A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Suggestions

Okay, I have a trellis in the corner of my yard......it gets some morning sun, and then it's all afternoon and evening shade.....I had planted a clematis there not realizing that it wasn't really a great location there for it and it didn't seem to do very well, even with miracle grow....so my question is this....do you have any suggestions of what I could grow up the trellis that would grow okay in these sun conditions....It seems so hard to find anything that likes mostly shade....

My neighbors big crappy run down garage is right behind the fence so it blocks out all the sun....wish they'd pull it down.....it looks crappy right behind our house....Anyway....can't do anything about that.....

And I just got into planting some bulbs to flower this spring.....some crocuses and hyacinths...but what others are pretty that bloom in the summer of fall??????? I really have no clue when it comes to bulbs.....

Give me some good ideas everyone, I'm planning everything out now and I can't wait....Thanks!

Clematis Nelly Moser loves a shaded position as full sun tends to scorch the flowers, a few other suggestions are

Berberidopsis
Jasminum nudiflorum
Clematis Etoile violette
Akebia Quinata
Tropaeolum speciosum

Have fun looking them up.

Loz,
I don't have your picture in my computer right now to go back and look again at it, but,
you said it's in the shadow of the garage......
Is it right against your fence/fenceline?????

Would there be sun forward? Could you pull it out, and make it like a secret room, where you would go into it, and a seat into it inside??(that's the part in the shade of the gargage..
(Times like this, I miss a pencil)

Weezie

Loz, i don't know how carolina jessamine will overwinter, but it is definitly a shade lover. i'll send you some and you can try it. i gotta get about 6 of them out in the next 2 weeks, so i'll just add you to the list! the good news it that mine hasn't even lost their leaves yet

Thanks for the help, my clematis just didn't do well there.....

Weezie, I am not sure what you mean by a secret room....lol You lost me on that one...

Thanks Jiffy!!!! I looked the plant up and it said hardy through zones 6-9....so fingers crossed it would be okay....That's so nice of you!

Have you ever heard of the clematis, virgin`s bower?

It blooms in the fall with a wonderful jasmine like scent. In the books it says sun to partial shade. I have seen it bloom under fairly dense shade under a hawthorns, in the woods, etc.

virgin`s bower

I forgat to add mine is in my secret garden. Every garden should have a scret garden! I love that idea! virgin`s bower

Thought I would try that link again.

aarrgghh! virgin`s bower

Loz,
I basically remember the layout of your yard,
per the pictures you sent??? Sort of!!!

You have a fence around your property and
the neighbor's garage is (Per the picture)
right hand upper corner when in the back, looking at the back of your house...

If the arbor was against the fence........
Can it pulled into some sunshine/away from garage, and pulled forward, or another such type
one put in fron of it, (in sun) to be able to replant plant into sun/away from garage shadow, and then given a tunnel or room or hallway effect, with a statue at the end or a big tree, or birdbath, etc... something to see from standing in front, looking into the arbor????

If that don't work, I"ll have to get the pencil out!!!

Weezie

Hi Loz,
Or should I say howdy neighbor? I live in Maryland too, between Baltimore and Washington.

First to address the problem with your clematis. Do you know which one you have? Clematis often disappoint people because they expect those beautiful blooms the first or second year. Clematis, like many other perennial vines, need 2 or 3 years in the ground to first establish their root systems. They don't particularly like Miracle Grow as these types of fertilizers will cause vines to have lots of green growth and not much bloom. But they do love lots of organic matter such as compost. It's best to add lots to the planting bed when planting. You can even top dress the roots with it. It can be purchased in bulk or bags. Another fact that is often stated about them is that they like their feet in the shade and their heads in the sun. That isn't totally true either. They do like their roots to stay cool and moist and don't need as much sun as most people think. There are even some that will grow on a north facing wall. Here's some sites on clematis that should be helpful. This first one is a list for part shade and north facing walls.

http://stores.yahoo.com/chalkhillclematis/clematisforshade.html
http://www.rainyside.com/ornamentals/clematis_care.html
http://www.clematis.org/home.html

I don't think the jasmine will work in zone 6. How about a climbing hydrangea? They like shade, but the caveat here is that they will take about 5 years of root growth before they take off. Once they do, look out as they can grow 30' or more and get very heavy. Heuchera's suggestion of akebia might work for you
http://www.aragriculture.org/hortic...plant_database/Vines/Fiveleaf_Akebia.asp

as well as Rue Anemone's suggestion of the clematis virgins bower. It's also known as sweet autumn clematis. It can be cut back to control the growth in late winter or very early spring. The scent is delicious!

Newt

Laura, my Sweet Williams did quite well in the shade... They bloomed so early that shade from the trees wasn't really a factor.

It's the same way with many early blooming bulb plants such as tulips,daffodils,etc. They bloom in early spring before there is any shade from the trees.

My Black-eye susans and lilies did okay with partial sun too.

Hi Newt.....I'm so glad to see another person from Maryland on here!!!! I live in the Cumberland area way out west.....Thank you for taking the time to answer me--I really appreciate it.....maybe I just need to give the clematis another year or two to really get into full gear.....the leaves just didn't seem very healthy on it, and I wish I remembered the type of clematis but I can't.....I'll just try to be patient for a while I suppose......

And Bob, I grew some black eyed susans last year....they are our state flower afterall......very nice....and I got some seeds for sweet williams....can't wait to start them. My mom had a ton of them last year and they looked very pretty.

Hi Loz,
You are so very welcome. Bet you're snowed in today! We got 6". How did you do?

Glad to hear you're willing to give the clematis some time. Maybe you can id it when it finally blooms from one of the sites I sent you.

Good luck,
Newt