Suggestions for shady area

bouicca21

The management company have at last cleared the Ivy and bramble from our communal garden. We can now see that the group of very tall trees at the bottom of the garden actually sit on a raised, almost circular, mound.

It would be great (a) to prevent the Ivy and bramble from regrowing (the roots are untouched) and (b) to plant something colourful on the mound.

Any suggestions? It is shady and dry, and presumably the soil (clay) is poor. I can only think of bluebells. There must be other flowers that would survive there (?) The part of the mound that we can see from our windows faces SSE.

Farway

Common yellow primroses, should be over by the time the tree leafs up. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/primrose/

The small hardy cyclamen, https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/cyclamen/growing-guide

Woodland anemone https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/wood-anemone/

No doubt others will suggest more options

gwynlas

Plenty of suggestions for dry woodland areas on RHS site including geraniums bulgaria.aetemisia verbascum etc

There aren't that many colourful plants but spring bulbs would be okay until trees leaf up.

Ivy will neeed constant attention

Dustyevsky

bouicca21: It would be great (a) to prevent the Ivy and bramble from regrowing (the roots are untouched) and (b) to plant something colourful on the mound.

You have confirmed my first thought on reading that a management company had 'cleared' the bramble and ivy.

They have taken the tops of the plants away, but left the roots, which will regrow, particularly the bramble. Bramble takes some killing, especially when roots of large trees prevent digging. This means someone will need to be very methodical and treat the individual bits of bramble after they have regrown, say, 30-40 cm, each time they do, maybe for a few years!

It's not an onerous job and would allow other plants to be grown meanwhile, if the glyphosate weedkiller is applied by paintbrush on calm days. Otherwise, the brambles will again swamp anything else over time.

There is a better chemical than glyphosate for bramble, called Grazon. I'm qualified to use it, but home gardeners aren't. However, no one has ever asked to see my certificate when I buy it online, That's factual info, not an instruction!

As for ivy, it can be pulled, which is effective, if done regularly. Using chemicals on it is difficult, as it's waxy, and needs bruising to get good results. At least it's not prickly!

twopenny

I planted my shady corner with the tiny cyclamen, dwarf daffodils and primroses which gives me much hoped for optimism in spring. And there's another when I think of it.

There are different coloured small ferns, lemon and purple through the summer and the cyclamen come out again in autumn.

No attention needed.

I've got some Hurechua in deep purple which seems ok if they have enough soil and you get them going. The lighter colours don't.

There's a solar powered up lighter there. The only one I've found that lasts and works all year.