Can't figure out what to grow here ....

This area against the house in my backyard is driving me NUTS!!!

I can't get anything to grow here for very long. It is a shady and damp area. There are plants growing out from the wall about 3-4 feet which have been there for 2 years and are doing great. But I just can't get anything to grow within the 2-3 feet right next to the house. I don't know why.

I had Mona Lavenders growing there for 6 months but they ALL eventually died! :-( And I had numerous other plants that also never made it. Probably my fault because they weren't shade plants or didn't like moist roots. I don't know.

Anyone have a similiar area in your yard that you've found a good plant to put there. I need some serious suggestions. This area always looks so ugly because it's usually bare or the plants are dying or dead.

HELP! Please!

This message was edited Jan 14, 2007 10:59 PM

papyrus!!!

I have an area like that against the back of my house. It's the only place that gets any shade too. I have some ferns planted there and some Butterfly Ginger. (I think that's it, it hasn't bloomed yet) I put the ferns there because I have a Japanese Maple there and was going to have a "theme". It became a big reseeding mess of stuff too tho, but I do like the ferns.

Becky,

I have an area with a similar problem...it's a small space about 1 foot wide by 8 feet long - one side borders the garage wall the other the front walkway. The previous homeowner had sansaveria growing there. Blah!

It never gets full sun so I dug out the sansaverai and put in oyster plant a couple of years back. That's a pretty low growing plant now that I'm into growing plants for butterflies I realize it is quite useless. I do find pluto moth cocoons under the leaves there though. Seems the caterpillars wander over from the firebush on the driveway and crawl under the mulch and leaves to pupate.

Am tired of that oyster plant so will be tossing it out and planting Green Shrimp Plant in it's place when my plant order comes in. Am thinking it will do good getting only indirect sunlight and since the Malachite butterfly prefers to stay in the shadows and near the edge of the woods...possibly when it does come out to nectar or check out the butterfly bait stations it may find the larval host plants and be nice enough to lay eggs!!! Time will tell :o)

~ Cat

Paige and Cat - I like your suggestions for plants to grow there. Something occured to me while I was posting on another thread ..... I might try putting my Nasturtium pots over along that wall and see if they like it there. The area is wide enough to put containers along that wall. I need to move my Nasturtium pots away from the screened porch area because that is where I want to put a paver patio in a couple months. Hmmmm ..... I don't know .... but I have nothing to lose by trying them out there and everything to gain if it works! :-)

Becky...great idea! I was looking through my old photos and found I had a nasturtium growing in a pot way back when. I'd also hung up several baskets over the area where the oyster plant is growing. Here's an old photo of my front walkway...there is the basket or nast to the left, the passiflora arch and other hanging baskets near the garage wall.

~ Cat

...and the lower half showing the low growing oyster plants...which I am going to remove when that Green Shrimp Plant order comes in :o)

~ Cat

Cat - I absolutely love your inexpensive archway! That is something I want in my backyard to divide the garden rooms like a doorway! I just need to figure out a way to make them wind sturdy. Can I somehow put them in the ground with concrete or some kind of poles .... I don't know. Ideas, Cat?

Nasturtiums grow great in hanging baskets! Good place to grow them!

Becky,

There is also a section of fence panel that I put in to divide the walkway from the front flowerbed in that photo. I planted another passion flower vine so hopefully it will start growing and cover the panel by come Spring. Had Heavenly Blue Morning glories on it one year...what an abundance of color those blooms gave me!

Yes, I usally get three arches out of one livestock panel. They range from 12" to 18" wide but who really needs more width on an arch. Guess you could use tent stakes or hooked rebar poles to stake them into the ground for more stability.

By the way, the mailman and visitors must duck under the arch to get to my doorway as the passion flower vine on it sends stray tendrils all over the place.

~ Cat

Cat - I noticed the passion flower vine tendrils sticking out and I think it is so awesome! I love it! You really have an artist eye! You need to take more photos of your yard/gardens to show us! I'd love to see what you have done with your yard. It looks like an exotic jungle. My kinda garden! YOU rule when it comes to garden artistry!

Dear Becky,

Does this area receive any sun at all? I have an area like this on both sides of a sidewalk that was on the north side of the house. One of the sides of the sidewalk, I planted columbines (aquilegia). It is the side that only gets two to three hours of sun a day.Only three of the aquilegia survived (it is an area of about 25 feet long.). On the other side that only gets filtered sunlight, I have had great success with succulents. Also, I am experimenting with Scarlet Red Monkey Flower (a California native).

If you find anything else that I am overlooking, please let me know.

Thanks,

Chuck

Chuck - Thanks for sharing what you are trying to do with a similiar area in your yard. I'm open to all suggestions. It does get brief sun in the early morning. I will definitely post any other ideas I come up with. It just looks so bare with the brick wall and no plants. I keep thinking a large bronze metal sun or butterfly might look really nice hanging against the brick wall. This is one tough dilemma I am having. Maybe I need to be looking at shade plants?

