Garden design with dogs and young boys

esmf73

Hello all, I'm hoping that some of you will be able to pass on some advice.

I'm using the gorgeous snow (it hides the wasteland that is my garden!) to think about the garden that I'd like this year. Trouble is I have two dogs and two young boys!:eek:

I have just bought a dog run for the dogs so they don't dig up my garden, and I plan on roping the boys into help!! My problem areas are two north facing walls that get very little sunshine - I need to plant something that grows rapidly here as one dog as kindly dug me a couple of holes!:mad:

Where I do get sunshine I'm going to make some raised beds from some pallets that I have and plant vegetables - I'd like to be able to harvest something for my hardwork.:D

So what can I plant in these problem areas?

Many thanks

flossyblog

I have a fatsia japonica, a white hydrangea with japanese anemones and meadow rue on my north facing wall.

esmf73

Does it need much sun?

Shelle

Do you want to grow flowers or veg in those problem areas?

There are still veg you can grow even in shaded areas. Even though some sun would be prefable, you can grow veg like beetroot, lettuce, garlic, onions, tumbling tomatoes, peas. Whilst you may not have the same yield as you might have in a sunnier spot, you cn still suceed, or at least that is my experience. You should see what those around you are growing if they have similiar gardens.

I get a lot of brilliant advice and support from a forum that I frequent - they are now my bible:j Whenever I need to know something, you can be sure that someone will know on there! They are all ages, novices and the more experienced and from all over which is ideal for comparing planting/harvesting times with someone in a closer location. They also get a discount from Kings seed company so I get to save money too:j

Dont just take my word for it - pop over and visit and see for yourself! I have never regretted it myself! Its https://www.growveg.info

Kazipoo

I bought loads of plants for my back garden, half of which spends its entire life in shade. I got some aqueligea (sp) which thrive and flower beautifully, astillbe (which produce feather like flowers), fatsia japonica, which is quite big now compared to when we bought it last year, some ferns, which actually prefer the shade, and some hostas.

Bunny82

Ferns all the way. Big ones, small ones - they all love the shade. :cool: