I have just finished some stone edging in my garden and have begun the process of planting some annuals, perennial, etc. One half of the garden (south) is starting to fill-in. The other half(west) is causing me some troubles with soil, shade and tree roots. I have attached some photos showing both sides, in addition to a small area in the north west corner of the property. The "other half" has a 20 yr old pine tree and a birch tree, The small area is adjacent to a maple tree. Question: Considering all the above, what plants would you recommend for a Toronto, Canada location and fairly easy to maintain and grow? Thanking you in advance, Enzo
You've done a lovely job of the stonework, at least on the little bed where you've shown it in detail, but I think you have maybe set yourself a difficult task by putting the beds where it is hardest for plants to grow - at the base of trees. If the area is indeed in shade (tree bases aren't always, if the tree canopy is high) then you are looking for dry shade plants, and might investigate the worlds of hostas, ferns, maybe hellebores, and a few others... but try those first. If you are planting now, in summer, they will need to be watered well until fall. Of course a perennial garden completely disappears in winter, so if you want something that provides a winter prescence, consider some dwarf evergreens. You probably have the conditions to grow almost anything you want somewhere along that bed, however - from Dahlias to tomatoes - and so the main thing is the find what plants you like, and look good together. I always find this is best explored at the local nursery or garden centre, where you can observe plants in season, read plant tags, and ask staff about plant performance and needs. If that is goutweed at the far right of the small corner bed, you should get it out of there. It travels extensively and usually ruthlessly, and will wander out of your bed in no time.
Hi KarinL, Thanks for the reply. Actually, the bed underneath the trees do receive about 3-4 hours of sun in the morning. Should I still be looking for full shade plants or does 3-4 hours of sun fall into the "part-shade" plant? The corner bed has some wild perennial flowers and you are correct with the goutweed. As for the dwarf evergreen, where would you place them and with what plants? Are there any blooming flowers that might do well in this area? Sorry for all the questions, Thanks again, Enzo
3-4 hours morning sun sounds like perfect conditions for many or all shade-loving plants. You will just need to stay away from the ones that crave moisture. Flowering plants... well, most shade plants do flower, but not so flamboyantly as sun plants. Hardy geraniums are a good bet for some flowers, and hostas do flower but not everyone likes them. Other options would include Acanthus mollis, the shrubby Hypericums like forrestii or lancasterii, trilliums, anemones, hellebores, ligularias (but some of them prefer it moist), epimediums, and many more. However, the whole point of shade plants is that they have large leaves to enable them to collect maximum light in low-light areas, so almost by definition they are predominantly foliage plants. Many sun-loving plants will also flower in part shade or less, but it's a bit of a hard assignment to name those. Again, I think you're best off asking for specific plants at the nursery, if you can find one with knowledgeable staff. Or, there are many books on shade gardening. I should qualify my advice about the dwarf evergreen shrubs with two things, first that it is hard to find any that will grow well in the shadiest parts of your bed, and second that your beds might be a little too narrow to accommodate most evergreens. So you would have to look hard to find the right one (besides, you might get too much snow for winter colour to be an issue). But besides coniferous (needle) evergreens to consider, there are also small rhododendrons and others like boxwood that can be kept clipped small.
