Something for a dark corner please?

I'm rubbish at suggesting what will grow where, so I'm asking for some help.

My daughter and son-in-law have just bought their first house, the garden itself is fine but right outside the back door is a paved patio area which goes the width of the (small, terraced) house and extends outwards by about 10'.

The problem is the 'L' shaped corner, created by the back of the house and the boundary fence - which they own. It's a dark corner which gets little or no direct sunlight, although it is quite sheltered. What they would like is something to grow in front of the fence just to break up the monotony of 2 x 6' panels. There are a couple of drawbacks, whatever they grow will have to be in a trough, planter or container(s) since they have no wish to start ripping up a perfectly good patio and secondly, they'd prefer not to have anything which will actually cling onto the fence (ivy, virginia creeper, that sort of thing). They're not bothered about whether or not it flowers, but don't really want anything which is going - as my daughter put it - '.. to go rampant on us!'

My only pathetic suggestion is a cotoneaster (but not sure how it would like growing in a container).

I'd be really grateful for any suggestions.

 

Hello Fidgetsmum

I know just the kind of space you're describing. We had a similar one when we bought our house; dreary fence panels, enlivened (if that is the word) by an ailing honeysuckle which never quite died but couldn't be described as thriving, either. The problem with areas like this is that they're overshadowed by buildings and are therefore in permanent gloom. They also have poor air circulation and tend to be rather dank as a result. Moss grows very well in them, I find, but practically everything else struggles. I can see why you daughter doesn't want ivy. Quite apart from other considerations, it isn't exactly an exciting choice. However, it is one of the few things which will be happy in a container in total shade. (Other plants might just cling to life for a while, but being confronted by an invalid every day can make you feel rather depressed.) Instead of growing it on the fence, she could try a great suggestion made by another forum member (sorry - can't remember who) last time a query like this came up. Try buying one of those chickenwire shapes which allow you to create a sort of false topiary effect. Ivy grows fast, so your daughter wouldn't have to wait very long to get a result. And it would be easy to keep it in check with a few snips now and then. One of the smaller leaved, variegated types would be less of a bore than the graveyard sort and would help to lighten the area.

Personally, I gave up and constructed a conservatory instead.

 

I would go for woodland plants such as Azalaea, Rhododendron, Camellia or Hydrangea.

 

We have a similar gloomy patio spot on the north side of a fence.
A few more suggestions for plants which will be happy there and look good, based on my own experience.
1. Fatsia japonica
2. Pieris 'Forest Flame'
3. Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern)
All of these will be happy in a large pot or container, the larger the better really.
The first two also have the added advantage of being evergreen, whilst the fern will die back in the winter, but this is compensated for by the beautiful feathery pale green foliage which appears every spring

 

I have a large wooden trough which I bought from a major diy store a few years ago and attached (screwed) some trellis on to the back of it. Any of the smaller climbers should be okay, just check that they don't mind shade. I have Lathyrus (perrenial sweetpea) growing in mine, which grows to about six feet. At the base of that this year I am growing lettuce for a change.

 

Unfortunately my experience is that the kind of permanent, urban gloom you get in narrow passageways between tightly-packed buildings is very different from woodland shade. Nothing really likes it that much. At least, nothing you'd deliberately wish to cultivate.

 

You could try a Periwinkle.
The variagated leaves are pirennial, The runners can root at will and can be controlled with a rough "haircut".
The blue flowers in the early summer are a bonus.

(The early summer comment relates to "Up North". In the sunny South, they may come out in the Spring.)

I agree with the suggestion of Rhododendron and Azalea. The Evergreen variety are good value and - particularly this year - the colours of the flowers have been vibrant.

 

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. I like the idea of 'chicken wire shapes' - literally (before they moved they had ideas of keeping chickens, until they realised there's a lot more to it than just buying them and waiting for the eggs), so a couple of 'ivy' ones would be a great fun compromise!

I think they'd also be tempted by the azalea, rhododendron suggestions, something I never think of (no room, wrong type of soil), but a decent sized container with ericaceous compost would be a great idea - son-in-law has already made a 5' x 2' planter with trellis, up which sweet peas are growing, so the construction of suitable container/s would be no problem.

I'm really grateful, thank you.

 

Fatshedera lizei would do well in a container in the shade. It's a hybrid of Fatsia japonica and hedera (ivy) and makes a bold architectural statement.

The pictures show it newly planted in a tiny, shady Moroccan themed courtyard I designed in London last year. Beyond it is a Canary Date Palm, Phoenix canariensis, which, although it prefers sun, should do okay as the courtyard is warm.

Chris