The Shade Garden

For many years, the southwest corner of our property was a spot we didn't know what to do with. The previous owner of our place used this spot to dump yard waste and rocks that had been dug up in the yard. It took me a full two years to sift through it all, take the refuse to the dump, and move the rocks to a pile which became flowerbed borders and garden boundaries. It was backbreaking work!

Finally, the area was clean and as empty as a blank canvas. There was a birch tree coming right out of the middle of the pile of dirt, so I made that the focal point of the area. Year after year, I planted shrubs and flowers there, and by the middle of summer, they had all withered away.

At that point, we did some research on shade gardens, and after more months of bringing in three-way garden soil and bark, we were ready to buy some plants for this 'shade' area (this spot gets less than three hours of sun per day). A trip to Flower World yielded two Weigela and five Heucheria, a small lilac volunteer, and a transplated Honey Locust sprig that's turning into a viable tree this year.

I received an antique plow from a school friend, and I positioned it beneath the birch tree, hung a couple of birdhouses and a hanging begonia basket, and stood back to admire the new space. The project was a long one, and we learned a lot about finding the right plants and flowers for the existing conditions in this area of the pasture. Our shade garden was beautiful this year! It was worth the wait.