Here’s a picture of the flowerbed beast that must be tackled.
As you can see, it’s a bit, um, shady back there.
And here’s the deal: I didn’t get a dadblasted thing done in the backyard today. Because I went to the grocery store just like I planned and then came home to find the oven repairman here (so why does our oven smell like fish? why, he has NO IDEA! that’s repairman #2 with no solution!), and then I realized that we didn’t have any gasoline for our lawn mower, only that was supposed to be Step One in my backyard project, so then I took a picture of the flowerbed because A PICTURE, AT LEAST THAT IS SOMETHING, and then I hopped in the car and picked up the little man from a friend’s house and took him to soccer and fixed some supper and gave him a bath and got him to bed and now, NOW I HAVE TIME FOR THE FLOWERBED, ONLY HOLD ON, IT’S DARK.
Oh, internets. I am a terrible disappointment as a landscaper / flowerbed restorer.
But I do hope to redeem myself with a plan.
Said plan is as follows:
Tuesday: Get gasoline for lawn mower. Mow backyard, then weed and rake out the flowerbed. Turn over dirt, add new soil, and collapse.
Wednesday: Happily abandon plan to entertain the five year-old and a friend who is spending the afternoon with us.
Thursday: Plant things. Then mulch. Bore the internet to tears with many photos of the rehabilitated flowerbed. Skip across the yard, basking in the satisfaction of a job well done. Contemplate why I’ve taken up skipping after twenty some-odd years of no skipping. Shrug shoulders. Then skip some more.
So it’s going to be a very exciting week. As you can tell. What with all the skipping that’s on the horizon.
Anyway, before I start this process, do any of you Southerners have suggestions for shade-loving plants? I know hostas will work, but we have tons of those in our backyard already, and I wouldn’t mind adding a little variety.
Just so you know, my ideal plants are inexpensive, low-maintenance perennials.
I also enjoy plants that are billowy.
But not hostas or ferns.
And other than those six very specific criteria, I have absolutely no plant preferences at all.
See? I am very laid-back.
I worked in the yard today. It is a fun time, let me tell ya. Nothing like your hair falling in your face CONTINUALLY because of the bending and squating and such! I need one of your fundana thingy-ma-bobbers! I have no clue how much dirt ended up in my hair from all the pushing back of the hair with my dirty garden- gloved hands. And did I mention the ants and roly-poly bugs and worms and ewww…
Hope you have a good time! :)
Gardenias might work; I know they like afternoon shade. Although I have to admit I’ve only had one that actually survived in Georgia, so I may not be the best person to advise you.
Boo-
Go online and look for shade or partial shade perennials–You should get a good idea from there [depending on your zone] what to plant. Good luck and have fun.
We had 4 truckloads of dirt put in our yard today so you know we have gardening work to do too! My suggestion for shady spots: Caladiums! They come in all different varieties and colors and do very well in the shade. They are not very expensive if you will look at WM. Good luck!
Impatiens, my presh.
They luv the shade and happily bloom all summer long.
Sister has a good idea with impatiens!
I would also throw in some beautiful autumn ferns, coleus, bleeding hearts, hydrangeas and digitalis.
If you want color, definitely go with impatiens. If you want easy, got with airplane plants. They like shade or sun and they breed like rabbits, which make them cheap, because the babies are free. And you can’t even google advice, like that, my friend!
I love impatiens! You might also try coleus (sp). It is a large leafed plant that dies back in the winter and returns in the spring/summer. The leaves can be green/white or green/pink.
What a wonderfully, refreshing, shady spot!
Astilbe. They have beautiful feathery blooms in pink, white, coral and purple. The white do best though. They get about 2 feet high, and yes, they come back every year.
Funny, I just posted about this very thing. Except I was a bit less picky, for the simple reason I have NO clue what to do with plants and such. However, my dad does! Had the folks down for the weekend and voila instant flower beds for me. :-)
Good luck and happy gardening.
Impatiens are awesome! I also love something that my Mom used to call “Baby tears” but I don’t know the real name for those. I think they need lots of water too.
You are SO not boring. Thanks for always being much more entertaining than television.
