The shady side of my yard - heuchies, hostas, ferns, oh my!
Esther-B, Zone 7a
9 months ago
Finally got around to taking some pics, now that things are up and in bloom. These are my raised cedar beds from the shady side of my back yard.
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My shady yard, help with ideas, please?
Comments (46)Thanks! Most of the things in the front were there already, I just trimmed some back to allow others to take over more of the spotlight. The hostas have been subject to several harsh trims in order to let the iris and bleeding hearts show through. The shrubs in the background were also harshly pruned so they stay back in the background as I do not really like shrubs but the owner said I had to keep them. I did tear out several large shrubs and bushes though, making open spaces, it was all overgrown. I also added mulch, which made them pop more, I think. I went out today and trimmed the large bushes up above my head, I got sick of getting a face full of bush when mowing under them (the hydrangea and lilac). Unfortunately, they are all being eaten by a wood boring pest that my landlord refuses to acknowledge, so this will probably be their last year, then they will have to be taken out or at least severely cut back to the ground. Hopefully I have found a nicer, more rural apartment by then. :) I do feel like I have improved this one, though, so I am staying positive!...See MoreOh my aching back...newbie needs advice, please
Comments (1)Roxyl, I think no one has tackled your questions because the answers would fill a book, or a year's gardening course!! What kind of soil? Clay, well-drained? soggy? acidic? If clay, then you need to lighten it with compost, woodchips. Did you just move in? If so I would wait a year before putting anything permanent in. Most of the things I have put in right away, I regretted later. I have two methods for weeds - planting fairly close, weeding (hands and knees!)and mulching, then with other areas I am experimenting with landscape fabric and mulch. Both have their drawbacks. The "lasagna" method sounds intriquing but I haven't tried it. Hope this helps a bit - good luck! I always feel sorry for worms too - they work so hard, then I cut them accidentally in half....See MoreMy head is spinning---how to winterize my hostas in big pots!
Comments (38)As to the garbage can idea---if you have it exposed to the sun at all, it's going to heat up. (Think how a car sitting the sun will heat up in the winter.) You don't want that. I'm familiar with zone 6 weather, having lived & gardened there for many years, so I have some idea of what you're dealing with...that is, you need to keep the soil cold when you get those weather warm-ups in mid-winter. i.e., the idea behind the insulation is to keep the heat out and the cold in the pots, to moderate the inevitable wide swings in temperature. (Think 'ice chest'.) If the pots are not in the sun, then the insulation board on top of the pots is prolly going to be sufficient. If the pots get any am't of sun OR are close to a bldg., then you need to think about keep the whole shebang cold. Naturally, you would place the insulation barrier around the pots after it's turned cold, really cold. About the wood tops idea...an inch of wood has an R-value of less than 1.5...compared to R-5 for an inch of XPS (the pink stuff) and R-8 for ISO (the foil faced yellow stuff). So, although wood is an insulator, there are better choices. Of course, you could glue XPS to the wood if you want to. Oh yeh, the pink stuff, XPS, will hold up to the elements much better than the foil faced ISO--it's yellow underneath the foil and is much more brittle than XPS. Also, the R-value of ISO degrades to where it's only marginally better than XPS....See MoreNeed help with narrow, shady, damp side yard.
Comments (8)I love shade gardening -- you could make this area very pretty. I have a mix of azalea, rhodo, jack frost brunnera, maidenhair fern (very pretty), hosta, lily of the valley, hydrangea, you could also try some ajuga as groundcover - it's evergreen - but will need extra water. Evergreen huckleberry is nice, too, but mine has been VERY slow growing and they do seem to prefer a bit more sun. Vancouveria hexandra is a nice groundcover, but not evergreen, as is epimedium, which can handle more dryness. Deer and swordferns have done well for me in some very tough spots and can handle more dryness once established. Daylillies might work, but won't bloom as well....See MoreEsther-B, Zone 7a
9 months ago
ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida
9 months ago
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
9 months agoEsther-B, Zone 7a thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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