I hope you don't mind me picking your brains, but we have a courtyard area that is looking really neglected, and I have no idea what to do with it. We won't be paving or shingling it this year, but I would like to start putting some plants in so that we can work round them.
But it is really sheltered and north facing, only parts of it get any sun during different parts of the day. Also, I can't dig to any depth, there only seems to be a few millimetres of soil,it is rock underneath :cry: so I am thinking of doing some raised areas in the corners perhaps. I love colour and smell, and eventually we will build a sitting room which looks directly onto the courtyard, (the view will be that of the photo on left), but will probably mainly be used during the winter months, so ideally to sum it all up, I need ideas for plants that look good all year, smell nice, have a bit of colour, like the shade and north facing (although it is sheltered from wind), and can cope with stony soil?
? not a tall order is it :? I am stumped, so far I have planted a honeysuckle, which seems to be doing ok.
These pictures were taken at about 11.00 o'clock this morning, and as you can see it is not in sun at all.
I really would be grateful for your ideas, this used to be a farm, and I don't have alot of knowledge of plants, and I find it so hard to get my head round the area we have and what to do with it. I don't want to drastically change it all, but just areas like the courtyard. It is private there, but pretty shady. We'd like to use it for shaded eating in summer, and a nice outside area not swimming with mud :twisted: during winter.