Do you have a 'difficult' shady garden corner? 7 best ideas plus 3 things to avoid.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ค. 2024
- 7 ideas for a 'difficult' shady garden corner - plus 3 options that really won't work.
0:00 Introductions
1:35 Should you put a shed in a shady corner?
2:15 Tips on building a shed from recycled materials www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.u...
2:45 What you need to know before buying a new shed: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.u...
3:11 Pros and cons of pergolas and gazebos in a shady corner
3:26 What's the difference between a pergola and a gazebo?
3:35 How to turn a pergola into a simple gazebo
www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.u...
4:22 Garden chairs, tables and benches in a shady corner
5:30 Can I plant a tree in a shady corner?
6:44 Sculpture in a shady garden corner
7:11 Can you put a compost bin in a shady area?
8:21 What you should NEVER put in a shady garden corner
8:49 How to create a wildlife friendly garden: • Easy, low maintenance ...
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In my shady area I plant Rhododendrons and Pieris as a background and add ferns, Bleeding Hearts, Bluebells, Hostas, Hellebores, Heucheras and Astilbe in the center, and Lily of the valley, and pachysandra as a front border. And an electric water feature in the center of it all. I love it
These are fabulous suggestions. Especially the water feature!! I have heard Lily of the Valley can go crazy and take over but the little flowers are so sweet.
@@sharonwebb945 At least they are lovely. The pachysandra are invasive and not so attractive. Can’t get rid of them.
winner
@@angellas.1314 Rhodendendrons are invasive on the UK also. I was thinking of planting one, but a little hesitant now
@@Stettafire I wish it was the Rhododendron that is invasive here in CT. At least isn’t a tall hedge. 😆. But it’s the Pachysandra that are awful, and it’s just a low lying ground cover. Even ivy is prettier.
I find that you are an excellent communicator free of jargon and irritating phrases such as ‘Amazing’, ‘’Awesome ‘ and ‘Super .......’. Great knowledge and drawing from a range of sources. Many thanks.
I love videos like this where you show a part of your garden you want to change, but you also show lots of examples of other gardens and options for the space. Gives me loads of inspiration for my more tucked away garden areas.☺️🌿✨🌻
Wouldn’t that wall be gorgeous if covered in an evergreen climber, with a lovely French style water ornament? Or a free standing slightly elevated classical water fountain? A garden mirror would work really well in that spot to brighten it up and give the impression that there’s a see-through in the wall. I’m jealous of that beautiful brick wall 😍
Yes, that brick wall has entered my "wants" as well.
Love the french style water feature idea but not too keen on mirrors in gardens as they can harm birds sadly
I noticed the brick wall too and thought the same thing! My grandmother had a brick wall all around her backyard perimeter (my parents got married in her backyard in 1962). It would cost a fortune to build that today! Sooooo gorgeous!
Sounds lovely, but a mirror would probably harm or kill birds, just like a glass window they fly into.😢
I have a large mirror someone gave me for free. They didn’t have a way to hang it. How do you use the mirror? I have a ton of Vines, so I could cover it enough where it would not harm the birds. It would also have to be covered enough where my husband would not make a fuss about the Mirror in the yard. He hates it when I put so called “junk” in the yard. It’s a very heavy Mirror.
I love the way you talked us through your thought process, it was very interesting and informative 😊
I love how honest that you are and how you tell the plusses and minuses for gardening choices.
I'm in the US, zone 7a, and my shade gardens are my favorite. It can get quite hot and humid here in southern NY in the summer, and a shade garden is so restful. I've got rhododendrons, azaleas, all different kinds of hosta, ferns, bleeding heart, lily of the valley, and euonymous that I have growing on the wall. It's very low maintenance and with a little judicious pruning basically takes care of itself.
I was thinking about all of these plants too! My only addition would be Heucheras because they come in so many colors :) and brunnera! I wonder if a climbing rose would bloom in that much shade..
Brunnera is a great idea, although I do think it likes a little sun in the morning. I'm not sure a climbing rose would bloom, at least not until it got tall enough to catch some sunlight. Maybe think ground covers, too, such as vinca or sweet woodruff?
Hello, Alison! I also live in zone 7a. What a coincidence. I just happened to click on this lovely video and see your comment. I have all the plants you have except for euonymus and fern. Neat!
