In the interior courtyard here there is a garden element I refer to as "the burial mound." Before we remodeled the house in 1988 it was covered with some sort of ice plant that looked horrid in the winter but pretty in the summer, plus a couple of Hawthorne bushes and some other shrub. then we took out all the lawn, put up a fence, tiled the front area and made it much more livable. But the burial mound was a problem. It has always been difficult to get anything to grow; hard soil, insufficient watering, boiling hot in the summer. But a few years ago I planted a Japanese maple and two birch trees that have grown to give lovely dappled shade to the mound. Then the problem was too much shade and no water, except what I would remember to sprinkle around. Now Rafa has provided a new watering system. Nothing will do but that I must rush out and buy shade-loving plants and try to make that spot in the garden look cared for and inviting. It was off to Loew's where I always find the best plants, even better than one of our local indie nurseries.
I came home with quite a nice selection of perennial shade lovers and a flat of impatiens. I could almost see them shy away from me as I strolled through the flowers; I've killed many impatiens in my day. I bought hostas, New Zealand tree ferns, Aucubas, and two Japanese Aralias ~ 10 plants in all. I'll plant the flowers in and around the other plants for a break from so much green. Let's see what makes it through the valley heat this summer.
I have two other shady spots up against the house that desperately need planting but again, the soil here is so bad even weeds don't grow. Enrichment, I know. That's next and then I'll try the New Zealand fern; it's very pretty, graceful and hardy. I really need hardy. I'll keep you posted on the survival of this effort. Next will be the planters in the back. The weather has been so cool and mild but it won't last for long, so things have to get in and established pronto.
In the interior courtyard here there is a garden element I refer to as "the burial mound." Before we remodeled the house in 1988 it was covered with some sort of ice plant that looked horrid in the winter but pretty in the summer, plus a couple of Hawthorne bushes and some other shrub. then we took out all the lawn, put up a fence, tiled the front area and made it much more livable. But the burial mound was a problem. It has always been difficult to get anything to grow; hard soil, insufficient watering, boiling hot in the summer. But a few years ago I planted a Japanese maple and two birch trees that have grown to give lovely dappled shade to the mound. Then the problem was too much shade and no water, except what I would remember to sprinkle around. Now Rafa has provided a new watering system. Nothing will do but that I must rush out and buy shade-loving plants and try to make that spot in the garden look cared for and inviting. It was off to Loew's where I always find the best plants, even better than one of our local indie nurseries.
I came home with quite a nice selection of perennial shade lovers and a flat of impatiens. I could almost see them shy away from me as I strolled through the flowers; I've killed many impatiens in my day. I bought hostas, New Zealand tree ferns, Aucubas, and two Japanese Aralias ~ 10 plants in all. I'll plant the flowers in and around the other plants for a break from so much green. Let's see what makes it through the valley heat this summer.
I have two other shady spots up against the house that desperately need planting but again, the soil here is so bad even weeds don't grow. Enrichment, I know. That's next and then I'll try the New Zealand fern; it's very pretty, graceful and hardy. I really need hardy. I'll keep you posted on the survival of this effort. Next will be the planters in the back. The weather has been so cool and mild but it won't last for long, so things have to get in and established pronto.
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