A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Gardening in the Shade some help with my empty garden

I need help....my garden is empty, I would love a garden that had a sort of flow to it....and looked FULL.... its a big space with little sun, every sun plant I try ends up dying...I'm new to gardening and landscaping, so please be honest..thanks:)

also some pumpkins ended up in the garden, I'm not sure how....but they seem to be doing well....
ps....I also get lots of DEER

Looks like a cool space. What's all that behind the garden? And how is this space oriented? N-S-E-W?

I don't often post in this forum, but I think one of the first things I'd want to know, to help you choose your plants, is where the sun is throughout the day.

I'd sure others will be along shortly.

Hi..

Here's a few links to get you started~you need part shade to shade plants there.

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/ps~perennials.html

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/fs~perennials.html

You'll see a little icon to the right on some of the plants~the deers head with a circle around and a line through..these are plants that deer aren't as likely to eat.

the garden is located on a small hill.....as you move away from the garden and go up.....its lots of trees, ferns, and weeds.....don't forget the ticks! About two years ago I weeded, pulled rocks and put new soil down & mulch....to create what you see now... It mostly gets morning sunning, for about 1/3 hours, the tree's hang over the garden...

The front of my house gets the same shade..

I have hostas, astilbes, bleeding hearts, jacobs ladder, columbines, coral bells, and am successfully growing a 'goldmound spirea' as well that just brightens up the whole space.

What all do you have in it now? I think I see hostas.

If you've got wild ferns in back, why not transplant some of those to your shade spot.

If it's your property, nobody should have a problem with you doing that.

One thing to remember when planting a new bed is that as plants mature they get bigger so leave room for that, also leave enough room around the plants that you can reach everywhere to weed them.

Next try to get plants with different bloom times. Peonies like part shade and bloom in May standing around 30 inches tall; but, they can take a long time to get adjusted to a new environment up to 8 years to bloom for some varieties. Primroses also like shade and bloom for a long time during the growing season. Primroses look great in the front of the boarder since the blooms are very close to the ground.

And a slow spreading evergreen groundcover can give you that full look and 4 seasons of interest for your garden.

A small water feature can also add to the four seasons garden even if it is as small as a rock with a shallow bowl in it just enough to hold an inch of water for butterflies during the summer.

And lets not forget some kind of bench so the gardener has a place to rest after caring for the garden.

I would also look at some kind of lighting if the bed can be viewed from a good vantage point.