@Strawberry Shortcake Thank you for this reply!! I have 2 roses ordered that I plan on putting in part shade and I wasn't sure about it :)
@@Kyaide Yes, it will work, but you may wind up with something that resembles more of a tree, because it's likely that the majority of the foliage and all the blooms, will be at the top of the plant, in its effort to find sunlight.
This may not become an issue, until several years of growth, where your rose will then be well established, and difficult to transplant. I've seen it done, my da did this in an enclosed courtyard, and was successful, if you like bare-bottomed trunks, and tons of roses at the roofline, or top of the wall. Eventually, my dad ended up ripping out all but one of those climbers.
This is not to discourage you from your plan, only to prepare you for what is a likely outcome, so you can avoid disappointment, and plan accordingly.
You can companion plant something beneath a climbing rose, that will obscure the bare trunk of your climbing rose, just keep in mind that roses are voracious eaters, and do not like sharing space with other, similarly demanding plants.
I wish you abundant blooms, and years of rosy enjoyment.
I grow hostas, ferns, hellebores and several species of polygonatum surrounding serviceberries my shady corner. The serviceberries bloom, bear fruit and turn a lovely orange in the fall despite the lack of full sun. Alexandra, I agree that the distance from the house is too great for a sitting area.
Interesting - I do have a serviceberry in the shady border, and it is very beautiful although not very generous with its flowers and berries. But it is very overcrowded where it is, so I could perhaps give it more space.
I would never have thought my service berry would be happy in the shade. Interesting.
@@MyFocusVaries They are not as productive as serviceberries in the sun. They don’t produce enough berries for a pie, but enough for the birds.
@@lauranoble2256 that works for me. I don't like the berries. I mostly grow the shrub.as a memorial to my father. A shady corner works just as well. :)
That sculpture and firepit was gorgeous! Now im sad i dont have a shady corner. 😆
With the dead pan heat I have here in Spain in summer, a pergola in deep shade would be most welcome, but maybe not quite so welcome in the UK! Maybe a fern garden with a water feature? I would love a little greenhouse too, but not a chance of getting my better half on board with that, so it remains on the wishlist!
I can't believe that "cat" was painted on the shed! Incredible!
I love it!
My shady corner in my former garden had a higher growing full shrub in the back, then graduated down to lower shrubs and in the very front a small pond surrounded by river rock. The thick shrubs and water source became a haven for wildlife, including frogs and insects of all sorts, including colorful dragonflies. It faced more north/east, so it did get a few hours of morning sunshine which really was a benefit. I can’t wait to see what you decide to do in that corner. Thank you for your guidance.
As I age I prefer to garden in the shade, mostly because I love trees but also because I like to stay cool. I love the idea of making the area a wildlife garden, maybe use plants native to your area. OR...a small flock of chickens!
Can’t wait to see what you end up doing here. So many options!
I'm very excited to see what you've decided to do in this corner! Thank you for explaining so well all of the different options.
I never would have thought of many of the details that you mentioned. Very informative video once again, Alexandra! You're a wonderful teacher! 💚
Linda in Houston, Texas
You always come up with the best content. We all have an unused shady corner...
Thanks again
We have a small garden and a shady corner that was also a dumping ground for odds and ends. We built a small deck with a firepit there and can now enjoy this unused corner 😁🤗. Love your videos 😍
I love a quiet moss garden in the shade.
What is a moss garden please?🙏
@@katstephenson8493 I belong to a facebook group called go green with moss.
You are fabulous!! I look forward to all your "chats". Thank you so much. Love from Pennsylvania US.
Excellent decision-making commentary. I really have this problem in my middle sized Garden I have chosen the compost bins because it is a trash corner already. The compost keeps moving around so this is a wonderful idea for me
We've just redone our tiny back garden (it's all shady thanks to an enormous cedar). All that's left to plan is the back corner, so these options will be very helpful. Thanks!
Good ideas. Lovely to see a few glimpses of Lottie💕
So glad I found you through Impatient Gardener! I can't wait to watch your past videos. Thank you for recognizing some of us live on a 'budget'. I wished I had your brick wall instead of our neighbor's 3 sheds and collection of junk.
I have a similar corner in which I have a collection of very large pots containing hostas and ferns. The pots are all terracotta and range from extra large to small and even in the winter the pots themselves look very attractive, some of the ferns are evergreen giving winter interest and during the growing months, the hostas add a lush variegated layer with spectacular flowers. I have tried various options for this site and since installing the pots, have received many compliments so it is considered a success!
