North side flowerbed
Plants that can grow in the shadow
Climbing hydrangea etc. North of the house
As soon as we got the garden plan from the garden architect we went ahead. The starting point for the implementation of the new garden plan became the north side of the house – the bed by the driveway and main entrance.
This was an almost complete renovation, as the bed was overgrown with bamboo and trees. It took two people two days to replant this bed – and that included professional help to cut down and remove the big trees and shrubs.
Ugly plants in the north side bed
The north side bed fortunately was not weed infested. However it was overgrown with an old, badly cut leatherleaf viburnum and a juniper tree that had been damaged by standing to close to the viburnum.
Ugly overgrown north side bed with leatherleaf viburnum and juniper
Leatherleaf viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum) is an evergreen shrub with wrinkly looking foliage and white flowers. Some people get a very itchy rash if they handle them. Behind these big plants was a couple of common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) which had invaded a large area. Apart from the white berries this is a rather dull sort of shrub.
Leatherleaf viburnum appreciated only by the cats
Clinging to the wall was a dead bamboo. In the front of the bed periwinkle had invaded some very beautiful Japanese anemones. Periwinkle (creeping myrtle or Vinca minor) has glossy evergreen leaves and pretty blue flowers in May and June. It thrives in the shade and is very suitable as groundcover, but it is very invasive.
Periwinkle
Japanese anemones (Anemone japonica) are lovely tall white, pink or violet flowers that thrive in the shade. This perennial is easy to grow, spread nicely and flower in the late summer through fall. The Japanese anemones were the only part of the bed that the garden architect recommended we keep.
Japanese anemones
Almost all of the old plants in the north side flowerbed had to go
We started by having the juniper tree and leatherleaf viburnum cut down. And then we began to slowly and painstakingly digging up bamboo and snowberry.
The bamboo and snowberry in the north side bed has been dug up
The bamboo was clinging to both wall and well, so it was only possible to attack it with the spade from two sides – and with bamboo it is impossible to get the spade down between the roots.
The roots lie in the surface so it is possible to slowly undermine it by digging out from under it. The parts of the root system that become free can be divided with an axe. It took a couple of hours - very satisfying when the final large piece of root could be lifted out and thrown away.
New flowers in the North side flowerbed
Thinking that now the heavy work was over and the fun could begin, we still had to spend a couple of hours on weeding out the old groundcover, mainly periwinkle. Many bulbs turned out, tulips and the blue Scilla siberica. The garden plan recommends common grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides) and poet’s daffodils (Narcissus poeticus) along with the Japanese anemones.
Grape hyacinth
The photo shows the new groundcover, Bergenia. Behind we planted lamb’s ear but that is just temporary until the rose has grown bigger.
New groundcover in the north side bed – gone with the periwinkle
The finished flowerbed
It looks very small on the photo, but approximately one meter from the corner of the house the rose has been planted (Rosa alba 'Maxima').
Against the wall, in the middle, climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris) has been planted. We selected a large plant. There is supposed to be two, but we will wait and see how fast this grows. Opinions vary on whether the climbing hydrangea should be fixed to the wall by strings or can cling by itself. So far we have not put up a trellis or strings for it to climb.
The finished North side flowerbed
The flowerbed seen from the main entrance
By the entrance Arum italicum was allowed to remain, because the marble leaves are very decorative – it is something to look at while we wait for the new plants to grow. In the summer this evergreen perennial features brightly orange spear like flowers, which are poisonous. They can be cut off.
Next to the Arum italicum we have planted a box. The garden plan recommends the relatively fast-growing cultivar Balder, but this was not available at the time so we planted a similar sort.
North side bed seen from the entrance
We have bought the big plants in the garden centre. The groundcover has been moved from other parts of the garden or donated by friends and relatives – you can save a lot of money this way.
Besides bergenia, the new groundcover consists of European ginger or haselwort (Asarum europaeum) with pretty dark green round leaves. In the front of the bed, we have planted yellow barrenwort (Epimedium perralchicum 'Frohnleiten'). It is slow growing so we have to pay attention that they are not invaded by the already established, fast spreading Japanese anemones.
Yellow barrenwort - pretty but slow-growing groundcover
One year after establishment
The anemones dominate the bed, as they were the only remaining perennial. We have planted hellebores instead of arum italicum.
One year after establishment - anemones are tall
The bergenia is gaining ground. The rose had to be replaced with a more healthy specimen and it bloomed nicely.
One year after establishment - bergenia is gaining ground
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