Newbie to site and gardening....HELP

hi,
I am new to gardening and I was looking for some advice on what plants you think would be suitable for my garden, I have a dark corner in my garden - Due to the position of my house it does not get any sun at all, The soil is clay based and generally 'sticky' (worse in the winter) so for the time being it has membrane and bark covering it - I was looking either to plant evergreens directly into the soil or in a planter placed in the ground (thought soil quailty may be better)

Many thanks
sarah

 

Hi Sarah welcome to the forum.

For a shady spot woodland type plants do well as they don't need the sun as much as other plants do.

Take a look at nature and you will see what plants thrive best.

As for clay soil don't worry too much about it as it's one of the best soils to have just add some compost to it and dig it over a few times and you will have the ideal soil for almost any plant and I should know as my own garden soil was very heavy in the clay department.

Below is a link for shade loving plants maybe there will be a few there that takes your fancy. Hel.xxx.

shade loving plants

 

Thanks for that Hel.

I did manage to get a couple of Christmas Roses and some ground cover bulbs this afternoon, But wasnt able to do anything in the garden today.

It was frosty this morning and stayed frosty in the garden all day as the sun doesn't even get far enough over this time of year.

Thanks for your advice

Sarah
x

 

Try a fernery Sarah here's part of mine

 

That's really good Walnut all that greenery and so crowded too just how it should be and I do so like that cheeky Elf.

Your passion flower at the back looks happy where it is too you must have had plenty of flowers on it, did it fruit well in the summer or did the rain and wind knock them off? Hel.xxx.

 

Thanks walnut,

looks great! Ferns had never crossed my mind I suppose it would be an ideal spot for them.

cheers

sarah
x

 

Lots of fruits on the passion flower Helen it's grown in to next door as well she loves it,have you tasted passion flower fruits they are edible and very sweet.

 

Is this type of passion flower fruit edible? I have one but didn't think it was the right type?

 

Ive never tried eating one walnut, i heard they were pretty awfull...

 

Hello Sarah and welcome to GC.

Walnut, I've always understood the fruit from P caerulea is rather bitter. Or is yours P edulis. the one sold for eating purposes? I have never had any fruit on my P caerulea and not even so much as a flower on my P edulis.

 

Walnut like the others I never knew you could eat passion flower fruits that grow from the garden variety. Are they all edible or are there just one or two that can be eaten?Hel.xxx.

 

The word I heard as well Dee is 'edible but awful'. Oh that's 3 words. Apparently not a lot like passion fruit from Tesco. :D

 

Just to clarify all passion fruits are toxic when unripe P. tripartita var. mollissima and other Tacsonia taste good but deteriorate quickly after harvest,P.edulis is the edible one commonly sold, the one I have is P. caerulea a hardy little number its fruits are orange when ripe, it has a slight blackberry flavour,if in doubt about your variety don't try.It's a bit like the mushroom dilemma good when you find the right one can be fatal if you don't.