I had a miserable dank corner on a smaller scale than yours, and tried a paved stone circle in front of the angle. It has made an amazing difference, somehow opening up the space. Of course that wouldn't show up from a distance, but with a semicircle of varied evergreen shrubs embracing the paving and say, a generous plinth with a large ball on top in the centre of the circle you might find you have an arresting distraction from the negativity of the inward corner.
Interesting, thank you.
Hostas and ferns, rhododendrons,azaleas are some of my favourite plant choices. The variety within in these are endless. I don’t see this as a problem, but a opportunity for extending a beautiful garden. Thanks for sharing 👍❤️😊
Love all the options given in this video , pros and cons included and help with making the right choice. All your videos are so informative and looked forward to with each upload. Xx
I'm filling my shady corner with ferns, mahonia, hellabores, illicium and a viburnum I transplanted there hoping it would do okay in the shade. So far it's doing well. It is also where I have a feeder for my resident squirrels so they won't mess with my bird feeders and my dog can't catch them. I do have a walking path through my back yard that winds through that area so I enjoy filling it with shade loving plants and checking on them on my daily walks.
I'll note all those down, thank you!
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Alexandra, I just watched a video of Bunny Guinnis and she used Tree Ferns in a shady space. I don't think they grow here in the US but I was wondering if they would be something you would like and could grow for you. I am loving all the suggestions you received from everyone - gave me some new ideas!
When you say the links and description below, where is that? I can’t see them!
Thanks for the videos, they brighten my Sunday morning.
@@paulawalker9790 hi Paula, try clicking just below the video, close to the small arrowhead symbol that points down. Loads of useful info will appear a little further down.
Mahonia is a great plant, birds love the black berries, and individual bees love the yellow flowers. Some people find the dead leaves on the ground a problem.
I really enjoyed hearing your thought process - it’s something we all do and it was good to hear out loud. Maybe a combination of continuing the border but adding a large pot, or a collection of pots, as a decorative feature. Can’t wait to see what you decide to do!
Thank you. I think a pot or pot somewhere would be good.
This is such a lovely video! In Colorado zone 5, 6500ft elevation- closer to the sun and high arid desert we get HOT in the summer. So, if I had a shady area on my farm I'd make an outdoor room with trellis walls, very comfortable seating for lounging and reading, and a fountain
Thank you for the practical tips, I have a shady part of my garden, I definitely gonna use them to sort it out.
Lovely video thank you, yes I can concur that a Rowan tree is such an asset in a shady small garden. Quite slow growing too!
You hit my exact problem! I have a N/E corner with an eight foot hawthorn hedge on the two sides. It is visible from everywhere. Your idea of a statue or a fountain really takes my fancy, with some simple seating for hot days That is the answer fort me think.
I was thinking of an arbour in the sunniest spot, but seeing you mention that you gravitate to that spot in the garden, maybe I should expand my ideas there..
Thanks for the great ideas.
I appreciate that you said you only get an hour of direct sun which I consider deep shade. I have a very similar problem in my tiny townhouse garden. Many of the flowering shade plants mentioned do not like my deep shade. So I am experimenting with non-flowering shade plants with texture especially grasses and ferns. I have some flowering shade plants in pots so I can move them in and out based on the location of sun direction. The recommendation for moss garden is intriguing and will work nicely in between the ferns and grass but I will probably start it growing in a warm area and transplant since everything grows so slowly in that dark corner. Can’t wait to see what you come up with
My no-direct-sun corner has a small acer ( planted by previous owners). Not particularly striking colour but lovely soft leaves, it really is pretty. This is my tiny "woodland area" - hellebores, pulmonarias, ferns, a fab block of euphorbia and hostas. Thinking of trying to squeeze a seat in here too for really hot days.. Thank you for this video. I always enjoy your content and the way you present it 👍
Thank you. I happen to have a shady corner with a pergola in my Southern California garden. I really enjoyed this video!
Glad it was helpful!
wow the color at 6:36 of those trees is amazing. it's great to learn that the color is sun dependent.
I just learned that here too!
I'm in the process of working out plants for a shade small area, bottom of my garden. Classic hosta and fern combination, might add a few foxgloves and astilbes for some hight and colour. Great video, can't wait to get back digging in the garden this year.
