Ran out of space

Woe is me!! I’ve long run out of space for sun loving flowering plants. Seventy percent of my property is densely shrouded by huge, stately, and quite healthy trees. Of that which is left in full sun exposure the priority goes to a vegetable garden leaving scant (at least as far as I am concerned) for flowering plants that I have known and have come to think as members of my family. Perhaps, if I had the means, I could purchase the house next door, demolish it and have it carted away, cut down the trees, and extend my flower garden into it. One thing is certain, I am not likely to vacate and move elsewhere. I’ve done so twelve times over the past fifty years, leaving behind in each instance a piece of me as trees and shrubs given to me by my grandmother, mother, friends, and children on mother’s and father’s days.

Woe is me!

Shakemh

shakemh, I feel your pain! I am surrounded by woods and overshadowed by mountains, so very little of my yard gets more than a half day of sun. As with you, the veggies and sun-loving flowers get the best spots, after the greenhouses! I have no intentions of moving, either, so I have plants that don't mind filtered light, half-day light, little light, or next-to-no light. I plant my annuals in pots and move them around if they need it. I plant my cabbage in big pots so I can place them at the end of my driveway where the light hits. The southside of everything has a pot in front of it! LOL!

shakemh, I have seen a few of your posts since you joined. A BIG Welcome, by the way!

I think all of us run out of space sometime or another, and usually have not the means for acquisition of more space.

Maybe you should frequent the Shady Gardens forum and learn some shade plants. Not replacing your beloved sun lovers, just some different gardening.

I'm begining to think the second floor needs a deck; for convenience & sunbathing (practical pupose), and sun plants (frivilous & silly) - really important to me! HMmmm.....

~* Robin

darius

Thanks for the welcome and advice. I appreciate it. Yet,...shade gardening is sooo drab.

Shakemh

Oh, no, shade gardening does NOT have to be drab!

nope, not drab, love my small shade garden!

Love the huechera... and is that dicentra?

shakemh, there are many, many shade flowering plants, probably hundreds and hundreds, plus lots just for texture...

yup, it really grew from that pic and I gave lots of seed away. I sure hope it is viable because I recently read that dicentra should be planted immediately, their shelf life is only weeks! Love these astilbes too. That's no touch up, they really are that lavender looking. The name is pink something.

I have several astilbies I need to move from my aunt's house in the spring. Several colors of astilbe, some huchera, dicentra, trilliums, lily of the valley (white and pink), pulmonaria and who knows what else!

Love my shade garden.

I miss the trilliums of my youth. I so want to grow some here but I'm a zone colder and I always see them listed z5. I told my DH that we are going to go home some time in the spring so we can walk thru Grills' bush again. It was such a joy to do that. We'd search for trilliums and try to find the rarer red ones. The bloodroot and hepaticas would be in bloom too. The Grills' came to Dad's visitation and told us we'd be welcome any time to come tromp thru the bush again. Such wonderful memories!

I have one trillium that's a dark maroon... is that what you mean by red, or really a red?

yeah, the dark red ones. The ones in the bush had a much smaller flower and were scarce. Some years we hardly found any. But there were drifts of white ones. NEVER picked them, ever!

Hi shakemh, and a hardy welcome to you.
Try this link for some thoughts:

Annual Flowers for Special Uses - Adapted
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/466813/

Kooger your astilbes are just beautiful!
Are these the ones?
'Pink Lightning' (Astilbe simplicifolia)
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/72941/index.html

Wish I'd known you were giving some seeds away from that plant.
They'd be beautiful right under the Oak tree and lilac bushes out front.

~* Robin

Thanks to all for the shade plant recommendations. I’ll try some that I don’t already have.

But those selfish trees – hogging all the sunlight. But I can’t cut them down. Besides, I have enough firewood for myself and neighbors for the next two years.

And, oh yes, astilbe. I have whites, reds, and pinks two feet high where they get direct sun first thing in the morning, then filtered thereafter. Interesting though, they are not in a particularly moist area, and depend on the lawn sprinklers to get what they need. Thinking that it's time to divide them.

Shakemh

Robin - this is the name on the tag but it looks so different than the PDB pic. I don't remember where I bought it so have no idea if it's mislabeled. http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/55517/

shakemh - got any pics? we LOVE pics!!!!!!!!! (and welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)