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Shade Gardens/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Moss - We want it | 1/17/2012 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: We have this great landscape started but the moss just will not spread as quickly as we would like ... A: This is a first! I've never been asked to give advice on growing moss before - people usually want ... | ||
| dry shade groundcover | 4/2/2011 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: Is there a zone 3 full shade groundcover that would work well in relatively dry soil? I am looking ... A: There are plants that will grow in the conditions you describe, but none of them will stand foot ... | ||
| Fall bulb planting in shaded areas | 9/21/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: I live in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario. I am in a first floor ... A: Unfortunately, I'm not an expert in bulbs, so I can only advise you on my own experience. I do know ... | ||
| shade perennials | 8/16/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: I'm looking for a plant which is light/bright and which will be about 12 inches tall for a small ... A: Although there are plenty of flowers which will grow in shade, most of them are much taller than the ... | ||
| Macho Fern | 7/30/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: Last year, I bought two Macho Ferns at our local grocery. By the way, we live in NY state. We put ... A: Ferns are herbaceous plants. That means that they die down for the winter and pop up again in the ... | ||
| vines | 5/31/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: I have a lattice trellis in Long Island NY It is 4' high and 8' across on my terrace. It is mostly ... A: You have specified vines for your shady area, but shade loving vines are hard to come by, so here ... | ||
| island bed around a maple with exposed roots | 5/12/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: We want to build an island around an old maple tree with exposed roots. I have done a lot of ... A: A raised bed is a really great idea - it gives a whole new dimension to the garden. The walls of ... | ||
| island bed around a maple with exposed roots | 5/10/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: We want to build an island around an old maple tree with exposed roots. I have done a lot of ... A: Could you give me some more information to help me get a handle on what it is you actually want? ... | ||
| shade garden | 5/7/2010 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: I live in the lower end of Indiana and i have a dark corner in a L shaped house and i have a water ... A: Shady areas need not be dull, miserable places! Here a few suggestions for some color: Astelia ... | ||
| elephant ear plant | 10/15/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: When we dug the elephant plant up, because it really got cold, I couldn't get over how large the ... A: Yes, Elephant Ear Plants can grow very big indeed! No, you don't keep the green tops. You strip ... | ||
| zone 9 shade grass | 9/29/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: Greetings! I hope you can help me... my online research continues to lead to no where. I live in ... A: Unfortunately dense shade and a lawn is not a happy combination. This is especially a problem where ... | ||
| raised bed near Maple tree | 9/20/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: Since I have had little luck planting anything that will thrive under my maple tree, I have been ... A: What a very good idea! Actually you wouldn't have to start your bench wall 5 - 6 feet from the tree ... | ||
| shade planting | 9/13/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: I live in zone 5 and want to hide my neighbors 6 ft. wood privacy fence. The area is about 20 ft. ... A: As you say you can't grow a vine on the fence I guess that veto's any other climbing plants! To ... | ||
| horticulture | 7/31/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: Will English ivy growing over 30 foot up a 40 foot maple tree eventually kill the tree? We had a ... A: A common misconception is that ivy takes its nutrients from the plant it is climbing up - it ... | ||
| Basic Gardening | 7/9/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: My mother had a stroke sometime back, but before that she was a pretty avid gardener. Do you by ... A: This is Gill Again re. your question last week. I need additional info. from you in order to help ... | ||
| evergreens and heavy shade | 7/9/2009 | Gillian Borchardt |
| Q: I want to replace a row of honeysuckle under the windows at the back of the house. Problems are ... A: There are a wealth of evergreens that will grow in shade - the only problem is the height -most of ... | ||
| Looking for a tall, clay-loving plant that likes morning sun | 2/28/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: I live in Southern Oregon, zone 7 or 8, depending on who you ask. I have a 4'x4' area along my ... A: I can think of several plants that would look great there and deal well with your soil. Here's a ... | ||
| Shaded area in yard | 2/27/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: Corner of yard is in deep shade, I would like to make it more visually appealing. Grass is sparse, ... A: Here's that plant list I promised to you for your 10 x 15 area. The first thing I thought of for ... | ||
| shade problems | 2/27/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: I have 4 Maple trees within a 50 ft area. Very rootbound and shady! There are 2 outbuildings on ... A: My eBay site is Dancing_with_Nature_Herbs_and_More and our nursery stock is going to be uploaded in ... | ||
| Shaded area in yard | 2/25/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: Corner of yard is in deep shade, I would like to make it more visually appealing. Grass is sparse, ... A: I design gardens for exactly your garden area in question, but mine are always for zones 7 and less, ... | ||
| shade problems | 2/23/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: I have 4 Maple trees within a 50 ft area. Very rootbound and shady! There are 2 outbuildings on ... A: First, I'll give you a list of plants which will suit your planting area, then I'll send you a ... | ||
