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What to do with shade damp area of the garden

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  • 11-04-2021 12:27pm
    #1
    larbakium
    Registered Users Posts: 83 ✭✭


    Hi,
    I have a south-facing garden, which mostly gets sun. but at the end of the garden, I have a brick wall and a shed, which leaves the ground area under shade most of the year. To add to it, overall the garden area is inclined towards the brick wall, which sure helps driving rainwater toward this area.

    I am trying to address 2 issues:

    1. Moss on the lawn. It is not a big issue, and it's only 1m2 of area, but I have the feeling that the soil on this space never dries! it's always very most and wet. What could I do to avoid the moss?

    2. Just against the brick wall, I have a soil bed, which I have tried to plant a number of plants (shade, non-shade) and all seem to dry and die. They need sun!! as little as it is... And with cold temperatures added to the lack of sun, this area is not prone to anything to grow. What can I plant in this area to get some sort of life in there?

    Thank you for your thoughts.
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    #2
    JustAThought
    Registered Users Posts: 5,324 ✭✭✭JustAThought


    larbakium wrote: »
    Hi,
    I have a south-facing garden, which mostly gets sun. but at the end of the garden, I have a brick wall and a shed, which leaves the ground area under shade most of the year. To add to it, overall the garden area is inclined towards the brick wall, which sure helps driving rainwater toward this area.

    I am trying to address 2 issues:

    1. Moss on the lawn. It is not a big issue, and it's only 1m2 of area, but I have the feeling that the soil on this space never dries! it's always very most and wet. What could I do to avoid the moss?

    2. Just against the brick wall, I have a soil bed, which I have tried to plant a number of plants (shade, non-shade) and all seem to dry and die. They need sun!! as little as it is... And with cold temperatures added to the lack of sun, this area is not prone to anything to grow. What can I plant in this area to get some sort of life in there?

    Thank you for your thoughts.

    Brick is a great sun soaker and soil under a wall is always drier than a foot or two out. Could it also be that the mortar from the wall was splashed about the ground there - that’s a source of chemical poison so maybe thats why neither shade loving nor sun loving plants survive there? Most likely it’s just too dry though. You could try planting a foot and a half out from the wall and see what happens then. Dig a big hole & about two foot all round of some woodlands garden manure & my guess is your plants will grow then. keep an eye on the water situation too.

    Regarding the moss - its only a small space - moss is a by product of damp and shady growing conditions and is much loved by birds like thrushes, robins and bluetits to find insects in and build their nests with. Instead of putting poison down I’d rake it off or embrace the moss and just plant through it. I guess at 1m2 its not a lawn issue.

    You’ll often see in the wild, banks of bluebells, hyacinths or daffidols thriving in mossy place - you could make it a flowering spot instead of trying to force it to be a lawn- the bees will thank you for it and it would look and smell georgous. Also flowering shrubs like virbinum ( different varieties), skimmia with its berries and flowers or the hebe family might work there too. Or a little tree.


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    #3
    larbakium
    Registered Users Posts: 83 ✭✭larbakium


    Thank you.
    the wall is fairly small and it was there before I laid out new soil on the ground when we did the garden.

    You did mention the soil being dry and funny enough I would always think it's the opposite. That it would be too moist and I don't water it often. But I know nothing about gardening in fairness...

    Soil poisoning, I am not sure but I do think that the soil the gardening company put in there might not be the best. One reason why I say this is because it seems all plants I get there end up with a tonality of red. Someone told me to buy a PH test for the soil. Which I need to do.

    Here is a picture of the area in question. This is fairly small, and it's not a huge problem. I just want to have something there that would look a bit better and as maintain-free as it could possibly get.


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Have a look at some ferns. They can thrive in less than 5% light, some are evergreen, fairly long lived, usually no trouble at all. Dryopteris/Osmunda/Athyrium are genera with native species.


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    #5
    homer911
    Registered Users Posts: 5,118 ✭✭✭homer911


    Rhubarb loves wet ground


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    #6
    rje66
    Registered Users Posts: 1,226 ✭✭✭rje66


    larbakium wrote: »
    Thank you.
    the wall is fairly small and it was there before I laid out new soil on the ground when we did the garden.

    You did mention the soil being dry and funny enough I would always think it's the opposite. That it would be too moist and I don't water it often. But I know nothing about gardening in fairness...

    Soil poisoning, I am not sure but I do think that the soil the gardening company put in there might not be the best. One reason why I say this is because it seems all plants I get there end up with a tonality of red. Someone told me to buy a PH test for the soil. Which I need to do.

    Here is a picture of the area in question. This is fairly small, and it's not a huge problem. I just want to have something there that would look a bit better and as maintain-free as it could possibly get.
    In the planted strip I would top up with soil to top of edge. This helps any drainage issues and plants thrive in raised beds as temperatures are slightly higher and fresh loose soil is a great benefit too.


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    #7
    larbakium
    Registered Users Posts: 83 ✭✭larbakium


    Thank you everyone for your opinions. I will try some of these recommendations.


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    #8
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,327 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    The block wall probably has foundations ( and spilled cement) a good few inches out from it, possibly, including rubbish and gravel etc about as far out as the wooden board. Which means that your plants are possibly in only a few inches of soil, and also they are in the rain shadow of the wall, which means it will be quite dry where they are planted, even though the area generally is damp.

    I would move the board away from the wall by about another 8 to 12 inches, dig it well and put in a couple of bags of topsoil and compost to improve it. Then plant it up about a foot away from the wall so you are not over foundations or in the rain shadow.

    The suggestion of ferns is good, or something like a climbing hydrangea would probably do well - they need quite a bit of support initially but after a couple of years will start to cling to the wall. Or pyracantha would be nice and colourful, you would need maybe two in that space. Again they need some support to start so it would be worth putting in some sturdy vine eyes and wires. In the bed below them you could then put in a mixture of ferns, berginias and woodland bulbs - native rather than Spanish bluebells. Violas/pansies would be a nice splash of colour in the winter.

    The grass doesn't look too bad at all, I would mow it and let it get on with it.


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