help...neighbors cut down trees.

Mais La! My back yard took a beating from hurricane Rita but it is in wonderful shape now. Just when I thougt my little side yard was fine the neighbors cut down two old gum trees! The old trees survived the hurricane and gave my side bricks shades!

We have lost so many trees and now my little patch of shade is gone. I have bright sun beating down on my shade loving plants. Should I try to build a trellis and train vines on it? My Confederate Jasmine would grow perfectly on it. The sunny area is about ten feet wide and once had an old New Orleans look with ferns and a fountain and elephant ears.

Any ideas about a trellis or pergola?

Yikes! I'm experiencing the same thing on a smaller scale -- I planted my shade beds and then my DH had someone trim our trees (wrong time of year, I know) and now they're getting a lot more sun than I planned on, and evening sun at that.

Back to your sweet little seating area, though. A pergola sounds perfect. Maybe you could somehow attach some shade cloth to it while you're waiting for the vines to fill in. Love that asparagus fern!

I was thinking the same thing. Especially put up a shade cloth now, even if you have to use eyebolts, etc; atleast until you have time to put up a permanent structure. It will take a long time for the vines to fill in the way you want them to.

Also meant to tell you how georgeous your area and plants are!!

This message was edited Jun 3, 2006 7:28 AM

I think you need to save yourself the work and send those shade plants to me--hahaha--lovely area BTW--hope the shade cloth idea works for you!!!!

ssdogwood that area is gorgeous!
My daughter has the same problem, they removed some branches and then neighbors cut and pruned and now her deep shade yard is some of both, many plants are suffering. She has moved some but I think the idea of shade cloth or trellis is the better idea!

A pergola sounds great! I have to use a variety of trellises out here in south Texas. I make them from galvanized steel livestock fence panels Seems the sun is always beating down relentlessly on us! Hurricane season is upon us again and I do hope we get needed rain but stay out of the path of destruction.

Really do like those planters against your wall too!!! That's gives me a welding project idea :o)

Really nice area--does that fence face north, south, east,or west? Is that an 8' (looks like) or 6' privacy fence? depending, you've got a lot of options...
Debbie