| shade problems | 2/22/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: I have 4 Maple trees within a 50 ft area. Very rootbound and shady! There are 2 outbuildings on ... A: To better understand your question, may I ask a few? Are the maples and outbuildings on the west ... | ||
| planing under japanese maples | 2/14/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: I have a 13 or 14 year old Japanese Maple, underneath is lawn. I want to get rid of the sod and ... A: Don't worry about your Japanese Maple's roots too much. Acer palmatum, your tree's botanical name, ... | ||
| plants for shady area | 2/13/2008 | Eirinn A. ÒBhrìaìn |
| Q: I live in Clovis, CA (93619) where we have 110 degrees summers and winters that can drop to about 30 ... A: Luckily, there are a number of plants which will grow in your shady, wet clay soil and in your ... | ||
| flowering vines in shaded area | 10/17/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I live in Northwestern NJ (zone 6a)and am looking to plant some flowering vines along a metal fence ... A: My favorite vines for shady situations are the Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala v. petiolaris) ... | ||
| Ground cover | 9/21/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I live in Massachusetts. I want to plant ground cover along a long(56 foot), narrow pathway made if ... A: Although I am not a fan of Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis), it will give you the quickest ... | ||
| Shaded Garden under a pear tree | 9/11/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: Victoria, I had a two level garden area under an Asian pear tree, cornered by a fence and a shack. I ... A: It is not clear to me what you mean by "two level". I am also wondering whether you want to use ... | ||
| shade garden | 9/7/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I recently moved to an old home in Toronto and I'm having trouble with our garden. It is very shady ... A: The best planting time is in the spring. Break up the soil as much as you can by spading or hoeing. ... | ||
| Growth to landscape size for blue spruce dwarf | 9/2/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: How much time will a 2 year old picea pungens globosa require to reach a size of 2.5 diameter globe ... A: As a general rule to estimate growth over time, look at the new growth on the branch tips. That ... | ||
| privacy screen | 9/2/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: Zone 6. I have a 2 story home on a city lot, with approx. 7' between my home and the western ... A: Arborvitaes Emerald, Techny or Green Giant should work for you. There are not too many choices ... | ||
| shade tree problem | 7/22/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: Last year I planted a london plane tree in my front yard in full sun. I watered it well the first ... A: Powdery mildew comes to mind, although it does not necessarily cause leaves to curl and dry up. It ... | ||
| Tree | 7/10/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: My husband and I are wanting to have a tree for our boys to climb in in our back yard and we ... A: I cannot give you the answer you want. Unless you start with a large size, expensive tree, there is ... | ||
| planter box landscaping | 7/7/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I have two 3 1/2 foot square planter boxes out in my yard that I'd like to fill with flowers & ... A: Set a conical dwarf boxwood in the center of each planter. It is the lowest-maintenance of ... | ||
| How much can I trim a 6ft x 6ft mountain laurel? | 7/1/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I need to trim back a mountain laurel which is about 6 ft x 6 ft. Ideally, I'd like to cut its size ... A: Richard Jaynes "wrote the book" on Kalmias (The genus Kalmia?). Check your library for a copy. I ... | ||
| plants for shade | 6/19/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I'm in NJ. I have a grape vine canopy in my garden. Since the canopy creates a lot of shade, I ... A: Try some of the following: Aconitum (Monkshood), Alchemilla (Lady’s Mantle), Aquilegia (Columbine), ... | ||
| flowering shade plants | 6/12/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I have a friend who lives in ZONE 5, and has an area next to his house that is in absolute shade due ... A: "Absolute shade" is not defined just by the overhang. Compass direction is also a factor, as is the ... | ||
| shade garden | 6/9/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I recently moved to an old home in Toronto and I'm having trouble with our garden. It is very shady ... A: Maples in general have huge root systems with lots of tough surface roots that make it hard to grow ... | ||
| Shade garden plants | 5/29/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I'm in zone 5 (or maybe 6? southeast MI) and I just purchased some plants for a 20x3 flower bed on ... A: The astilbes will love it there. The ajugas will spread furiously as long as there is no standing ... | ||
| flowering shade climbers - Zone 4 | 5/13/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I have a number of trellises in my yard that are in partial/mostly shade areas, and have had ... A: You must be thinking of Climbing Hydrangea. It is on my list of top 10, must-have shade plants. It ... | ||
| New York City Garden woes | 5/12/2007 | Viktoria Serafin |
| Q: I have a border garden in the backyard. In one area of the garden, I have been unable to get ... A: This sounds like a prime spot for the native, very handsome and robust ostrich fern...if you can ... | ||
Gillian Borchardt
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions regarding the best things to plant to make an impact in shady areas, whether the shade is under trees or other tall plants or sunless corners
Experience
30 years of experience making gardens in various parts of th UK - for myself and also advising others
Education/Credentials
Diploma in Horticulture with Commendation
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