Morning solar and afternoon shade like that discovered on the east aspect of a constructing is ideal for rhododendrons, camellias and different blooming shade shrubs.
The Olympian
This can be a good week for scheming and dreaming about your backyard. Spring concepts, indoors and outdoor, will quickly be rising on the Tacoma House and Backyard Present, which runs Jan. 26-29 on the Tacoma Dome.
I can be talking Jan. 28-29 about “Gardening on the Darkish Facet” and “Artistic Container Gardening.” Listed below are a couple of take dwelling concepts from my upcoming backyard seminars on the Tacoma House and Backyard Present:
Suggestions for gardens within the shade
Understand how a lot shade you’ve and when you’ve it. Morning solar and afternoon shade like that discovered on the east aspect of a constructing is ideal for rhododendrons, camellias and different blooming shade shrubs.
For deep shade, like on the north aspect of a constructing or beneath giant timber, use shrubs with giant leaves akin to Fastia japonica and Acuba.
Shade-loving groundcovers like ajuga and vinca may help management weeds and erosion if in case you have the area. Groundcovers can gobble up actual property.
Vegetation rising within the shade want much less fertilizer as they’ve a slower progress price due to the dearth of sunshine.
Many shade-tolerant crops come from woodlands and forest. Which means they like soil that’s wealthy in natural matter created from falling forest particles. Add leaf mould or compost and mulch with bark chips to make them blissful.
One of the best bloomers for a shaded flower backyard: impatiens, begonia, lobelia and coleus.
Suggestions for artistic container gardening
You don’t want to put the tallest plant in the midst of the container. If a planted pot is considered from only one angle, place the tallest crops within the again and have the trailers within the entrance.
Combine perennials akin to hellebores with winter pansies and primroses. This creates a much-appreciated dose of winter colour on porch and patio.
Something with drainage holes can be utilized to carry crops. An previous wheelbarrow may be crammed with herbs that may be wheeled round to catch the solar or moved closed to the patio for simple harvest when cooking outdoor. Steel software containers, picket crates — there are many concepts for recycling containers.
You possibly can spray paint weather-worn pots — even when they’re plastic or light-weight foam.
Damaged clay pots may be recycled into staking towers and crammed with sedums and succulents.
See Marianne on the Tacoma House & Backyard Present
Gardening professional Marianne Binetti will communicate on the Tacoma House and Backyard Present on the Tacoma Dome on Saturday, Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 29. Ticket reductions and extra info can be found on the web site.
3 p.m. Saturday — Shade Gardening: Marianne will present tips about slug management, watering, shade-loving perennials, native crops and extra.
1 p.m. Sunday — Artistic Container Gardens: See some nice examples of surprising containers and different ideas and tips that commemorate dirt-cheap gardening and artistic container gardens.
Marianne Binetti has a level in horticulture from Washington State College and is the writer of 10 gardening books. Attain her at binettigarden.com.