Plant suggestions please

Hi,

I have a difficult (and rather neglected) area in my garden, with a sad looking Viburnum Tinus that I am looking to replace.




The reason I say it's difficult is that it is in part shade, close to the fence, in a rather congested area. Before the viburnum I had a clematis Montana there, which died. Before planting the viburnum 3 years ago, I replaced a lot of the soil. I haven't noticed drainage issues.

My first thought was to move a sorbaria there because they will grow almost anywhere. I don't think though that it would look great (not enough contrast in foliage).


One option I love is a corbus alba "Nightfall":



(The last 2 images were found online).

Do you think I would be wasting my time with the cornus alba? Are they quite tough?

Do you have any other suggestions? I would love something with a bit of height, as much as possible.

Thank you.

 

Of the two options @CostasK I think that the Sorbaria will give you a better contrast against the fence, the Cornus will disappear.

Do you like Fatsia japonica? That would give you a different leaf shape and contrast. You can be clever with pruning to create a multi stemmed plant and lift the crown so that it looks like a small tree.

Another option could be a Hydrangea paniculata. The variety Limelight has flowers that hold well as they are not too heavy, changing from lime green to white, pink and then brown, also attractive over winter.

 

Thank you @Plantminded I was thinking of foliage contrast, I didn't even think about the fence

I like fatsias. We already have 2. And that is a great idea about lifting the brown, thank you. I am not a big fan of hydrangeas.

I already have a sorbaria in a pot so I think I will move it to that spot to see how it looks and take it from there.

 

There's no time like the present... Even though it's nearly 10pm and it's raining.




I don't hate it, but I still think there's not enough contrast in relation to the foliage. A fatsia would indeed look great, but my partner really doesn't like the idea of a third fatsia. I am now considering the possibility of a climber such as Lonicera Japonica 'Halliana'.

 

How about something big, dark green and shiny, like an Aucuba (not the spotted type, I have a plain leaved one which looks great behind a clump of lavender) or a Camellia?

 

Thank you for the suggestions @Escarpment I am not a big fan of aucuba, though I definitely prefer the plain one over the spotted one. A camelia is a great idea, however there is already one growing happily in a pot right next to that area so I don't want to move it

 

If it's always quite shady- I have Ilex in that sort of aspect. The varigation on many of them is good. They don't need a lot of sun or light to thrive. There's a golden Sambucus/Elder [Sutherland's Gold?] which might work, but you may have to prune it to get more of a 'tree' shape. Likewise, the golden Cotinus. I don't like the colour of the flowers [both of those!] but that may not bother you so much.
Honeysuckle may struggle if there isn't enough consistent moisture available too.
However, a lot of the other early clematis would work. Not the montanas, but the alpinas etc. They don't need the amount of moisture that larger flowered clems. like, and they also don't need lots of nutrition.

I think it's worth clearing the area around it though, and adding some more sompost etc to the area. There is a lot of other planting, so anything you put there will have to cope with that too.

 

Thanks @fairygirl

Yes, there is some grass coming through from the neighbours' garden but also I need to be a bit better with weeding around that area. The plants around the area are a brunnera and a carex, and further out gaultheria mucronata and a hosta. I have no other spaces for them, so I will have to get something that has a bit of height but doesn't get too big overall.

I will of course amend the soil again and I am not against doing extra watering for the right plant. Regarding shade - it actually does get some sun, despite the fence and other plants in the area. I am more inclined to say that it's part shade rather than full shade.

I have the day off, so I will be looking around garden centres. Thanks everyone

 

I was tempted by this... But decided that it's probably too vigorous for that spot.

I also found that specific honeysuckle (lovely specimen as well) and I am considering getting it, even if it means regular watering

 

I planted a Lonicera Gold Flame in a shady border earlier in the year and am pleased with progress so far. It's competing with my neighbour's huge laurel hedge behind but I added lots of organic matter to the border beforehand.

 

Thank you @Plantminded, that was just the little nudge I needed

 

That looks like a healthy specimen @CostasK, enjoy your planting .

 

Looks good @CostasK . I'm sure it'll do well for you. Once established some of them do well - and that one is certainly a bit more adaptable than many. There's a house not far from me that has one at the base of a tree, and they keep it pruned back and more shrub like. It always seems very happy.
I took cuttings from the many h'suckles that grow in hedgerows etc round here. I could have sent you one!
They're still just small plants though - a fair bit to go to be the size of that one.

 

Thank you @fairygirl What a lovely thought.

I had done a bit of research beforehand and that honeysuckle ("Halliana") was reported to be one of the most shade tolerant varieties. The tag says that it can deal with "medium shade", which I think is pretty spot on for that part of the garden.

I planted it yesterday, after enriching the area with a lot of organic matter. The plant looks a bit battered at the moment - it was quite root bound so I had to release some of the roots, which was a bit of a rough process, then I separated out the stems and spread them as much as possible - at the moment they look much worse than when they were all together. I was thinking of waiting till it looks better before I share photos, but here they are.. (I still need to tidy up the area a bit more, and that fence needs a refresh..)

 

I found this information about Japanese honeysuckle and thought I would share:

"This plant is listed on Schedule 9 of the UK Wildlife & Countryside Act (Northern Ireland) as an invasive non-native species. Although not banned from sale, it is an offence to plant or cause these to grow in the wild IN NORTHERN IRELAND. Gardeners possessing them should undertake measures to control them. See RHS advice on invasive non-native species for further information".

While the above calls out Northern Ireland specifically, it appears that it's not a recommended plant in general. You can still manage it by making sure it doesn't grow to the point of damaging surrounding plants, and ideally removing berries. I am happy with doing that maintenance.