Conifer Hedge
Question:
I have a conifer hedge growing at one edge of my property in a very narrow (12-18") raised bed. I want to grow some trailing plants (probably have to be in pots) to trail down the sides. Not a lot of sun, maybe 2 hours a day, and therefore quite a bit of shade. Thought about geraniums but advice gratefully accepted.
Answer:
I am not quite sure from your note whether you want to plant perennials or annuals so I'll cover both. The perennial Geranium (Crane's Bill) does not mind shade and will spread down the sides of pots in time, there are lots of different colours available too. The annual "Geranium" Pelargonium doesn't like heavy shade so I don't think it will be suitable. Some annuals which don't mind shade are below, they will all give you good colour, but not all will trail down the sides of pots: ? Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana) ? Nasturtium (Tropaeolum) - trailing ? Flowering tobacco(Nicotiana) ? Pansy (Viola) ? Lobelia (Lobelia) - trailing varieties available ? Bachelor button (Centaurea) ? Pinks (Dianthus) ? Bells of Ireland (Moluccella) ? Forget-me-not (Myosotis) ? Baby blue eyes (Nemophila) ? Perilla (Perilla) ? Fuschia (Fuschia) - trailing varieties available ? Elephant ear (Colocasia). A couple of perennials which may be suitable are: ? Bugle (Ajuga reptans) - will trail once large enough ? Lungwort (Pulmonaria) - will trail once large enough. The thing to bear in mind is that the hedge will be taking a lot of moisture and goodness out of the soil in the bed so you will have to add plenty of new compost, keep it well watered and feed regularly throughout the season. I think you will also have to accept that with only two hours sun a day the flowering display will never be as good as it could be in a sunnier area. I hope this helps and I'd be interested in whether you manage to get a good display this year.
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