You could try American beauty Berry, Callicarpa americana, or Turk's Cap, Malvabiscus drummondii.
Both tolerate shade and wet feet, and are very pretty.
Josephine.

Have you checked the pH? Being so close to the house, it may be alkalotic from the foundation.

Maggie

I love Turk's cap

I'm looking up all these plants that everyone is listing and trying to decide what might work. It's all good! If you come across more shade plants, please list them! I do appreciate everyone's suggestions! :-) :-) :-)

This message was edited Jan 17, 2007 10:32 PM

There is a fern coop going on right now in the coop forum. I went to the website they're ordering from and there are a lot of evergreen ferns. I didn't look at the upper zone ranges because I was mostly interested in cold hardiness, but they are listed.

The thing is, ferns were never listed as any butterfly hosts ithe book I read. What about a trellis with some pipevine growing on it?

Suzy

gingers would to great there becky

Suzy - Ferns are very nice but they sometimes don't make it in the heat in my zone (even in the shade). But I definitely want to do a trellis or arch or obelisk to put somewhere in my garden rooms! I love the inexpensive idea that Cat came up with using livestock fence panels. Here's her thread if you haven't read it yet: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/684278/ Great idea she came up with! She's very ingenious when it comes to artistic design using everyday items.

Donna - I definitely like the Ginger but I am thinking more for the bog garden. Do they require full sun or shade?

I have the White Butterfly Ginger in several places. It grows well in all the areas, but bloomed when it was in the area that got morning to noon sun. The shade part shade area grew but never bloomed. I did have a pot in a pond I had that was in full sun, but it would blow over due to the height. When it blooms, it smells like Gardenia's s...sooo sweet!

the white as shown by Shelia would work great in wet. They will bloom if they get enough bright light. Doesn't have to be direct sun but they will take direct sun if in a wet area. Most gingers like afternoon shade. or plant the shell ginger for great folage. Anywhere it freezes won't get blooms since it blooms on old growth. My 2 little pieces of variegated I got this spring have not frozen yet in the bed under the eve on the west side of the house so maybe i will get lucky and get to see it bloom next summer for the first time ever lol. The Variegated is very pretty

How tall do the Buttefly Gingers get, Sheila?

Gosh ... the more that I am reading about your Gingers, the more it sounds like it would work very nicely in that area. Most of the plants that I have there are low growing. I was trying to figure out a focal point. Maybe a couple of these Gingers right smack in the middle of that row would be perfect? Then I just have to figure out what to put in the darker corner near the screened porch and then on the other side that gets more sun. Actually, I have a red Firespike that seems to be doing quite well there currently on the end getting the most sun in that row. Can't remove that plant as it is for my "future" hummers! LOL

Donna - The variegated leaf variety sounds pretty. Do you have a photo of it? Most of my plants flower on NEW growth, not old. That would be a switch for me!

Is Ginger a clumping plant or does it send out runners?

I just thought of another plant that just might do well there also. White Pentas. I have them growing in a mostly shady area on the other side of the screen porch. In fact, I just noticed one coming up under some of my milkweed just a few feet away. Gonna have to pull that baby up and transplant it. Perhaps all white flowers (except the firespike on the end). White pentas on both sides of some Butterfly Ginger? All the lower growing plants in front of this area have red or reddish-purple flowers. And the small waterfall pond is in the center if this garden bed,

Here is one of the few pics I have of my Ginger. I have since gotten rid of most of it. I found it turned brown too much for me to put up with it. I also have the Butterfly Ginger and like it better, but it also does have that tendency for browning of the leaves.

gardenpom - So you are saying that the regular green leaf variety has leaves that don't turn brown as often or as quickly? I wonder if that is how it grows or if fertilizer or some kind of mineral supplement would help keep them from turning brown. I know that canna will do that also. But I have seen canna in gardens and they are beautiful with no brown leaves. I can't figure that out. I'm such a NOVICE gardener! :-(

I have 85 gingers in my landscaping and must say that I am not crazy about them. They (for the most part) get very tall (can be controlled though), and the leaves get brown and look bad even if the flowers are beautiful. Some of them do better in shade, some in sun, some like heat some don't. If you let me know your requirements (sun, shade, moisture, etc) I can figure out which might do well for you and possible send a piece.

Oh cool, Karen! Drat ..... I wish I'd known you had some Ginger you were willing to share as you could've added it to the Papyrus you just sent me. I need to reimburse you for all the postage! Seriously.

This will go in a morning sun, afternoon shaded area. So they would get partial shade during the day. Do you have some Ginger that might like that kind of area? Also, did you get the seeds I sent you yet?

I'm getting a different idea of your yard. You must grow a lot of "tropical" plants?

I think my Ginger is the same one that Sheila has. (from Josephine?) Mine didn't bloom last year even tho it does get morning sun. It's hard to believe anything could get too much shade in my yard but I might move it out just a little. I think I had 2 small pieces and now I think I have 5, so it's spread some. If I am remembering correctly it's a tuberous root like cannas.

Pentas would probably work great there! I love them and they do best in the one area where I have a little shade. I'll move the Gingers in this area now.

