Depressed Garden

Last post 31-07-2008 3:10 PM by BluebellsGalore. 3 replies.

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30/07/2008 05:34 PM
Lucy23 Location: Essex Joined on: 30 Jul 2008 Posts: 1	Reply \| Contact Hi, I am a newbie here and have never had a garden before. 5 months and two large ant nests later my garden looks very sad! Could anyone please offer advice on plants that will do well in pots or troughs as no digging is allowed (the house is rented) and that will last well throughout the year but flower in the springtime. My garden is sunny in the afternoon only right through to the evening. I would also like to know what plants do well in shade for the front of the house. Any ideas on livening up a depressed garden (accessories etc) would be more that welcome! Kind regards

30/07/2008 05:34 PM

Lucy23
Location:
Essex
Joined on:
30 Jul 2008
Posts:
1

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Hi, I am a newbie here and have never had a garden before. 5 months and two large ant nests later my garden looks very sad! Could anyone please offer advice on plants that will do well in pots or troughs as no digging is allowed (the house is rented) and that will last well throughout the year but flower in the springtime.

My garden is sunny in the afternoon only right through to the evening.

I would also like to know what plants do well in shade for the front of the house.

Any ideas on livening up a depressed garden (accessories etc) would be more that welcome!

Kind regards

31/07/2008 08:43 AM	In reply to
bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043	Reply \| Contact My front garden is shady for half the day in summer and all day in winter. I have spread a pinkish gravel that matches the stones in the concrete path and driveway and also the house bricks. I have planted evergreen shrubs such as cistus, hebe, Pinus mugo, Chaenomeles, Ballota psuedodictamus against the house wall, with low growing plants and stepping stones elsewhere - in sun; thymes, Festuca glauca, Francoa, Tiarella and in the shadiest bits London pride, epimediums, pachysandra, ivies and vinca. Species and dwarf tulips have been heavily used to add spring colour with extensive use of foxgloves for later, followed by nicotiana, fuchsia and nasturtiums in tubs by the front door, with pansies for winter. An existing hedge of holly, euonymus, privet, skimmia, aucuba and eleagnus has been very heavily pruned to let in more light and an existing shrubby cotinus has been pruned and trained into a small tree. With great cunning I also made two pathways on which to run the car wheels with spreading cotoneaster between them, but when Mrs Bogweevil changed her car the new catalytic converter must have been more efficient because the cotoneaster got fried. As her car is a pinkish purple (stop sniggering at the back) it matched the Cistus purpurea and purple foxgolves perfectly. Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

31/07/2008 08:43 AM

In reply to

bogweevil
Location:
Joined on:
02 Mar 2004
Posts:
2,043

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My front garden is shady for half the day in summer and all day in winter. I have spread a pinkish gravel that matches the stones in the concrete path and driveway and also the house bricks. I have planted evergreen shrubs such as cistus, hebe, Pinus mugo, Chaenomeles, Ballota psuedodictamus against the house wall, with low growing plants and stepping stones elsewhere - in sun; thymes, Festuca glauca, Francoa, Tiarella and in the shadiest bits London pride, epimediums, pachysandra, ivies and vinca. Species and dwarf tulips have been heavily used to add spring colour with extensive use of foxgloves for later, followed by nicotiana, fuchsia and nasturtiums in tubs by the front door, with pansies for winter. An existing hedge of holly, euonymus, privet, skimmia, aucuba and eleagnus has been very heavily pruned to let in more light and an existing shrubby cotinus has been pruned and trained into a small tree. With great cunning I also made two pathways on which to run the car wheels with spreading cotoneaster between them, but when Mrs Bogweevil changed her car the new catalytic converter must have been more efficient because the cotoneaster got fried. As her car is a pinkish purple (stop sniggering at the back) it matched the Cistus purpurea and purple foxgolves perfectly.

Boggy

Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

31/07/2008 02:48 PM	In reply to
Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 1,104	Reply \| Contact Sounds BRILLIANT Boggy - wish you would post a picture - especially of your face when the cotoneaster got fried

31/07/2008 02:48 PM

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Susiq
Location:
Northumberland
Joined on:
16 Feb 2008
Posts:
1,104

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Sounds BRILLIANT Boggy - wish you would post a picture - especially of your face when the cotoneaster got fried Devil

