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Ideas for area near water butt?

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Hi, does anyone have any good ideas what I could do in the pebbled area and to some extent the paving slab in front of the water butt?

This area is mostly shady. In June it gets a few hours sunlight till about 9 -10 am then full shade apart from  at the height of the hanging basket which catches sun from about 5 -7 pm. I had wondered if there was any climbing plants that need hardly any sun or had thought about a chiminea. The area is a bit bigger than what it appears in this photo.

Ta

Dave

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    Hi Dave image

    I'd worry about a chiminea being there - it might melt the water butt!!!

    What about a Fatsia in a big pot - it would love it there and would disguise the water butt a bit image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • 4thPanda4thPanda Posts: 4,145

    There are some clematis that don't mind shade. Also, someone suggested climbing hydrangea to me once for a shaded wall. Just a thought image

  • Don't put a climbing hydrangea in. I have one in the position you are showing that after several years I will be digging out it swallows up all your other plants makes a mess of both your fence & the brickwork on the house from the suckers damaging the wood & wall it would swallow up your water butt & doesn't look great.

    Alpine plants would be excellent they love gravel surfaces, spread loads & will grow in that level of shade easily ignore labels saying sunny only. These are the names of some of the most beautiful alpines I have growing in the same conditions that are flowering now: Armeria maritime splendens (they have pink pompoms of flowers), Mimulus highland orange (orange trumpet shaped flowers), cotula hispida (yellow pompom flowers), Saxifrage arendsii highlander pink (pink mini daisy type flowers on extended stems). Delosperma is not currently in flower but its succulent foliage looks beautiful even out of flower nubigenum variety has yellow daisy type flowers without stems & beaufort west variety has pink flowers.

    If you want another climber you could try a passiflora or climbing fuschia or sweet pea or some peas & beans in a pot as it looks too rocky to put these in the border there. You can buy pots that look like a chair it has a wooden planter at the bottom with trellis attached to the back of the pot that would fit against the fence. 

    You could try some trailing varieties of plants in the hanging basket to fill out the space with more colour eg. trailing petunias, trailing begonias, trailing fuschia or tumblinas. You can get hanging baskets where the plants come out of the bottom or even grow tomatoes upside down from certain upside down hanging planters, strawberries would drape nicely over the side of the basket you have.

    Patio could have herb pots, in that shade: camomile would be good & it has daisies too or for a great aroma & lemon colour some lemon thyme or lavender would bush up nicely & attract bees to beautiful flowers or some chives & parsley. Nice big pot of colourful swiss chard or lettuce at this time of year or dwarf column fruit trees (grow to about 150cm in a straight line).

    Alternatively there are some great small water features that would look great day & night on the patio because some come with lights. Sound of running water is great. There are also walls of water & lights. Take a look at this link I found for some suggestions: http://www.primrose.co.uk/water-features-c-1.html?source=googleads&gclid=CMaCwbKR774CFVIPtAod4UUABQ

    Please post a new photo when your new design takes shape.

  • David 25David 25 Posts: 82

    Hi all,

    thanks so much for all the responses. I was in B&M on Monday night and they had got some small honeysuckle lonceria for £1.99. The internet said they can do well in shade so as I already had a spare trellis I thought i'd give it a go.

    I dug a whole easily as big as 6 times the size of the pot. Filled it with some tea leaves at the bottom then piled in the compost.

    Ill take some pictures next year to show you how it gets on.

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