I have offered to help a friend with her garden. She is not a gardener so it needs to be low maintenance. It needs to be dog friendly and is about 90% total shade. It is shaded by a large elm from her neighbors yard, a mulberry and lilacs on the North and her 2 story house on the South. There is a privacy fence to the West and East and the space is narrow so the sun doesn't really get there.
The soil is in bad shape, full of roots from the tree and lilacs. The neighbors yard is about 3' higher than hers so the rain drains from their yard across my friends yard and into her side door and basement if there is a heavy rain. When it is just a regular rain it just runs across the yard onto the sidewalk that runs along the house. She has sent me some photos and I have asked to for measurements. I wish I had the exact measurements because I am not good at guessing. Think long and narrow. I would guess 50' by 20', most likely I am off, but that gives you the idea.
View from the East, the back of the area.
I am afraid that with to much digging and cutting of it's roots the elm will either die or get blown down in a storm.
She is an artist and has a gallery on the first floor, she lives on the second. When she has summer openings she would like to have a patio/deck for people to spill out on. She also wants a spot to drink her morning coffee.
She knows that she needs to start with the hardscape and thinks of it as a two to three year project.
She hopes to use a lot of hosta, but not just hosta.
I am looking more for hardscape ideas as I am fairly good with the plants.
She wants the sidewalk to go and put in a curves stone or brick path.
