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Message |
    
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 645
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 5:03 pm: | 
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We *finally* got rid of a bunch of concrete things (patios, walkways, etc.) from our backyard that had been cracked and displaced by tree roots over the years, and we now have a nice, new patio laid with pavers in a better spot. The rest of the yard has been regraded and seeded, so we're starting with a blank slate. Unfortuately, we about hit our budget with all of that work, so we had to cut out all of the grandiose professional landscaping plans that we had at the get-go.
But we're looking at this as a challenge, because we can surely do something nice ourselves with a little time and experimentation. We just have no idea what we're doing right now, and need a place to start. So... where might that be? Are there good websites or books to refer to for basic starting points? Should we head over to Metropolitan Plant Exchange or Orange Garden Supply for their input? If you've been down this path before and have a yard that's mostly shady, how did you figure out what works and what looks nice together? We don't even know if we should be tackling this in the fall or the spring. |
colleen
Citizen
Username: Bean2005
Post Number: 54
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 5:14 pm: |
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although i am not a fan of the woman - her website is brilliant
go to marthastewartliving.com
go to gardening
she has so many tips and great website links where to buy bulbs and plants
i really thought this was just a very well laid out website - not boring and super useful |
Jersey_Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 1687
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 5:20 pm: |
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Hostas are an easy shade plant. Ferns are a little more difficult.
J.B. |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 4358
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 5:26 pm: |
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Hostas absolutely. I can't seem to kill 'em, and that's saying a lot. I also love my varigated wiegela, a beautiful prolific shrub with piles and piles of pink/white flowers in the spring, that, according to justmelaura (who's sister is a botanist or horticulturist or some such thing), grows like a weed.
I do very well with weeds. |
Lizziecat
Citizen
Username: Lizziecat
Post Number: 1388
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 8:59 pm: |
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Pachysandra for groundcover. Myrtle makes nice purple flowers in the spring and is good groundcover for partial shade. Impatiens loves shady, moist places. Stay away from ivy--it can go out of control. Hosta is great, but the deer love to eat it. If you plant hosta, plan on spraying with deer repellent every few days.
Spring bulbs, i.e. daffodils, Siberian squill, do well before the trees leaf out, and the deer and squirrels don't eat them. Squirrels will devour your crocus, deer will chomp up your tulips.
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Tom N
Citizen
Username: Tjn
Post Number: 156
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 9:57 pm: |
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I learned some valuable lessons after my first year of trying to grow a variety of plants in shade and partial-shade areas. You said your yard is mostly shady, so I'm not sure if I'm correct in assuming some areas get a little sun exposure or filtered sunlight. Like others have already said, Hosta are one of the easiest to grow in shade. Asiatic Lily bulbs have done very well in our shady area and come in a wide variety that will give you some great early season color. Plant them this fall for next year. I also tried out Caladium bulbs this spring and they have really done great. They got so big they now dwarf the Hosta. There are mixes sold for shade loving wild flowers if you want to go that route. I got a canister at Lowes in early summer. Astible is another good choice.
Here is some links for good shade gardening help:
http://www.gardengal.net/page5.html
http://www.my-garden-supplies.com/garden_tips_folder/shade_gardening.htm
This site has a plant finder where you can search for shade plants.
http://www.naturehills.com/?ovmkt=6TL4TEQ1FFTRUCJ84PGNNS9QJG
Good luck! |
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 646
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - 10:36 pm: |
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Thanks guys, this is great. We do have some hostas that we transplanted from my parents' yard last year to mask the awfulness of the cracked patio. We were planning to move them around a bit to more appropriate places now. (That's about as much as we know to do.) And we live far enough away from the reservation to not really have to worry about deer.
Tom - you're right that there are some areas with filtered sunlight, but that's about it. There's one large tree in the middle of our yard that pretty much blankets the entire space. Very pretty, but it makes having a lush lawn and flowers a bit more challenging. |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1232
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - 12:04 am: |
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http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/83978-product.html
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/971140-product.html
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/search.html?mv_session_id=YEhPWbwt&mv_mo re_alpha=yes&mv_more_alpha_chars=1&tf=name&ml=45&co=yes&rf=code%2Cname%2Cshort_d esc%2Cprice%2Cqty%2Cnew_plant%2Cdisc&sp=results_pics&st=db&mv_value=nametype%3Ds cientific&mv_value=srchtype%3Dcustom&sf=disc&op=%3E%3D&nu=1&se=1&sf=zones&op=rm& nu=0&sf=p_color&op=rm&nu=0&sf=soil&op=rm&nu=0&sf=ht&op=rm&nu=0&sf=bloom&op=rm&nu =0&sf=sun&op=rm&nu=0&sf=ty&op=rm&nu=0&from_search=1&se=z6&se=&se=&se=&se=&se=s4& se=
Have fun! |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1233
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - 12:08 am: |
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Oh, and definitely start this fall - most perennials want to be planted in the fall. Start slow, and be prepared to leave a lot more space than you think you need to between plants (follow the planting guidelines). Perennials look their best about 3 years after planting. You can always fill in the empty spots with annuals (impatiens and begonias love shade!) until the perennials are mature.
Remember to try to plant deer resistant plants to save yourself some heartache! |
thegoodsgt
Citizen
Username: Thegoodsgt
Post Number: 1056
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - 7:25 am: |
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First, there's no rush. Take the rest of this year and the winter to think through what you want to do, research plans, and draw up some design ideas.
I really like gardenweb.com for their great forums, which include a lot of back-and-forth among smart gardeners. There are a few forums that specialize in shade gardens and garden design.
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Wilkanoid
Citizen
Username: Cseleosida
Post Number: 639
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - 10:26 am: |
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Try a variety of ferns, bleeding heart, and astilbes. You just have to check which varieties work for your conditions (wet/dry). I think lady ferns are supposed to be the hardiest, but we've tried them in drier shade and they don't really do well there. Coneflowers and hydrangeas may also do well, depending on what kind of shade you have.
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calypso
Citizen
Username: Calypso
Post Number: 91
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - 9:35 pm: |
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I have a whole assortment of ferns in my yard, and they do so well I have to keep cutting them back. Lady ferns/hayscented ferns (they look exactly alike) are big and beautiful, but die back to the ground in the winter. Christmas ferns stay green all year,but aren't as showy and big, so a combination of the two works beautifully. They do like to keep their feet wet, but after you've gotten them established they'll be OK with only occasional water. I like ferns better than hosta because they don't get ratty looking in August, and the evergreen ones look good all year.
If you want some lady ferns I'd be happy to donate some! PL me. |
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 653
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 10:44 am: |
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Thansk calypso, i might take you up on that! I'll pl you once i wrap my head around everything. =-) |
Melonious
Citizen
Username: Melonious
Post Number: 119
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 10:09 pm: |
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After spending this spring and summer in denial, I have finally accepted that NONE of my backyard is full sun. That means I can't fill it with butterfly bushes or some of the other yummy, colorful perennial flowers that I love. For a few weeks I really was bummed, but now I am getting on with my life. I'm just going to stick azalea and rhododendrons in their place, and love the hell out of them. I put in some astilbe and some ligularia, but unfortunately, they really only bloomed for a microminute before they went all-foliage. There are a few other things I'd like to try (creeping phlox), but I think I'm done agonizing. I think.
Two books that have been really helpful are: Perennials for Ever Purpose, and Planning for a Shady Garden. Don't remember the authors, too tired to look.
Good luck! |
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