Plant help needed.

[Guest]

Available: Dismal Garden corner looking for friendship and maybe something permanent.

Wanted: shade loving low growing attractive plants for small border under conifers.

Must be low maintenance and ideally evergreen but all leaves welcome.

Persistence and good sense of humour needed as at back of football area.

Other match sites have recommended rocks, but am not willing to go hard-core just yet.

[Omega1]

That’s a big ask - shade and conifers just take all moisture. We had to remove our conifers before we could get anything to grow. I can think of shade loving plants and plants that like dry feet but not plants that like both! Sorry.

[JLH]

Have you tried bbc gardeners world for inspiration? I would love to be able to recommend something but after having three boys and a football goal or two I found out not many plants survive at all 😂.

[Guest]

Thanks both. Looks like it is destined to be without some long term love. Any suggestions for a quick fling? Pansies in a pot ?

[Floridatilly]

I have a very shaded corner with a very big conifer. I have tried and failed with many plants and finally found a perennial, evergreen plant. The Christmas rose !
Its not actually a rose, I am sure its in the buttercup family, but its evergreen and flowers over winter till spring so interesting all year round.

[TheHughesCrew]

Originally Posted by Floridatilly

I have a very shaded corner with a very big conifer. I have tried and failed with many plants and finally found a perennial, evergreen plant. The Christmas rose !
Its not actually a rose, I am sure its in the buttercup family, but its evergreen and flowers over winter till spring so interesting all year round.

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The Christmas rose is a Hellebore I think. Try and see if there are any that might work? My mum has a beautiful pink one in her garden (which is not shady btw).

I would also try something sturdy like a ceonothus. I'm sure there must be shade-loving varieties.

[Ivegottadream]

Does it have to be a plant or would you consider a small shrub? My camelia thrives in shade and is evergreen.

[ROBBOTOO]

How big is the area under the conifers. Could you plant shade loving shrubs in pots, so the conifers don’t take all the moisture from the plants in the ground?

You’d just need to water the pots then.

[Disney Bear]

We have a very shade, under trees section of our garden and we have planted a mixture of ferns and hostas. Very low maintenance - once a year take of the previous years leaves for the ferns and the hostas - the leave fall away at then end of the year so you just pick them up. We have ever green ferns and the hostas bring nice flowers and different colours (not evergreen).

[Guest]

Thank you all for the suggestions. May have to wait awhile. Just back from attempting to go to the garden centre. The queue to get in was ridiculous so came home 🙂