I am new to gardening and find your videos inspiring thank you for taking the time and effort in these awful times stay safe
Thank you Alex for another excellent video. I gave up the uneven struggle this year trying to maintain a productive vegetable patch in an area of the garden shaded by an apple tree and a magnolia. The decision was liberating to say the least. Researching plants that would be happy here was a joy and the gardens of the late great Beth Chatto were inspiring. I look forward to seeing the progress in your beautiful garden.
Thank you!
Introduced to your channel through the Impatient Gardener. Enjoying the videos and inspiration. Thank you from Minnesota Zone 4. ☃️
Thank you for yet another nice video with an interesting tooic. There are SO many nice shadeloving plants and bushes in white shades. Since your corner is far from your house. Lots of different clematis that can be used as a backdrop and white hydrangeas, helleborus, brunneras like Jack Frost and Mr. Morse. Symphytum grandiflorum is a low white variety which is great at keeping nasty weeds away. Think that is what I would do. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Shady areas are lovely to sit in on a hot day and hellebores are really lovely to look at whilst you are there. I would certainly include some seating, perhaps a stumpery
Thanks for the video. I have a large 8'x10' shady corner to the left of my front door that runs alongside the jutting-out garage. In 5 years, I haven't come up with a good plan for that area.
Such good suggestions.
You always explain things beyond the idea with very useful pros and cons.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Fab thank you .I’m in the process of moving .and these ideas are great 😊
I adore that you walked us through your considerations, illustrating even the fact that there are times when we simply must let go of a dream. Oh, how I would love a proper greenhouse! In lieu of one, I converted a much too small bedroom in my home into a plant room. Originally, I thought, "it'll be a library AND plant room," but I quickly realized that I couldn't keep books in it with the high humidity my tropicals require. Alas, it is now a plant-yoga-occasional reading room with a lovely little fountain in a corner, and I love it so!
It sounds lovely - as a plant, yoga, occasional reading room!
You really do a good job doing your homework. I think it would be lovely to find sculpture and plant shade garden with maybe something like host as. I am sure what ever you decide will be lovely.
I love to sit around a fire🔥
The ash is good for the garden! I’d added pots with perennial shade plants too!
I was thinking clumps of different giant hostas, but then I remembered you guys have slugs and snails. I like to use ajuga for a shade ground cover, in between ferns and hostas. It comes in many variegated colors, that add sparkle in the shade. Love your videos!
Just discovered your channel, and have thoroughly enjoyed watching.
There are several Hydrangeas, that do well in shade, and a number of flowering shrubs, that are shade tolerant and can be pruned into tree-like status, such as Rose of Sharon, and Crepe Myrtle, etc.
Many shade tolerant shrubs, such as euonymous, rhododendron, azalea, and mock orange, do well in your zone, and grow vigorous hedges. And Nandina, being tolerant of shade, with small white flowers, and red foliage in cooler months, can be trained to grow up a wall in whatever shape suits your fancy. I've seen it covering an entire wall, or growing in tall, supported columns, and can also be trained in espalier.
In the end, I do like your idea of a Japanese-type of red Maple. While you may not be able to coax out the flaming red you prefer, it will still give you a deeper red foliage, that can add a color element and texture, that cannot be achieved with any other specimen.
Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do. I'm certain whatever you choose, will be beautiful. Your garden is spectacular.
It is such a nice corner and I love all the ideas! I think I would try to do a trellis of roseum japanese hydrangea vine and perhaps some wooden raised boxes or beds with dwarf hydrangeas. You could have that as a backdrop to a sitting area with a statue in the corner if you like. Or if no sitting area is needed perhaps a corner water fountain/water fall.
You are always so researched and thorough in your videos--thank you! I think I'm with you: continue your brick wall plantings around for the wall, then for me I'd invest in the same pot in different sizes. Large ones to plant a couple deep shade loving tree bushes such as rhododendren or camellias which will given pretty flowers in the spring/summer and evergreen foliage for the other seasons. Then the smaller pots for something like azaleas which are in the same family and a few pots of annuals that love the shade such as impatiens or begonias. Lastly, perhaps a ground cover that loves the shade such as Pachysandra.
Laurie Anne love your suggestions. Would be fabulous.
