How do I build the best shade garden soil?

I only have one small patch of shade. It is right at the back of my house. I think because of that, it is a problem to grow shade loving plants. This same spot gets early morning sun and just a bit in the late evening as the sun goes down. I think the soil suffers because of the cement wall as well as drywall that got mixed in. I have some hosta and other plants in there that are doing okay but this is the area I have picked to do major improvement on right now.

I have a bunch of leaves from last season, composted manure and top soil as well as a bale of peat, that could be mixed in to improve the soil. I have some ferns in pots that I just bought and there are still hosta, petasites, lamium, etc in the ground already. What would give me the best soil for growing ferns and hosta together with other companion plants? As my yard is 99% sun, I am loss when it comes to preparing a shade garden!

First the clay must go so.......
Dig deep..then deeper.........then fill the whole thing w/ compost and new soil.
(Easy on the manure as most shade plants aren't big feeders.
Except those Petas and believe me you don't want them full.
? Are they followering yet?)
Then mulch heavily.

Your bigger problem there is rain shadow.
(I know the site well).
Because it is so close to the house your gutters are running the water away from the site.
I'd do like we did near the house and put in soaker hoses to keep the moisture up.
Then mulch w/ ground up leaves.
Course NOW you'll get the joy of dealing w/ slugs.
Now WHERE can we find some beer..........

Do not remove your native soil. Clay is good soil, it just need some help amending to improve aeration and drainage, but clay is good soil, so don't discard it.

You can mix everything you mentioned into the soil. The peat sphagnum will help lower the pH which is probably raised due to cement mixed in. The compost and the leaves are good soil amendments, too. The more the better.

Most shade tolorant plants love the woodsy soil found on forest bottoms, so plenty of compost and leaves are excellent choices. Mulch well after planting.

Beer? Did someone say beer? Got some! LOL I think you well knew that though before you even posted. :)

My tiller bit it but I just bought a new carb and gas tank. Hubby is working on it when he finds time. I also had to get a new spark plug wire and assembly for the chipper/shredder. Hubby is working on that too. You busy tomorrow? :O) I am using my neighbors little tiller to level out the floor in the greenhouse then hauling out all the tropicals from the garage. Maybe if I have time, I'll dig up and tear up the shade garden too. I have nothing but time. HA!!

I think the petasites actually have those artichoke looking flowers but I haven't been over close enough to see. I will make it a point to go look tomorrow. I do see clusters of something green sticking up. Hey, it means they are alive. LOL I need to get over there to dig up the hosta and separate them anyway.

I think all my soaker hoses finally succomed to dry rot so I will get a new one this year and try it.

Thanks for answering Ric. I thought I would have had more answers by now. Busy tomorrow? You and Robin wanna babysit for a few hours? hahahahahaha

Unfortunately tomorrow we have plans.
Honest we REALLY do. lol

We haven't been up home since Thanksgiving as Dad was 86 yesterday.........

Now Sunday we may be able to get over.
We really want to see the new GH and all.....................I'll call you.

kd,
I agree w/ you on native clay soil just needing a little help..
We have built ours up just as you said.

Unfortuneately around here the soil nearest the houses isn't native clay 'soil'.
It's backfilled 100% heavy clay and pea run gravel from deep in the ground.
We actually have made pots from ours.
I'm familiar w/ Badseed's shade garden. It butts right up against the back wall of a basement. It is all backfill.

I'll take a look though a complete refill may not be needed.

Ric

Whoops! You sneaked in while I was typing kd! Thank you for your input. I borrowed my neighbors mini tiller and I am going to go out there and dig up the plants that are in that bed and till it up really well and add those amendments.

I also have a couple of bigs bags of MG potting soil and access to a few shovels full of pea gravel as well as dead leaves from a big cedar tree. Would any or all of those make a big difference?

I appreciate you giving me advice. I have always wanted a lush shade garden but shade is scarce. LOL I have potted up (just purchased) six ferns, 3 hosta and a bunch of caladiums. I have hosta coming from a co-op plus the plants that are already in that bed. I have blue Lobelia, Lamium "White Nancy", lily of the valley, chameleon plant, petasites, etc. Any to die for plants that I am missing? I have been checking out the bulb racks and drooling. :)

Seems to me that you really need a focal point-such as a shrub. Would suggest an Azalea or one of the new cold hardy Camellias. Other than that you could use astilbe, heuchera or heucherella. (My place is primarily shade so I am really beginning to learn the names of shade loving plants.) When annuals start showing up, coleus and impatiens both can give you lots of color for reasonable prices. Then there are the Begonia's. Lots of possible choices to help you have a beautiful garden. You have a good start, the ones you chose are great. Dotti

I am so glad you wrote! I do have heuchera in there and will have tons of coleus if my seeds to well. I believe I also have Astilbe if I didn't let them get nuked on the deck. I moved my pond last year and had to move a bunch of plants that were shaded by the deck and between it and the pond. I also started impatien seeds. I don't have a single begonia though! My neighbor has the perennial ones that were left by the previous owner. I am sure they would give me a start. I will look into some shrubbery and see what would look nice and is in my budget. The nurseries are full of trees and shrubs right now even though they don't have much else. :)

It sounds like your shady garden is going to end up being the glory of the neighborhood. Dotti

Too bad it is right behind my house and no one sees it but my neighbor down from me. LOL I will just be thrilled to death if I have a lush shade garden beneath my bedroom window. :)

Well, I just got out there and dug up all the plants and set them aside. I am surprised at how nice the dirt actually is. The dirt in 2/3 of the bed is actually nice, loose, very dark and was easy to move and dig. At the top it was hard as a brick! The only place that was really lush at the hard end, was the piece of carpet I had put in for a path! LOL It was full of Liriope and Lamium and they were very happy. I salvaged some used landscape timbers from around the yard to frame in the bed and I am going to run back out and till it all up while I still have my neighbors mini tiller. Thank goodness I have a bunch of extra soil and bagged ammendments and won't have to run out for them. So long as the kids behave, I can get it all done and put back together in the next hour or two tops. Wish me luck!