Hi! All!! After I read the message by konkreteblond, I went to the Pentas in the plantfiles. I came up with three beautiful Pentas that I would really like...all Pentas lanceolata. I have heard of but never seen a Pentas before. On all three plants, there was a conspicuous absence of California gardeners in the zip code growers lilst. Why is this? I imagine people before me have tried to grow them here in California but they are so beautiful I am going to try.

If anyone else has any feedback, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Chuck

Becky no seeds yet but they may be in today's mail.

Will go out and figure out what to send you. I had an album of my landscaping photos but seem to have lost them. I will contact the landscaper and see if she still has it.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/621999/

I am sending you a corm from Curcuma "raspberry" It is one of my favorites and should do well in your conditions.

Karen - Thank you so much! I didn't know that Ginger even had flowers that were pink. Does this one also have a nice scent when in bloom?

I would love to see your landscape layout. If a landscaper did the layout and plant recommendations, it must be really nice. It probably flows around the yard. My yard is more hit and miss! lol

Karen, I would like to see your landscape layout too. It sounds interesting.

Thanks,

Chuck

http://pictures.aol.com/ap/viewAlbum.do?user=guest&mode=guestView&shareInfo=mFQYMXJcDsWpxtMZaevjZXJLYUHEK0gUJcal0FGkuhi%252FjFCnkV3ciA%253D%253D&albumId=5321.1882.1157634989871.3

Here's enough to last you a while (lol). The first photos are when the stuff was first planted. The landscaping was done by Bird_LadyLiz. They were very reasonable and did a great job. They live in Anthony which is north of Ocala.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2007 3:26 PM

The solid green one I have is the Butterfly Ginger, the varigated one I know as Shell Ginger. It gets racemes of flowers, but they hang below the foliage and are not really that noticeable. This is the Butterfly Ginger.

Ohh, that's beautiful! Mine had better bloom this year! I really forgot about it last but I'm going to be watching it close now.

Karen - WOW! I love the landscaping in your yard. It's gorgeous! Looking at all of those great photos, I now have tons of questions. You have some great plants in your yard!

I won't waste any time in asking you questions ....

In photo #1 .... what is the lovely plant in the corner that has red and white flowers? I really like the way it looks. You have some great little props in your yard! Some very whimsical items that really add character to your yard!

In photo#2 .... what is the orange bloom plant?

I love the two larger gardens in the middle of the front yard. Very, very nice!

In photo #25 .... What is THAT plant? Love the leaves! Does it get really big?

In photo #51.... what kind of sun exposure does your Brug get? I'm attempting to grow Brugs this year from seed. I see you have white blooming Brugs as well. Nice!!!!

Also, do you have your Plumeria (pic #67) in the ground or in a pot (in the ground)? I can't decide whether to plant mine in or out of a container.

Is that Shrimp Plant in photo #69 under the Banana Trees?

In pic #73 & also in photo #77 - What is that crazy leaf bush? Is it Scarlet Hibiscus? And what is the plant growing underneath it?

In photo #85 & 86 - What is the yellow flowering plant?

What is the red stemmed plant in photo #94?

What is the cool looking blooming plant in pic #184?

And plant in photo #190? Is that a Ginger?

And last, but not least .... what is the tree that you have in your front yard?

Sorry to ask a zillion questions, but I really want to know about these plants. Your yard is beautiful!!!

Thanks so much Karen for sharing all the photos! I really enjoyed it and it gave me lots of ideas! Very helpful to someone like me who is a visual thinker. :-)

OK, here goes...

Photo 1.Nun's Orchid
Photo 2. Epidendrum radicans (orchid)
Photo 25 Alocasia sarian grows to 12 feet.
Photo 51 full sun
Photo 67 I have 2 plumeria, one in the ground and one in a pot. They will grow to fit any container.
Photo 69 yes Shrimp plant
Photo 77 One of my favorites...Jatropha multifida is a tree but then also grows from below. Has blooms that feel like rubber.
Photo 85 and 86 Bulbine. Loved by the little blue butterflies and blooms all year.
Photo 94...now dormant and I cannot find the tag. Have contacted Liz to see if she can identify it.
Photo 184 Blackberry lily...absolutely gorgeous.
Photo 190 Hedychium flavum Yellow Butterfly Ginger just gorgeous with a fantastic scent.
The tree is a live oak.

Ask away! K

Plant some Geranium Phaeum in that spot Becky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They will look gorgeous and are ideal shade plants!!

Oh awesome, Karen!!!!!

I will be looking them all up on google to find out more. Thanks so much for taking the time to list what they were. Some very cool plants! I'm even more impressed if that is possible! Your landscaper is GOOD!!!! Lucky you! :-) :-) :-)

Mark - I love the look of Geraniums and Begonias, but have never been able to get them to grow in my yard. Don't know why. Probably gardener error. The Geranium Phaeum are most unusual. I've never seen anything like them before. Do they like moist soil? Are they available in the U.S.? Very cute little plants! Thanks for the suggestion!