I have had a property in the past that had a shady corner. You are right in how hard it is to decide what to do with it. We tried many of the ideas you mentioned, but in the end we felt we actually needed the storage space but did not want to see the storage. We put up a sort of wall angled across the area. We actually put down pavers on the storage side, but with yours already having that solved the actual ground will not be an issue. On the angled wall that was actually more out into the sun, we continued with our regular boarder as if the storage area was not there. Visually from the house it looked as if the garden did not have the break of the storage area that we ended up loving in a way that did not spoil our view!
Very good idea!
What an amazing brick wall. Cant imagine anything but sculpture with metal bench surrounded by pot scapings with all shady plants like hosta, heuchera, oakleaf hydrangea and japanese maple, shade tolerating bulbs like tulips and lilys...Perhaps wisteria and boston ivy for vertical
That does sound lovely, and yes, I agree with you about the wall.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing! From Montreal, Quebec, Canada
I inherited a corner with abandoned compost bin and pile of extra bricks and flagstones. I cleared it out and used stones to make a low wall to enclose the space on one side and planted it up. It's now a favorite hidden seating area. Nooks and crannies are the best!
Not sure if this has been commented, but a beautiful water feature that blends into the background would be nice. It would encourage more people to wall in that area and admire the plants youd be putting in that corner, provide reprieve for wildlife, and also give ur whole garden space a peaceful soundscape. It doesnt have to be a huge thing but definitely something loud enough to hear it from ur patio and ur gazebo!
Addendum: if ur border corner is shaped right, it would blend in with the rest of the border, but also be a cute little children's nook where the kids hunting for the soothing water noise can play in. Like their own little garden room. Not sure how old or if you have any children that explore or enjoying garden. But just another reason to put a water feature. I'm thinking some submerged and the water bubbles up and hits some metal or stacked rocks that amplify the noise.
I have a North facing front garden and solved my issue with an expanded deck and stair entrance that wraps around a rock garden that includes a sculptured water feature. I planted a few large ferns, mint and a piers japonica because of grazing deer. Rock gardens are wonderful ♥
I would suggest a Fairy Garden combined with your wildlife idea, wind chimes ,a tree for shelter for birds and bird feeders,bath etc always a joy to experience 💕
Hope you will share a video of the shady corner once you have it finished. What a nice surprise that would be for us to look forward to 👏👏👏
I'm getting there....but it's a work in progress
I would put a couple chaise lounges back there with a bunch of potted plants. Some shade plants do better in pots because the slugs can’t get to them. You could have that be where you read on a quiet afternoon or take a lap desk with you and your laptop and work on your writing. Sounds perfect to me!
I know the plant you need!!!
Rhododendron maximus.
An evergreen, loves deep shade, flowers in the summer when most other rhododendrons are finished. Their blooms are white, and white always illuminate a dark corner. The pollinators love it. If your soil is not acid you can always amend it and mound it so that the roots are happy in an acid, well drained soil. And lastly if you decide you know longer want the rhododendron there, well because of its shallow root system, they are so easy to move. Voila! 😊
Very nice gardening programme..... Thank you.
Well thought out and interesting to listen to.
Hi Alexandra. Yes, I’ve got the same problem I’m working on. The front of the house and the fence behind the house both cast shadow. I”m thinking of picking some evergreen that can be repeated in both areas. I would like that corner to be a screening plant of some sort, since I am looking into my neighbor’s backyard there, and the fences don’t match. I’m seeing on line that some weeping spruce are a bit shade tolerant, but I haven’t decided. I have rabbits in the area, so I’ve got to consider them too. Don’t want to shell out the big bucks, only to get the tree devoured by a gang of hungry creatures. Thanks for the video! 😘
Thank you for all your suggestions.
I have a beautiful Enkianthus c. that is in pretty good shade. It flowers beautiful and the fall color is a fantastic butter yellow. I love it!
I live in WA Pacific Northwest.
I planted a Japanese maple and two camellia bushes in the shady corner which is located at the entrance of the house, it looks nice. Thank you for the ideas.
Thank you!
YOU ARE JUST A SPLENDID PERSON AND VERY VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, I LOVE THAT!!!!!! YOU INSPIRE ME, THANK YOU 🙏 FOR THAT!!!!!!!!
