Can any of you expert gardeners out there help me? (If there are any). I'm looking for a shade loving plant to go in a pot at my other half's front door. The area gets very little direct sunlight, in the past the plants I've had there haven't tended to last long. I've had a wander through some garden centres but all of the plants seem to need either full sun or only partly shaded areas, whereas I need something wanting almost full shade. Any help or advice gratefully received!
Gardening Advice Needed
- Thread starter Triptych
- Start date
I'm assuming you want an evergreen shrub for this position. The usual plant for these conditions is Fatsia Japonica, which has very large leaves and is therefore a top foliage plant. Aucuba Japonica is another. Camellias, grown in acid compost, will also be perfect, although their season is just finishing. If you do get a Camellia, get 'St Ewe', it flowers longer than most others - Dec-April.
Don't be put off by sun loving plants, as what they hate is shade caused by trees and other shrubs. Shade caused by buildings, like the north side of a house, is not such a problem if they've got full light. I've grown sun loving Cordyline Australis in a pot on the north side of my house for several years, only gets a bit of sun very late in the day, and none in winter - it thrives.
If you want some summer bedding to brighten it up for this year Busy Lizzies/Fuchsia's never fail and will enjoy the shade - keep moist.
Don't be put off by sun loving plants, as what they hate is shade caused by trees and other shrubs. Shade caused by buildings, like the north side of a house, is not such a problem if they've got full light. I've grown sun loving Cordyline Australis in a pot on the north side of my house for several years, only gets a bit of sun very late in the day, and none in winter - it thrives.
If you want some summer bedding to brighten it up for this year Busy Lizzies/Fuchsia's never fail and will enjoy the shade - keep moist.
BrianH
At the Start
I've sent a message to bernardo who is out today. He's a bit of a gardener and at Cheltenham last year he helped out another friend who had some trees in his garden beneath which he couldn't grow anything and he was asking what he could buy to give a little colour under them. One mate suggested a yellow chair!
bernardo came to the rescue and his answer was just what was wanted. I haven't got the faintest idea what he recommended but I know that it looks good, so I've asked him to respond to this thread.
bernardo came to the rescue and his answer was just what was wanted. I haven't got the faintest idea what he recommended but I know that it looks good, so I've asked him to respond to this thread.
I suppose I am Jules!
Triptych,
To narrow things down a little you really need to give a bit more information.
What sort of size pot are you after? How big do you want the plant to get? Fatsias, Aucubas, Camellias etc will all eventually grow to some size. Do you want some colour with flowers or are you looking for more of an evergreen, structural plant? What planting, if any is nearby?
I'm just off to cook my steak but I'll be back with some suggestions if you can answer some of the above.
Triptych,
To narrow things down a little you really need to give a bit more information.
What sort of size pot are you after? How big do you want the plant to get? Fatsias, Aucubas, Camellias etc will all eventually grow to some size. Do you want some colour with flowers or are you looking for more of an evergreen, structural plant? What planting, if any is nearby?
I'm just off to cook my steak but I'll be back with some suggestions if you can answer some of the above.
Thanks for the help so far.
MarkEE, the answers to your questions.......
The pot is probably about 14 inches in diameter and about 18 inches deep. I'm not too bothered what size it will grow to, ideally though I'd like a bit of colour if possible. There is nothing else planted nearby.
Hope you enjoyed your steak.
MarkEE, the answers to your questions.......
The pot is probably about 14 inches in diameter and about 18 inches deep. I'm not too bothered what size it will grow to, ideally though I'd like a bit of colour if possible. There is nothing else planted nearby.
Hope you enjoyed your steak.
A
Ardross
Guest
I suggest osteospermum whirligig !
Sorry for the delay in replying.
That is not a bad sized pot and as it will be isloated from other planting you definitely want to go for something architectural as suggested earlier.
Fatsia japonica has been mentioned - easy to look after, has interesting (rather than beautiful) inflorescences of creamy white 'flowers' to compliment the green leaves when larger.
Aucuba Japonica also mentioned has spotted leaves and red berries.
Something with strappy leaves like a Phormium tenax or P. cookianum - these have very large flower spikes and should be happy for a quite a few years in a pot. There are plenty of cultivars about now that have different coloured variegation to the leaves.
Another 'strappy' choice would be astelia chathamica which will also thrive for some years in a pot and even take a modicum of neglect. If you can eventually get it to flower you will witness the most unusual orange berries. The underside of the leaves is a dramatic silver but this fades if out of the sun.
