Shade Gardening: Need ideas for a shady bed, 1 by Noreaster

Noreaster wrote:
I understand what you are saying. But so I'm clear, you would put the tree/shrub on the left part of the bed, where it is more narrow, as opposed to over on the right where the hostas are now? Wouldn't that totally obscure the rock? I was actually looking at Japanes Maples today at a nursery...they are very pretty. I'm confused about the variety of sizes with them...do you just prune them to keep them a smaller size, or are their actual dwarf varieties I should look for.

Also, this same nursery had that ligularia ( britt marie crawford) and it also had the "Othello" one growing in a display area...that was really pretty, as well, with the purple undersides to the leaves. And why didn't you tell me you're allowed to cut off flowers...that changes everything, lol. I think I would like to use that plant. Question- obviously the one they had on display must have been a mature plant from a previous year...it was several feet tall and wide (with no blooms) The potted one was quite tall, but so narrow. So is that just the way things are supposed to look as you put them in- skinny? Then the following year is when they look like a full plant? Hope that makes sense.

Doss, those gardens are beautiful in that link...really amazing. As a beginner, it's hard for me to get a sense of what a place like that would have looked like as it was newly planted...Most garden books and mags feature pictures of mature gardens, so it's kind of hard for a beginner to know how things are supposed to look early on, you know?

Anyway, look at this pic and let me know if this is where you thought the maple (or something else?) should go. I took this pic at almost seven pm. The only time the area gets direct light like this is in the evening. Most of the day it's in the shadow of a large deciduous tree, with the exception of a tiny little corner on the far left. And of course in the winter it's not in the shadow anymore...the trunk and branches of that tree still cast a spotty shadow on it in the winter. That tall tree hasn't really even totally leafed out yet, so I'm still waiting to see what the shade is like. My memory from last year is that it's pretty darn shady in that spot during the summer.

This message was edited May 23, 2006 8:27 PM