You are so welcome
Hello and what a great Video again.👍 I think since it is getting hotter every year, we all can use a shady corner. I could see a comfy seat with either moving water or firepitt. Maybe both. Or how about a outdoor cinema. Since you have these lovely walls. Than you can sit on the gras and see a movie with your friend. Well, I am sure whatever you will do with it Alexandra, it will be nice. I am looking forwart to see, what is ging to become of it. Stay safe and have a nice Weekend. See you next week. 🌻
Very thoroughly covered options
I think with your other trees and topiaries along the back, a small tree or limbed up shrub would be a nice balance in that corner. Perhaps with ferns and other woodland ground covers below as others have suggested.
I have a corner like this that is overrun by ivy, but I want to put an aucuba to bring a little gold sparkle. And hopefully I can tame the ivy.
Sorry need to add to my previous comment. The reason I would choose an open metal work bench is so the plants can grown around the legs, over the arms and intertwine a little. The bench painted in an attractive colour would be both sculptural and a place to sit with lemonade on a hot day. Just a thought.
Selection of hydrangeas, climbing, tall and short. Ivy, the large leaf variety, growing over a large ornamental arch, leading into a selection of various tall large moss covered pots planted with trailing ivy. Clipped holly bushes the two tone variety. Under plant with winter colour. . I used 3 large gothic mirrors spaced a foot apart which reflects the light and garden etc.
Some of your viewers suggested a mirror in that corner. Several years ago, in another garden I placed a mirror - it was lovely. I found three dead hummingbirds in the planter below that mirror. To this day, it still bothers me. Birds see that mirror as a pass through as it reflects the yard and garden. Love your channel and I can't wait to see what you do with this corner.
Yes, I worry about mirrors and birds too. Our predecessors put a small mirror under the pergola and although no bird would have been flying in that direction, there was a blackbird that pecked at its reflection all day, which can't have done it any good.
I enjoyed your video, you have a voice that is easy to listen to. However I must admit I laughed at your "medium garden". I would give my eye teeth for a garden that big. It's huge!! I am off to check out some of your links now, hopefully I can get some ideas on what to do with my garden this year. I redid some of It last year during lockdown, but the weather , several argumentative resident foxes and several cats (including my own) have wreaked havoc on it.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Size in gardens always amuses me because in professional terms, a four acre garden is 'small'. My size of garden is, I think, large for a town garden, but in many country villages or anywhere where land is cheap, it would be considered small. So 'middle-sized' is my joke!
A small fountain or several birdbaths might work in a shady spot. The water would evaporate more slowly, but keep a scouring brush and some diluted bleach solution nearby to ward off algae and keep the birdbaths clean with a scrubbing every week. A mister might be good in that "water park" as well, for butterflies and birds to flit through on a hot day. Here in the US, hummingbirds love misters. A hammock would be nice there, although I have never had the time to rest in one once I get into the garden.Thank you for wonderful and inspiring videos.
I have a shady garden patch off the back of my house and I researched what plants would be best in that limited sunlight area. I have hellebores, fuchsias, hydrangeas growing there so I would recommend some real shade loving plants. Maybe even a fern or two.
I live in Colorado where it is hot and dry in the summer so if it was my garden here I would have it as a seating area with a little shade garden complete with fountain and sculpture!😁
You are such a wonderful person :-) great content and inspiration
Thank you so much!
Redbuds like shade and they have nice autumn colour (also some varieties have nice bright colour all year round).
That was so informative and Interesting thank you just found you love all of it and you xx
Thank you!
Love the wall also. How about some beautiful wrought iron trellises against the brick and a fountain, (which others have suggested already) and a small wrought iron table with just two small scrolled wrought iron backed chairs ( maybe with arms , if you like) for just those few moments when you want to take a break from gardening instead of having to run to the back of the house to find seating and the fountain or water feature of some kind would be calming, quieting, soothing on any day of the year, provided it isn't raining, with maybe a (1/3) circle type pergola above that fits that corner shape
You could create a very pretty faux cosy cottage there by putting a door on the wall and window frames either side with mirrors in them to reflect the surroundings and also to cartch and reflect the light. A little bistro set outside could look delightful and a range of containers and climbers trained along the wall where the roof would be That should create a very lovely view to look at from your house and another point of interest. I Imagine the colours you could use on the door and window frames to really make that corner pop.... a baby blue, lemon or pink or more heritage in style giving it a more secluded feel if they were grey or sage. A very helpful video I have a north corner myself that isn't at its full potential just yet. But the fatsia japonica I planted there is looking quite happy and has put on significant growth in its first season. ☺
Love this new channel I found 👌🏻👌🏻😁💚💚🌱💚🌱🌱
Good info and thank you for sharing
I imagine outside wall water fall with running water and some lightening at night in that corner, I think that could a good addition to your gorgeous garden :)
Thank you, very thorough.