Some Yuccas won't mind the shade of a north wall and have impressive flower spikes. Yucca gloriosa variegata is a good choice for colour in the leaves although the plain green form will cope better woth the lower light levels. Love being in pots. Very spiky though.
Palms - A Chamaerops humilis or Trachycarpus fortunei will cope fine in shade and are as tough as old boots, the latter taking down to -18degrees C. The will both eventually flower producing yellow a inflorescense. Trachycarpus fortunei does not like winds and will look tatty if exposed. Trachycarpus wagnerianus has much stiffer leaves and will cope well with wind.
Mahonias are good choices - spiky customers and eventually growing quite tall but nice sprays of yellow flowers.
Something formal like a clipped box specimen (Buxus sempervirens) or a standard bay tree (Laurelus nobilis) will look great in an ornate pot but won't give you much colour other than green.
Some of the smaller bamboos will cope well with pots for years and give some height if that is required. Don;t let them dry out. A Fargesia species would be your best bet (avoid Fargesia nitida as this has been on flower for some years). I have three recent 5' divisions of Fargesia murielae 'simba' going cheap
here but I'm not sure where you are in the UK.
All of the above are evergreen for year round impact but you could go for something deciduous or herbaceous if you 're not bothered about winter. An ideal candidate would be Zantedeschia aethiopica, the arum lily.
I suggest you google the names for images and see what takes your fancy. The list is endless and we've only scratched the surface here.
Osteospermum Whirligig likes full sun
Please ask if you require further suggestions or advice.
Cheers
MarkEE
My Garden
That is not a bad sized pot and as it will be isloated from other planting you definitely want to go for something architectural as suggested earlier.
Fatsia japonica has been mentioned - easy to look after, has interesting (rather than beautiful) inflorescences of creamy white 'flowers' to compliment the green leaves when larger.
Aucuba Japonica also mentioned has spotted leaves and red berries.
Something with strappy leaves like a Phormium tenax or P. cookianum - these have very large flower spikes and should be happy for a quite a few years in a pot. There are plenty of cultivars about now that have different coloured variegation to the leaves.
Another 'strappy' choice would be astelia chathamica which will also thrive for some years in a pot and even take a modicum of neglect. If you can eventually get it to flower you will witness the most unusual orange berries. The underside of the leaves is a dramatic silver but this fades if out of the sun.
Some Yuccas won't mind the shade of a north wall and have impressive flower spikes. Yucca gloriosa variegata is a good choice for colour in the leaves although the plain green form will cope better woth the lower light levels. Love being in pots. Very spiky though.
Palms - A Chamaerops humilis or Trachycarpus fortunei will cope fine in shade and are as tough as old boots, the latter taking down to -18degrees C. The will both eventually flower producing yellow a inflorescense. Trachycarpus fortunei does not like winds and will look tatty if exposed. Trachycarpus wagnerianus has much stiffer leaves and will cope well with wind.
Mahonias are good choices - spiky customers and eventually growing quite tall but nice sprays of yellow flowers.
Something formal like a clipped box specimen (Buxus sempervirens) or a standard bay tree (Laurelus nobilis) will look great in an ornate pot but won't give you much colour other than green.
Some of the smaller bamboos will cope well with pots for years and give some height if that is required. Don;t let them dry out. A Fargesia species would be your best bet (avoid Fargesia nitida as this has been on flower for some years). I have three recent 5' divisions of Fargesia murielae 'simba' going cheap
here but I'm not sure where you are in the UK.All of the above are evergreen for year round impact but you could go for something deciduous or herbaceous if you 're not bothered about winter. An ideal candidate would be Zantedeschia aethiopica, the arum lily.
I suggest you google the names for images and see what takes your fancy. The list is endless and we've only scratched the surface here.
Osteospermum Whirligig likes full sun
Please ask if you require further suggestions or advice.
Cheers
MarkEE
My Garden
BrianH
At the Start
Mark, have you got celebrities trying to get out of there?
K
Kathy
Guest
I am sure there is a giraffe in there as well if you look close enough. :blink:
Lovely garden Mark, I am sure it takes hours to tend, but the results are amazing!
Lovely garden Mark, I am sure it takes hours to tend, but the results are amazing!
Thank you very very much MarkEE. I will go plant shopping at the weekend, so be prepared for me asking in a couple of weeks how to bring the plant back to life. (I don't have a good record with plants although I have managed to keep a gardenia alive for nearly 4 weeks now).
By the way your garden looks absolutely fantastic.
By the way your garden looks absolutely fantastic.