Part shade small front Garden!

Our front garden is about 7m x 3.5m and faces west. By midday, the sun has come around our row of houses and it begins to get light. The area in front of the bay window can then be in the sun for the remainder of the day.

Under the hedge is in the shade at all times and the border infront of the railings gets part sun briefly at midday and then when the sun filters through the railings.

Can anyone recommend plants for these borders? My asters, dahlias and sea hollies have barely grown at all even though we’ve had blistering heat for weeks.

 

Do you think the plants beside the railing will eventually grow? I could buy established plants for there but would be a bit of money.

I think some of them are echinacea too and they need full sun

 

I see some pretty vines growing up and on that fence. like an hydranga vine.

 

Kriss, echinaceas are usually a bit later in growing. They will grow I'm sure.

Under your bay window I would plant lavendar....make a curving hedge of it. I have a couple of lavendar hedges here about to flower....they are the most wonderful reflection of summer.

In the shade I would plant ferns.....a japanese painted fern for its nice blue foliage.....brunneras and a couple of yellow sedges or Bowles Golden Grass

Dahlias need some space and moisture ....can you move them?

I would also make your borders a little deeper.....plants will grow far better and look better if given more space.

Nice little front garden though Kriss

 

Yup I instantly regretted the border depths after planting the buxus. I’ve m had to stake the things behind it and I’m going to have to move things out of there as they mature next year.

I kinda saw it as a cool place to grow new things then move them on to the back garden once they become too big.

I like the jewel type plants as they rise above the hedge.

 

Here’s a dahlia I have... it’s wider than it is tall though!!! Can I trim the lateral growth shorter or would that look silly?

There are three or four flower buds. Should I prick them out and continue to encourage it to bush out for a better yield of flowers?

 

Hello Kriss...if it was me flower buds would be left alone and let it flourish nicely on it's own as it will thicken out while flowering anyway

 

Hiya Kriss
No, let it grow naturally now. Feed once a week with high potash food like liquid tomato fertiliser. Dead head flowers as they fade and keep an eye out for slugs and snails....often the slugs are under the pots.
Actually all looking good now I think

 

If you see a really nice, healthy garden is it fair to say that they have a good feed regime? Ie. Watering alone just does not cut it?

 

I need to learn when to water. It’s barely rained up near Edinburgh where I live and I feel like it’s been hot for 3 weeks now! But I’ve halted my late evening drench as I think I’ve damaged my jasmine climbers.

 

Kriss, it's all down to taking care of the plants people use different treatments besides sprays...how it's hot your end like it is here..water ever 2 days but when the sun as gone in, doing it when the suns out and that includes grass burns the leaves besides grass and if some plants need trimming it's spring / autumn as it helps them regenerate.

If you have plants in pots and according to their growth rate the rooting of the plant can out grow it, as it's happened here many a time so they've gone in to the garden...using the right compost to suite your plant helps when being put in to the ground and adding food besides gives it a boost.

 

I learnt my lesson on watering when the sun was out.... on an acer... you only make that mistake once!

 

Acer plants are stunning I bet you went mad ...I have neighbours who cut their lawns in mid day when the heats at it's hottest and I think

 

@kriss we had a lovely back lawn which my staffie rouined by scrapping so that had larger gravel put on top besides being double lined, we had a lovely front lawn but we decided to pea gravel that..the actually lawn it self was double lined and 5 tone of gravel went on top...you get the odd weed that forces through but my god it's cut the hard work out and especially if your health's not the best it can be...so now mainly maintenance of plants and cleaning and treating outside