I’m looking for some ideas for what to plant in the alley next to my house, on either side of the pavers. Doesn’t get a ton of sunlight (2-3 hours filtered). There is a business on the other side of the fence so bonus points if it can help with noise dampening. I was thinking of something like this https://www.opnseed.com/products/woodland-edge?srsltid=AfmBOoowMoclripPvFHfLts1evyQqhRPJJ725oDne8T7-9XRFqqf2nqj
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
by jodo_
38 Comments
Vines. Let them encourage on the fence and grew up all over that area. It’ll provide privacy.
Your space may not be wide enough for those seeds. Look up each plant’s growing requirements from the list. Maybe if you moved the pathway closer to the house they’d work.
Jasmine?
Information on your location and gardening zone would be helpful
Nothing, more gravel.
You’ll hate yourself for planting shit there. It’ll be overgrown with weeds and full of critters and spiders
Maybe reconsider adding them coz of the limited space you have
Personally I would do gravel on the house side and hostas on the fence side of the path
Mulch
Nothing on the right, astilbe, bleeding hearts and small ferns to the left
That seed mix probably won’t do that well there since it’s such a small space. I’d keep it simple and choose like 1-3 small sized plants to repeat in little drifts along the path. I would also think about continuing your path so it feels less random. For plants- maybe lady’s mantle, hardy geranium, coral bells, brunnera, or even smaller sized hostas. I would just go to a local nursery and ask their recommendations for smaller shade loving plants. Fall is a great time to plant perennials and most nurseries are having sales now.
Edit because I skimmed your post😅- if you want to block out the business sounds, look for VERY narrow shade loving evergreens… I think there are some yew and holly varieties that stay pretty narrow.
Make it a metal frame arch and plant some vines that will fill up the space
It would look gorgeous then you can out a chair and a little table and have a coffee under this beautiful lushy flower arch
Creeping thyme. It’ll fill up the space and become so dense that very few weeds will be able to grow in it
Rock
My shady small space gang is wild ginger, violets, wild strawberry, and an occasional fern (ostrich, sensitive, many good native options). Would recommend!
Gravel.
Butterflies
I think I would just do a ground cover
Plants won’t do anything for noise dampening. I would consider planting Sarcococca, epimedium, liriope, and some ground covers.
EDIT – just now seeing that you’re in Ohio. I do t know much about the zones there, so these plants might not work
Wildflowers. I always recommend wildflowers
Shade mix grass
Go to a nursery to check out shade loving plants and flowers
Not certain if it’ll work in your area but elephant ears will grow anywhere I plant them. They go away in winter but get pretty big in summer and fall. They’re easy to work around and keep out weeds.
Hostas will be great there!
No noise help, but I think columbine and wild strawberry might both grow in shade. There’s a type of Joe pye that does, but it might get too big.
Small flower bush
Ferns, hosta, Ohio spiderwort, astilbe, columbine
Hostas
Fern
Heuchera
Each one has variety’s and like shade.
River rocks would look nice
Put a couple pots in there call it done
Canna lillies
You just don’t have room for anything but a sidewalk or walkable groundcover,, or maybe a thick layer of woodchips, if you use the length of it for a walkway.
Japanese painted ferns
Native ferns would work well there.
That’s an alley?
Hostas and heuchera and foamflower and violets and ferns. All shade tolerant. Heuchera and foamflower are evergreen which is a bonus. Some ferns are evergreens too.
Nothing it will become overgrown in no time; as a landscape professional I’d recommend a nice decorative rock and some potted plants
Walk on mud to get to the pavers
A bloody glove a size smaller than you normally wear. Never can be too sure