Shaded Area / UK - any ideas?

[Digmeup]

Hi Guys

I have a large area at the bottom of the garden that is in permanent shade. It also seems to hold water, and in wet weather can become a bit boggy.

At the moment it is actually supposed to be part of the lawn - but is in fact just a large bare patch.

Any ideas on what is the best thing to do with this area?

My wife has suggested a rockery - what plants would be best suited to this?

Thanks in advance

[rainbowgardener]

The basic idea here is to work with what you have, rather than fight it. You can turn it into a wonderful shady, bog garden which will be beautiful.

Ferns and hostas really like that kind of area and are very pretty together. Cattails? If you were here I would suggest some nice native plants that like that kind of area, but I am totally unfamiliar with UK natives.

Some of my natives that like wet shade are goatsbeard, jack in the pulpit, marsh marigold, chelone/ turtlehead, rue anemone, gentian, flag iris, cardinal flower/great blue lobelia, and a variety of native ferns.

Hopefully some of the many UK folks around this forum will come by and make some appropriate suggestions for you. That's why I changed your title to show UK, just to alert them....

[Digmeup]

Hi Rainbowgardner

Thanks very much for your comments - they have given me a fresh outlook and provoked a couple of ideas.

Something along the lines that my wife was suggesting may be in order then.

Any one from the UK got any ideas on the best plants for this?

[rainbowgardener]

Well, it may be going in two different directions (either one of which could be very nice! ) I think the idea of the rockery would be to build the area up, which adds drainage so it isn't boggy any more. Make a pile of boulders and smaller rocks, fill in with dirt in the crevices and pockets and plant in that. No more boggy. Then you would want plants for drier shade.

Could be very pretty, just requires hauling in a couple tons (literally, since the bottom layer needs to be buried at least half way) of boulder and rock.

I was thinking more of a bog garden where you mostly just plant what you have. Here's a picture:

http://www.countryliving.com/cm/country ... 001-de.jpg

Here's a UK based website that lists a bunch of edible bog/pond plants many of which are UK natives:

http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/edibpond.php

[Digmeup]

Thanks for the links

very helpful.

[rainbowgardener]

well somehow the wrong picture link got in there

this is the one I meant:

http://www.perennial-garden-plants.com/ ... arden2.jpg

[Digmeup]

Thanks for the new pic.

Now it makes more sense lol. Was wondering what a patio set was doing in a Bog lol.

Have shared your ideas with the other half - and she likes them.