Just a thought, if you continued the border all the way round the corner then on the angle place a metal work bench to the front of the border in the soil. The legs of which could be supported on bricks and grow some ground hugging plants to cover the bricks. In the front of the bench put a small patch of sunken bricks/stones or anything to hand where your feet would be. Place very very small table big enough for a cup of coffee.
I could see a larger pedestal planter surrounded by some of the new lime green hostas and huecerras to add a pop of color and draw your eye back to the corner. You could experiment with different plants in the planter and it gives you the ability to change it whenever you want. The wall is so attractive, I personally wouldn’t want to cover it up or hide it with too much growth. Great video!
Thank you. I quite agree about the wall and the heucheras/hostas in pots is a great idea. Though hostas get very nibbled round here.
I like the idea of a pedestal planter at a medium height that would give some vertical structure like the other topiaries along the back wall. A round and wide pedestal planter can soften the corner, use space nicely and help the eye transition instead of locking into the corner. The variegated flax you have could work well in the pedestal planter, be a contrast to the brick wall and it likes shade. Though, I am unsure how flax does with cold spells.
(There is also the consideration of how that area is watered by hand or automatic watering system and how much maintenance you want to do.)
I liked the idea of a sculpture.
As for the plants, there are a number of plants that thrive in shade, such as ferns and hostas. Many have flowers, such as zantedeschia aethiopica, which we call cala here, but I think in English they're called arums.
A lovely small tree would be a Japanese maple. I know you showed an image of one when you said that many trees that display lovely autumn colours need several hours of sunlight, but I'm not sure that particularly applies to Japanese maples. Anyway, once it grows up a bit, it will have more sunlight than plants at ground level.
Ivy at the walls and a play area for the grand children. Provided you have them, and they are still in that age.
With their own table and chairs to do their brewing of lovely inedible garden soups and pizza's ;) With a big and sturdy parasol to keep them dry, when it rains.
Oh I’m putting slating trellis fencing around the base I had from a shed then it will house keter boxes for outside stuff - the fencing will continue so it all flows -then in front I’m going to put some fruit trees in pots, sandstone slabs, some seating, heating and some lighting - my thinking is that as it’s a dark corner it’s no use in the day but I can make great use at night with lights and heating - the key thing was I need it to be attractive as it’s what I see from my kitchen window - it’s taken my a couple of years to get to this point and just had a quote last week
A trellis with rapid climbing flower like clematis, maybe add some wall decorations of found items or rustic nature. Then a chair or two and small table meant solely as a break in the shade when you're gardening on warm days but not ready to go back in the house. Pale colored or white flowers will show up nicely and clematis blooms last a long time.
Something with water, a waterfalls? One big enough that you can hear from every corner of your garden, that is a beautiful wall. I am jealous of the weather you have there to have such a garden, i am on a greek island, very hot summers with no rain, i have a garden it looks more like Sahara. We do have great figs and lemons and of course prickly pear.I guess we have to work with what we got.❤️
I would put a few Hammock stands thier, great spot to lay around in the heat of the summer! Some climbing hydrangea could do very well growing on those walls and has fabulous flowers.
That sounds lovely.
Thank you for this video and all your others. I find them informative and pleasant to listen to. I'm so glad you don't have music underscoring your speech. I find music so distracting and overused! (I'm a musician!). Thanks again for your marvelous content and sharing your ideas and knowledge. :)
Glad you like them!
Suggestions were informative have a small garden and the best i see for that area is art sculpture or sculptures ...beats the downside of other sugestions
Perhaps even moving the sculpture you already have and raise it on a paver and surround with ferns.
I visited Sissinghurst some years ago and took note of the fact that they had a rose - Madame Alfred Carriere - growing up on a north facing wall. So I copied them and grew one up mine and it did so well that when I moved house, years later, I did it again. The second one is also doing well. This could form a lovely backdrop to whatever you chose to put in front of it. If it was me, I’d put a water feature/statue in front.
That's a good thought - I had a beautiful Madame Alfred Carriere at my last home.
You have a beautiful garden.