Confederate jasmine does “intermediate shade,” whatever that means. All I know is that it smells pretty. Of course, that would probably mean putting up a trelis…
Good luck with your flower bed rehabilitation efforts!
Here’s my plan for the next 5 days:
1) Wake up as late as possible (a bit challenging with a 3 year old who insists on rising with the sun).
2) Go out to the beach and watch for dolphins.
3) Build sandcastles with said 3 year old.
4) Go back inside and wake up hubby and 15 month old foster daughter who actually do sleep in.
5) Track down some breakfast.
6) Go back out to the beach to build more sand castles and play in the ocean.
7) Go in to each lunch.
8) Take a 2-4 hour nap, depending on how long the kids sleep.
9) Play on the beach some more or explore.
10) Eat dinner.
11) Get kids ready for bed, brush teeth, read stories, say prayers, talk about what we say during the day, and say “Goodnight”.
12) See if I can get spotty internet access to surf blogs.
13) Go to bed listening to the sounds of ocean waves crashing on the beach with Jimmy Buffet’s song, “It’s 5 o clock somewhere” stuck in my head.
Oh the joys of being on vacation in Mexico!
I love impatiens too but instead of impatience we planted periwinkles because periwinkles last longer but have the similar colorful flowers like impatiens. It think they are sturdier.
I don’t know anthuriums will grow there, but if it will, they are my first choice! I just blogged about planting anthuriums on the shady part of our house today (my Tackle it Tuesday :)
Aside from anthuriums, how about bromeliads? They love shade and they are exotic looking with beautiful varieties.
Hydrangeas hydrangeas hydrangeas. Did I mention hydrangeas? I’m not in the south but I saw some of the most unbelievable hydrangeas driving through North Carolina on vacation with the fam a few years back. I realize you’re not in NC, but honestly, my first thought when I saw your pic was “what I would give for a spot that perfect for hydrangeas!” They’re a bush, not a little bedding plant like a violet, or what I think of as impatiens out here in SoCal. They’re also deciduous, so in the winter they’re going to look like sad, dead little sticks in your flower bed. But the payoff in the spring, summer and even the fall as the heads turn color is so worth it in my opinion. You have to be sure to cut off the spent blooms, but not prune them back because they bloom on old growth (the wintry dead sticks). But so long as they don’t get too hot and have a reasonable amount of water, they’re pretty bulletproof. They are my absolute favorite and if that were my flower bed I’d be trying to figure out just how many hydrangeas I could plant back there before it got too ridiculous ;) That was probably the most boring thing you’ve read on the internet in a long time, but I get a little, uhh, enthusiastic! about hydrangeas. Good luck!
Impatiens and hydrangeas. Definitely. Lovely colour!
Thanks a bunch (!) for the link to “Stuff Christians Like” …it’s now 2:35 a.m. and I can’t stop reading. This guy is hysterical, and real. Great stuff.
I don’t mean to brag, but I have a lovely garden.
I can’t really brag, because I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Thank goodness for my affordable local landscapers…
Why don’t you plant some impatiens in two pots. Have one pot standing up and one on the side in front of it with impatiens “flowing” out. By the end of the summer you won’t be able to see the pots but will have a wonderful unique display of flowers. I have a picture and can email it to you. . .
Have fun. I love working outside because it I don’t have to do housework and can get lost in my own thoughts!
Ihave recently been battling my own gardening issues (which you can read about over on my blog).
My only recommendation is for these roses I have found that are wonderfully easy to grow and add beautiful color all summer and into the fall. Most people call them knockout rose, but the other day in a little slip of the tongue and with a straight face, my mother called them “knocked-up roses”.
Who knew?
Impatiens are great, so are alissum(?). Alissum(?) likes part shade, part sun.
Both of these come in such wonderful colors.
I went yesterday to buy plants to finish my pots outside. I got tall spikey things and potato vine. They look lovely and I’m utterly impressed with myself. ha ha
Impatiens and caladiums are my favorites. You can get various color of impatiens. And I don’t remember having to do very much with them. Best wishes for gardening (we’re going to do some this morning)!
I’m with you on the billowy plants.