31/07/2008 03:10 PM	In reply to
BluebellsGalore Location: London Joined on: 08 Apr 2008 Posts: 16	Reply \| Contact Hi Lucy, I have a lot of containers in my back garden. I have nice sedges in some pots - Carex comans - which offer interest throughout the year & do well in partial shade. I have both the 'Bronze Form' (a brown grass all year-round) & 'Frosted Curls' (a light pastel green with tips that are curled) - these are great plants for beginners by the way. You could add bulbs into the pots with these sedges which will pop up in the spring to add a dash of colour. The sedges are planted in the centre, the bulbs I have around the edges of the pot. With the 'Bronze Form' I have Narcissus 'Desdemona' (a white daffodil), Tulipa 'Red Georgette' (a red tulip) & Tulipa 'Union Jack' (a white tulip with bits of red) around the edges of the pot. With 'Frosted Curls' I have Narcissus 'February Gold' (an early, bright yellow daff) & Tulipa 'Early Harvest' (an early tulip with deep pink almost red flowers with yellow edges). For shade, it depends what kind of shade it is: dry or not. You have more options if it's not dry shade. Many different Geranium (that is, true Geranium, not Pelargonium) do quite well in shade. I have Geranium 'Johnson's Blue', Geranium phaeum and Geranium phaeum var. phaeum 'Samobor'. Also Heucheras do very well in shade. Ferns are also ideal, but some require moist conditions whereas others do not. All of these will do fine in generous sized containers if you need to have them in containers. Some varieties of Euphorbia will also succeed in partial shade &, particularly, in dry conditions. I have Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae & Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii in a south facing spot under neighbouring huge trees (i.e. very dry shade), BUT it is full shade by 11 AM. Mine I popped into the ground & once established, they've been thriving since (2 years now). Here are some small shrubs which I've grown, are evergreen, tolerate partial shade & offer spring interest which I think will be pretty easy for you: I have several different varieties of heathers (Erica carnea ) in containers too. They look okay in summer/fall, but will be an added boost in late winter & spring :) I also have Lithodora diffusa 'Heavenly Blue' in containers. It's a groundcover evergreen shrub & has amazing bright blue flowers in spring to early summer. Mine at the edges of the pots actually trails (because the pots are quite tall). Here are a couple of shrubs which will also suit your conditions & I don't think would be too hard as a beginner: Skimmia japonica. This is a great shrub &, again, you can grow it in a container & augment with other perennials, bulbs, etc. 'Rubella' has pinkish flowers, but I really like plain old Skimmia too. Camellia would be a nice evergreen shrub in a large container with lovely spring flowers. You have to use ericaceous compost, but since it's in a container you can control/maintain that easily. They don't like morning sun at all, so your back garden would be fine for them. But keep in mind when they drop their flower petals they make a bit of a mess. If you don't mind tidying up after them, they are breathtaking. Personally I love the colour of 'Dona Herzilla de Freitas Magalhaes'. I hope that helps you out a bit & good luck!

31/07/2008 03:10 PM

In reply to

BluebellsGalore
Location:
London
Joined on:
08 Apr 2008
Posts:
16

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Hi Lucy,

I have a lot of containers in my back garden. I have nice sedges in some pots - Carex comans - which offer interest throughout the year & do well in partial shade. I have both the 'Bronze Form' (a brown grass all year-round) & 'Frosted Curls' (a light pastel green with tips that are curled) - these are great plants for beginners by the way. You could add bulbs into the pots with these sedges which will pop up in the spring to add a dash of colour. The sedges are planted in the centre, the bulbs I have around the edges of the pot. With the 'Bronze Form' I have Narcissus 'Desdemona' (a white daffodil), Tulipa 'Red Georgette' (a red tulip) & Tulipa 'Union Jack' (a white tulip with bits of red) around the edges of the pot. With 'Frosted Curls' I have Narcissus 'February Gold' (an early, bright yellow daff) & Tulipa 'Early Harvest' (an early tulip with deep pink almost red flowers with yellow edges).

For shade, it depends what kind of shade it is: dry or not. You have more options if it's not dry shade. Many different Geranium (that is, true Geranium, not Pelargonium) do quite well in shade. I have Geranium 'Johnson's Blue', Geranium phaeum and Geranium phaeum var. phaeum 'Samobor'. Also Heucheras do very well in shade. Ferns are also ideal, but some require moist conditions whereas others do not. All of these will do fine in generous sized containers if you need to have them in containers.

Some varieties of Euphorbia will also succeed in partial shade &, particularly, in dry conditions. I have Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae & Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii in a south facing spot under neighbouring huge trees (i.e. very dry shade), BUT it is full shade by 11 AM. Mine I popped into the ground & once established, they've been thriving since (2 years now).

Here are some small shrubs which I've grown, are evergreen, tolerate partial shade & offer spring interest which I think will be pretty easy for you:

I have several different varieties of heathers (Erica carnea ) in containers too. They look okay in summer/fall, but will be an added boost in late winter & spring :)

I also have Lithodora diffusa 'Heavenly Blue' in containers. It's a groundcover evergreen shrub & has amazing bright blue flowers in spring to early summer. Mine at the edges of the pots actually trails (because the pots are quite tall).

Here are a couple of shrubs which will also suit your conditions & I don't think would be too hard as a beginner:

Skimmia japonica. This is a great shrub &, again, you can grow it in a container & augment with other perennials, bulbs, etc. 'Rubella' has pinkish flowers, but I really like plain old Skimmia too.

Camellia would be a nice evergreen shrub in a large container with lovely spring flowers. You have to use ericaceous compost, but since it's in a container you can control/maintain that easily. They don't like morning sun at all, so your back garden would be fine for them. But keep in mind when they drop their flower petals they make a bit of a mess. If you don't mind tidying up after them, they are breathtaking. Personally I love the colour of 'Dona Herzilla de Freitas Magalhaes'.

I hope that helps you out a bit & good luck!

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