A lot will depend on where you are in the country - frosts etc, what kind of soil you have - clay/sand/loam/acid/alkaline and whether or not you can provide supports with trellis or tensioned wires.

    The trick then is to give them a decent planting hole to get their roots down, plenty of organic matter as they are gross feeders and drinkers and then a regular prune and feed according to variety.   

    Tell us more.

    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • ian thenutian thenut Posts: 45

    Thanks for that.  Roses might keep her happy.

    Yeah im happy to put a trellis along the side of the shed. 

    Local soil wont matter as everything has to be grown pots so i can just pick up the most suitable from the garden centre.

  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 23,513

    In that case, buy the biggest, deepest pots you can or make a big trough - mimimum 75cms deep and wide to give maximum root room.   Put crocks in the bottom to keep the drainage hoe clear and then fill with best quality John Innes no 3 compost.

    Have a look at this rose - http://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/the-lady-of-the-lake-rambling-rose which is a repeat flowering rambler so easy to train as the stems are less rigid than a climber.

    It will be grafted onto a rootstock which needs to be buried 1 or 2 inches below soil level.   Water the new rose well before planting and again after planting.   Pots do not get enough water form the rain so you will need to water regularly and give it a top dressing of something like blood, fish and bone every spring and liquid feeds of rose or tomato food between March and late June.

    Train the stems as horizontally as possible to encourage more flowers to set and dead-head regularly to keep them coming.

    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • raisingirlraisingirl East Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 4,063

    Or get a morello cherry tree on a dwarfing rootstock to grow in a nice big pot to stand by the gate. And look up cherry pie recipes for the autumn image

    “It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it.” ― Terry Pratchett
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 23,513

    That is an excellent idea.

    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • PalaisglidePalaisglide Posts: 3,414

    Raisin girl, I did that on a North Facing wall, the tree was perfect the fruit plentiful and lush but we hardly got any, Birds. I netted it when the fruit was due fine mesh top to base, the blighters got in, next year double meshed it, watched the fruit ripen to perfection and next morning Starlings had decimated it, gave up and let them have it after that then took it out later

    Rambling Roses or Clematis will do well on that fence, the flowers will find the top of the fence for any sunshine but that will not matter. There are plenty of plants that like shade, look at shady plants on Google.

    Frank

  • Garden noobGarden noob Posts: 260

    We've got a rhododendron in a large pot (~35cm across) in shade on our North-facing patio. It's probably a spot that's similar to the gap between your gate and your lawn. They're fine in a bit of shade and it's done well there, but they don't like deep shade. If it suffers, you can always move it to a slightly sunnier spot.

    NB: rhododendrons like a special compost (ericaceous) - ask at your garden centre if you're not sure.

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