[johnwoots]

Hi all. Happy new year!

I have just moved into a new house which has become a bit of a new challenge for me. Whilst i have always lived in places where gardens have been established to a degree, this is a blank canvas. The main (and new) problem i would love to get ideas about is the rear tree to the top LHS is 95% in the shade so i am unsure what to do with it. My first thought is to make this my wild section and scatter seeds and see what happens, but there is ivy growing there and the shade issue is a concearn too!

any ideas would be greatly received.

Kind regards

[mumofstig]

More questions before there are any answers, I'm afraid 

which way does the sun travel? I mean does the area get any direct sunlight at all? is the tree deciduous, allowing light through until the leaves grow? Sorry but it makes a difference 

[johnwoots]

Hi. Thanks for replying.

The garden is south west facing from memory. Not much sunlight penetrates through the tree. when it does its more the outer area towards the shed and thats in the morning. i dont have any problem growing weeds though!!

[New shoot]

Sounds like the area at the end of your garden is pretty dark and shaded, so you are really looking at a spring-time woodland garden - hellebores, snowdrops, primroses and the like.  Really anything that comes up and flowers before the leaf canopy makes the ground beneath very shaded and dry. 

Another alternative would be to put landscape fabric down and cover with gravel or bark chippings to make a shady seating area for the summer.  You could then grow some plants in pots towards the front where they get more light.  That would give you more options on what you can grow 

[sunshineband]

Adding to what New Shoot has suggested:

Some autumn flowering cyclamen would thrive there 

You could consider making a 'Stumpery'with sections of tree trunk, ferns and the Spring flowering plants already mentioned.

[RichardA]

my darker corners are either filled with "utility" items such as compost heap or log piles for wildlife and a hedgehog feeding station or rhubarb. In your case perhaps ferns or hostas would work and give a variety of colours if chosen well. Would need a lot of watering as tree will be  a rain shadow as well as sun shadow and will be greedy about taking its share of goodness from soil. What about a statue or water feature
R

[johnwoots]

Thankyou all for your suggestions. All theses ideas are really usefull, especially turning the area into  stumpery as suggested by sunshineband. I wouldl like to create a woodland type area so i might head down that route and then maybe in preporation for next spring get the snowdrops and and suitable spring type shrubs/bulbs planted.

Saying that, is there anything i can plant there now that would do will by the spring?

Many thanks again

[sunshineband]

Bulbs that are already growing in pots and potted hellebores are easily available and would give you colour very quickly.

Just take a minute to plan what else is going where, to save having to move them again though 

[RichardA]

you may be able to buy snowdrops in the green (ie rather than bulbs) now but as others say so correctly - dont rush - plan things out well and then get things to be as you want it from the start.
R

[johnwoots]

Thankyou guys, like you say, ill take my time and plan for next year in regarding to sping flowers.

Appreciate your advice