Hello buddies. Long time no see! I unintentionally took a little break last week. There was lots going on around here, I was madly spring cleaning and didn’t have anytime for the internets. I’m feeling refreshed and ready to be back typing away this week though.
I wanted to continue to share what I’ve got growing in my flower beds, last time I went through in detail what grows in my sunny border garden. Today I’m talking about the partially sun/shade perimeter garden. This garden is shaded by our neighbors elm tree for much of the day, receiving the most sunlight in the mornings and late afternoon. It’s been a work in progress, but we’re getting there!
The “bump out” (aka the curvy part of the garden) has gone through the most changes since being planted about 8 seasons ago. For a long time I just stuck plants in this spot and used it as an incubator so to speak. After a season or two, the plants would usually find a new home somewhere else in the garden. Originally the bleeding heart was the centerpiece of this garden, until I tried to split the bleeding heart moving half of it over to the sun garden. The bleeding heart then shriveled up and died while the other part of it lived on and remains happy in the sunnier garden.
Since the bleeding heart was all dead and stuff, I bought a small hydrangea bush to put in the center of the garden. It worked well there for a little while until I needed to have a Japanese Maple in the yard and this “bump out” seemed like the perfect way to highlight such a pretty tree. The hydrangea moved off to the side, and the maple was now the star of the show. The bummer is, the Maple had fought a battle with some sort of fungus and is half dead. I’m hoping that after the winter freeze the fungus might be destroyed and the tree can make it through this coming summer. If it turns out to be a lost cause, I think I’d try and replace it with a pagoda dogwood. I think I’ve officially dug up this garden and rearranged it about 5 times and I don’t doubt there could be more times in the future.
Anyways, here’s what’s successfully living there now:
BLOOM TIME
Dramatic Leaf Color, Bronze, Chartreuse, Pink and Red.
SIZE:
14 inches tall, 24 wide.
SUN:
Partial to Full Sun.
BLOOM TIME
Dramatic Deep Red Foliage Color.
SIZE:
Reaches 15 Feet Tall and Wide.
SUN:
Full to Partial Sun.
BLOOM TIME
Pink flowers with Yellow Centers – always blooming.
SIZE:
3-5 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide.
SUN:
Full sun.
BLOOM TIME
Starts out with green foliage and become hot pink as summer goes on – blooms in late summer.
SIZE:
4″ tall and 2′ wide – perfect for borders.
SUN:
Full sun to partial shade.
BLOOM TIME
Feathery Foliage
SIZE:
18 inches tall, 24 inches wide.
SUN:
Full to partial shade.
BLOOM TIME
White delicate flowers that bloom all Summer.
SIZE:
30″ tall spreading to 36″ wide clumps.
SUN:
Partial to full sun.
BLOOM TIME
Lime green leaves and large white blooms during summer.
SIZE:
18-24 inches tall, 24-36″ wide.
SUN:
Full sun to partial shade.
BLOOM TIME
Compact Hydrangea blooms early to late summer.
SIZE:
3-4 feet tall and wide.
SUN:
Partial to Full Sun.
BLOOM TIME
Large textured Blue-green leaves.
SIZE:
36 inches tall and wide.
SUN:
Light sun to partial shade.
your flower beds are always so gorgeous man. i keep waiting for that thing in me to click where i’ll actually enjoy yard work enough to see a payoff like this. i really WANT to care about landscaping….. but i really don’t.
Thanks, Jana! I get that yard work is not fun at all for some – you shouldn’t force it. For me it’s kind of like meditation, I like being outside and enjoy the process of always trying to make it a little bit better. Hostas are such a sturdy plant and don’t require much. They even do a pretty good job of blocking out weeds once they get full grown – might be something to consider.
I love this! We have a shady area that I’ve wanted to fill with plants but had no idea what to do. I’m going to copy you, just as I did with your awesome garage door! Thanks for sharing:-)
Hey Julie! Hope you are doing well! We are so excited to see your girl in only 5 days! We’re taking the fam out to NYC for a visit and the boys are super excited.
Do try this in your garden – if we get a chance to catch up this summer I’d be happy to split some of the perennials for you.
Ohhhh! So excited for you guys! Have a super fun time… eat and drink too much.
I’m really enjoying your garden stories, thank you for sharing the details of your beds!!
Btw. Thanks so much for offering to split your perennials. So sweet and generous!
Ohhh! I might just have to copy all of this. As a midwesterner myself (Milwaukee), I love being outside as much as I can in the nice months. Some of my tree’s didn’t make it through last winter but I’ve been looking for ideas for my small front yard and these seem perfect!