I’ve got an entire backyard that we are “working” on this year. I’m really over it, all the raking, digging, pulling, and don’t even get me started on the sweating…I’m just over it and ready for a dreammy little secrect garden hideaway…I keep telling myself this is temporary and that in heaven, all this will be done for me!!
I’ll be outside planting today too. Here’s another vote for impatiens. I’m in MD, and they last from now until our first frost. Have fun!
Although they’ve all been mentioned, I’m just adding more encouragement for these- hydrangeas, astilbe, and coleus. Shade-loving azaleas are also really nice, and I’m also a big fan of the lenten rose. They’re the first flower to bloom in our garden after the long winter!
Boo– I just did our shady bed with a mixture of hosta, caladiums (these are doing great!) and a mixture of impatiens and geraniums for color. Good luck!
I’m not sure how they do in your zone, but bleeding heart is beautiful in the spring and loves full shade. Someone mentioned confederate jasmine–it doesn’t have to be grown on a trellis, it can also be used as a ground cover. Some varieties of daylilies do well in shade. If I remmber correctly, tuberous begonias also like shade. I second the suggestion of hydrangeas, but I never had much luck with them–I think the acidity of my soil was wrong. You mentioned you have a lot of hostas already, but there are soooo many varieties of them that you might still want to consider them–just look for something a little different.
Have fun!
I think we have the same garden. Is your dirt red clay? Because if it is, then we absolutely have the same garden. I like my hostas, but I wanted something else, too.
I have a bit of a black thumb: I kill everything I try to grow. But, I agree with what everyone before me has said. This year I added some begonias, clematis (I know that comes back), and some vines/ivy-type plant of some kind. One of them has Nancy in the name is all I remember. Bleeding hearts do well, but the flowers are done for the season.
Good luck!!!
Impatiens for color.
So where is the step where you call your Mama? She takes care of plants in the dark. :>)
I love hydrangeas. If you want the blue ones, you may have to make the soil more acidic.
I’m also a fan of lavender. They say “full sun”, but my lavender in the shade did better than my lavender in full sun at my old house.
It might be too late for this suggestion this year, but if you plant for next spring, Lily-of-the-Valley grow well in shade. I agree with the bleeding heart idea; they are beautiful. Good luck with that.
Coming from the south, with a Mom who plants everything she can, I will tell you the things that seem to work well in E. Texas. Begonias, alyssum, weeping cherry trees, phlox and gerber daisies. I’m sure there’s more, but that is what I remember her shady bed looking like last year.
I’d skip with you for the sheer fun of it!
holly
If you want to do hydrangeas, be sure that spot gets some morning sun. They won’t bloom without several hours of sun in the morning.
I don’t think caladiums or coleus are perennials but neither are impatiens. It’s hard to get perennial color in the shade.
Be sure to check out Southern Living’s website–they have lots of great suggestions.
I was going to read through all the comments before commenting, so I don’t repeat advice, but I am about to go shopping, so time is of essence…
Have you tried azaleas? They like shade/some sun and in a few years growth will be very showy… also hydrangeas… they will also give you beautiful showy flowers… If you like the blue ones, the soil should be more acidic. I like the pink ones too…
Have fun playing in the dirt in your backyard – it is one of the most relaxing things to do!
Caladians (elephant ears, I think they’re also called) would be my first guess. BUT. I also once killed an aloe vera plant, so what the heck do I know.
Another vote for impatiens. They will get tall and fill out really well. I love the red and white together. We live in South Carolina and have a very shady backyard. So shady that we have a hard time getting grass to grow. We have lots of ivy, though. Now, I’m more of a container gardener, so I might be recommending something that wouldn’t work, but ivy does great in the shade and is a nice filler if you don’t want to fill the whole thing with flowers. Plus, it’s nice to have because you can cut it and add it to flower arrangements. I once heard a gardener say that every area needs a thriller, a filler and a spiller. That’s the rule I try to follow.
I agree with caladiums and impatiens. I have done really well with begonias. Another pretty option is mexican heather.
I don’t know if anyone mentioned this or not.
While hydrangea’s do like the shade — they do best when they get the morning sun. The morning sun doesn’t scorch them.
They seem to bloom better that way.
