need help with plants for sunless patch by front door

[annrob]

Hello, I'm brand new to gardening so will need a lot of advice - meanwhile, pls forgive my floundering! We just moved from the city to Va farmland. Lots of heat, humidity, and hard red clay. The first thing I need to deal with is planting by my front door. The patch is on the north side of the house, set into a corner, and surrounded by white siding and flagstone. The patch is maybe 8 x 8 and thus far grows nothing but joint grass (which my husband is trying patiently to dig out). It gets no direct sun at all other than a narrow strips at front and 1 side which get a couple hours sun in late morning. There is a lot of reflected sun and heat.

I guess I need to start with an evergreen groundcover that looks good close-up? and then what? Deer are a terrible problem here (even close to the house - they ate all my daughter's ivy last winter) - and how do you amend clay that is hard enough to break a shovel?

Will anything grow in pots on the flagstone (no sun, just light and heat)?

Thank you for any help and encouragement you can give us. I'm trying not to get discouraged, tho maybe we should lay flagstone by the door too?

 

[vfem]

I would fill with leafy ferns and hostas. They love shade and some even have some small flowers, or multi colored leaves as not to be a bland spot. Put the ones that will grow tallest in the back and the shorter to the front. Maybe even find a ground cover, like irish moss to plant around any rocky area in the space to fill even more over time.

Add more rocks to the area for a visible rock garden for even more color! :rainbow-sun

Shade doesn't have to be boring! I grow some rhodadendras out near our shady wood area for spring blooms... but some of those bushes get huge, so careful.

Enjoy your new garden space.

ETA:

 

[bid]

Amending "clay hard enough to break a shovel". There's a subject a lot of us on here are familar with. Add and keep adding organic materials. Grass clippings, chopped up leaves, compost, etc. It can be a slow process, but it does work over time.

Iron plant is an evergreen that does well in shade, low maintenece and grows about 18 inches tall or a bit more. Ferns and hostas, as vfem suggested, and maybe even impatiens as an annual would provide you with a splash of color from the reflected light you mention. Good luck!

 

[annrob]

Thank you both! I love shade gardens. I've had shade everyplace I've ever lived, but never shade like this - so much heat and relected light, but such bad "soil" and no trees. I have a front garden in the city full of hosta, fern, and pachysandra - the coralbells etc all got crowded out but it's really pretty anyway and takes care of itself. I put flowers in pots. I agree that hosta would be perfect here too, but it's on every list of deer favorites. Maybe I shoud try it anyway?

I'd also thought of a couple of nice rocks and some moss, which I'm very fond of, but wasn't sure the conditions were right. We have a lovely statue/birdbath in the city which we plan to move to this spot. It's quite sizable so I'd discarded the idea of bushes - plus I don't want to block the kitchen window.

I've always wanted to learn to garden but find starting from scratch in new territory kind of overwheming. I know I'm supposed to learn by doing, but I'm already pretty old so likely running out of time!

PS - Thanks for the iron plant tip - maybe I could use it instead of hosta

 

[ducks4you]

Plant some Coleus

This is growing in total shade--reflected light only--on the north bed of my garage.

 

[obsessed]

I love coleus. There are so many colors and varieties. I really really want to grow some next year. But I do love hostas as well and I didn't see your zone but how about a nice hydreangea

 

[annrob]

I'm in Virginia - zone 6 b. The problem with all these pretty plants is the deer - I don't know about coleus, but hosta and hydrangea are risky. All the new subdivisions have destroyed their habitat and the animals are starving. They come right up to the house at night and eat most anything they can find. They do have irresistable favorites tho - I'm told they love hosta. I think maybe I'll just plant some anyway and see what happens.

 

[digitS']

The chickens like hostas so much, it makes me wonder what hosta tastes like .

I have a location in the yard almost like that but the sun does find it in the early morning.

Something I've thought about is getting another Radio Flyer wagon . . . I could put potted petunias in both and daily rotate them from the sunny side of the house to the shady side.

If I didn't make so much use of the Radio Flyer I've already got . . . Maybe I need 3 !!

Steve

Welcome to TEG !