What can we plant in the shade of a fence

artydoll

Just had a new fence courtesy of the local council,

as pictured



there is a dry stone wall with garden soil ,about 2 ft wide ,what could we plant in this border ,its in shade m,till about 1 oclock pm.
All the plants you can see in the border my OH has turfed out so we now have a blank canvas.though there were large oriental poppies which will come back,we cant get rid of them ,they always reappear.
Should like some ideas for plants that will come back every year ,if possible.
Thanks.

conradmum

What's your soil like? Do you want shrubs or plants that will die down in the winter? Maximum height? Colours of flowers? Style and purpose (e.g. cottage, architectural, wildlife friendly, edible)?
Afternoon sun isn't really what I would call a shady position. There are many things that would grow there.

artydoll

conradmum, thanks the soil is clay but quite workable ,pretty dry on the wall .
I would like cottagy plats ,to incourage bees ,dont mind them dying down in winter ,anything with a long flowering season.
My husband would like grass,lol.

BargainGalore

How about Buddleja? They attract bees and grown up fences/walls

ixwood

Monarda (Bee Balm), Lemon Balm and Comfrey don't mind a bit of shade and are loved by Bees.

You could also put in some spring flowering bulbs.

ixwood

Foxgloves and teasels are loved by Bumble Bees and don't mind shade, but they're both biennials.

jennyjelly

If you want something bigger and more architectural I'd go for a mahonia, we have 2 and they attract bees like nothing else and don't mind dry conditions.

I'd also recommend echinops (globe thistle) for the same reasons.

conradmum

That sounds like quite a nice position, raised which will give good drainage but a clay soil which is high in nutrients.

For a cottage-style garden I would go for some bulbs to give spring colour first of all, such as crocuses, snowdrops and narcissi. You could also put in primroses and violets for the spring. Then some typical cottage garden plants would be acanthus mollis (Bears' Breeches), hardy geraniums, penstemons, and peonies. I'm also a fan of the big daisy-like perennials such as rudbeckia, echinacea or leucanthemums, but they aren't to everyone's taste.

Delphiniums are lovely too and very cottagey, but they tend to get eaten alive by snails and slugs. You have been warned!