I don’t have much experience in this due to the fact that the flowers at my townhouse are done by the company that owns said townhouse.
HOWEVER, at the Starlite office, we like to plant dead birds. You wouldn’t believe how green our grass is.
We had wet dirt (AKA mud) dumped at our house yesterday. If it dries out, we plant baby vegetables in it. I agree with hydranga-lady.
Also, when you are finished skipping, if you have spare time and want to be encouraged, we are having a Bloggy Testimony Carnival at my blog.Consider yourself invited. :-)
I have the shakes just reading this post. “I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself.” – Sir Peter Smithers… This is totally my quote.
Plants and I do not have much fun together because I don’t know what I’m doing. I usually have the feeling of being a murderer of all things green about 3 weeks after I try to keep them. I did plant some impatiens in flower baskets a week ago and they’re still living. I just hope I can keep it up. I’ve got enough other things to feel guilty about as it is.
HOWEVER, I would love to skip with you. That I have down to a science.
Impatiens would fit your criteria! They love the shade and are low-maintenance. They’ll keep blooming and growing all summer, and there are lots of different colors to choose from. When it gets to be fall, you can replace them with pansies, another shade-loving plant.
Lot’s of recommendations for impatiens…my favorite variety by far is “double impatiens”. They are a little harder to find in my neck of the woods (British Columbia), a bit pricier but so worth it!!! The look like roses….delightful!! Enjoy!! Leanne
I am NO help in the gardening area! At church on Mother’s Day they handed every mother a “bouquet in waiting”, which was a packet of seeds for a variety of long-stem bouquet flowers. My oldest immediately says to me………do not even attempt to plant those, Mom!
Michelle
Umm . . . I’m sorry to bring you down after all the nice flower talk. But I’m commenting about the fishy oven smell.
Is it possible you may have a mouse in your house? To be more specific, a dead mouse somewhere in the vicinity of your stove/oven?
I say this from experience — a mouse was caught in my car’s cooling/heating/vent, and expired there (while my husband was on a trip for work, of course). The resulting smell was a combination of fish, socks, and Fritos.
I sincerely hope that’s not your answer, but I thought I’d throw it out there.
— Nancy
I vote with the astilbe, bleeding heart (they grow HUGE in a couple years – and are showy so they fill a lot of space), coleus and hydrangea. Of course – I love perennials cuz they keep coming back every year. Impatiens are wonderful, but at least here in MN they are only annuals (I know some things that we consider annuals here are actually perennials in warmer areas)so I myself would do them in pots in order to not have to keep replanting. Good luck with your project!!!
Hello! I say impatiens and hydrangeas as well!
Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), forget me nots and bleeding hearts thrive in my shady New England yard. After a little googling it looks like they may work for you too.
We’re doing the same thing around here – sprucing the beds. Well, actually, I’ve only gotten as far as purchasing the plants. They’re all sitting in the garage, waiting to be planted. Which was supposed to happen today. But unless I plan to brave the rain and tornadic winds, I think Project Landscaping is going to have to wait.
It’s always nice to have a hundred-something dollars worth of plants wilting in the humid garage. Ugh.
My problem is finding plants that like very wet soil. We have one bed that doesn’t drain very well, and as a result, doesn’t grow things very well. I need some suggestions for beautifying a swamp.
My mom is a Master Gardener and so I’m having to defer to her for advice, as I can’t grow anything but weeds. :)
She said that you should plant a variety of perennials that bloom in different seasons so that you’ll always have something pretty to look at it you want something with flowers. We live in Texas, not sure how much different it is from where you are, but she suggested for early spring that you plant DIANTHUS along with FOXGLOVE and for summer, English LAVENDER with LILY OF THE VALLEY.
There are literaly TONS of plants that work well in shade – these are just some of her favorites.
Best of luck!
Impatiens and Caladiums. But, since I’m the 1000th comment, I magine you’ve already heard that.
Wish I was there to help. But, it’s a long drive from Edmond, OK to where you are. But, I’m sure you are worth it :)
Your garden will be loverly…I just know it!
I have always wanted a rhododendrun. They are basically a bush, but omg the flowers!! I saw them in the Poconos (sp)and have wanted one since. Minnesota conditions being what they are – I asked the plant center. She said no, too cold here. They need sun/shade and are a perennial. Have I mentioned the flowers!! Holy moley they are gorgeous.
Good luck with the skippng and planting.
Hugs,
Marie
OK, while everyone else is offering you lots of flowery suggestions, I’m rolling on the floor laughing. How luck us strange bloggers: didn’t get to the project, but doggone it I got a picture and a great post out of it! The only thing I would have added to your schedule – me being, well, me – is a stop at Barnes and Noble to find a book to READ about your project.
Thanks for sharing your days with us!
Sorry…that was supposed to read how LIKE us strange bloggers. And now that I think of it, I’m wondering if it isn’t how like WE strange bloggers. Sigh.
We have a very shaded area right by our front door. I ordered a shade garden from Spring Hill Nurseries in 2006. This is the third year for it, and the plants are beautiful and require no maintenance. They even replaced a couple of plants that didn’t make it.
At the same time I planted the shade garden, I purchased 2 sets of 3-for-$5 hostas at Home Depot. They are now HUGE! I posted a picture of them recently on my photoblog.
I don’t know a dang thing about gardening. Soooo, you’re on your own. Wait, no your not, you have all those people above me to help you. See, the universe doesn’t revolve around me.
You might want to consider Brunnera and Spiderwort, especially beautiful in Spring and Toadlily for later in the year. http://www.stonethegardener.com/shade/toadlilly.html
Here is a complete shade garden
I have not even one bloomin’ (no pun intended) tip, but I LOVED your list and cannot WAIT to monitor your progress.
You also left out that you will need at least ONE Sonic diet Coke per day.
And I think you need to plant some Toadlilly just so you can say you did.
I have some gorgeous coral bells under the tree in my front yard. They’re nice – a maintenance-free perennial. I got mine at Lowe’s.
Lily of the valley. It’s not a colorful plant but I really do love the way it looks. My great grandmother had it in her yard. I also like vinca but be careful—it spreads fast.
I wish I could add value and help you with plant ideas, but I am definitely lacking in the green thumb department. I just had to tell you I like your blog!
Genny
http://www.mycup2yours.com
i absolutely love this blog. so refreshing.
i can’t wait to know how the day of digging goes – i am thinking to break ground i will need to get something with a motor. shovel work stinks!!!
and today is my b-day :)
I ain’t got nothin but some hosta!! Horticulture is not my area of expertise.
But, I so can’t wait to find out what you’ve done! :)
I am sure a million people have told you already, but I have had GREAT luck with elephant ears. I bought the cheap little ones at Wal Mart and they have been gorgeous the last 3 years. I also have good luck with impatiens and ferns (usually asparagus or macho)
Impatiens. They love shade and come in beautiful colours!
I gotta jump on the impatiens bandwagon. (Or as my Japanese mother calls them, “impatients”.) She is also a big fan of “hibiscuits”, but I believe they need some sunlight to thrive. Also, I believe with all my heart that every garden should have at least one thing in it that is INCREDIBLY TACKY. This just adds southern charm. Metal yard art in the shape of children or bronco riders fits the bill nicely, but there are oh, so many others! Good luck with your garden…I’m off to shop for some garden gnomes –preferably ones that hold a toadstool umbrella that doubles as a sprinkler head!
Hydrangeas. I have one that my mom bought me at the grocery store 3yrs ago for Mother’s Day. It’s now about 3ft wide and 2-3ft tall. I’m convinced it would be twice as big if I hadn’t been determined to make it a sun-loving plant and blistered it slap to death in the August sun in Texas. Twice. So, see? They are hardy and love shade. Be warned that they die back to sticks in the winter, so you’ll think you’ve killed it. But it should start putting out green buds around Easter. Hope that helps!
I love me some pentas in my shady yard spots. They are easy to care for, they bloom their guts out, they come in a variety of colors and they attract butterflies! In my part of Florida, they are perenniels. However, I’m willing to concede that perhaps they don’t survive farther-north winters. I mean, we barely have winters here, for crying out loud!
Here you go!! You can get $20 of free plants from Springhillnursery.com-just pay shipping! And they even have shade gardens already planned out!