Another difficult corner problem with pic

[WhileMyMeringueGentlyWeeps]

Hi, I've not long moved into this house and am in the process of making the garden mine but I feel stumped by this area. It's the immediate area under a huge oak, so shaded a lot of the time tree and has been concreted by the previous tenants who had chicken coops there.
It's been showered by leaves and twigs since November. It also gets pooped on by the birds which sit in the tree.
I don't feel up to trying to break up and remove the concrete as neither DP nor myself is in the first flush of youth and I don't have money for anyone else to do that either.
Would put a shed there I think but again money isn't available even for a second hand one.
I am taking up the gravel around the tree and the weed suppressant membrane under that in order to plant with bulbs and geraniums and further out from the tree I am going to try various drought and shade tolerant plants eventually.

Do you have or can you run to some decent size pots? I'd be inclined to make a virtue of necessity, and put in something that will appreciate the shade, and brighten it. Maybe camelia? If the concrete is really ugly, can you frame it and add gravel or similar?

I do have some big pots and am planning to decant several of the plants I have in big pots into the the soil thus freeing up big pot.
Do you think camelia would be ok in a pot? They grow so big. Actually the garden currently has several. Do I want anymore?
Maybe ferns in pots?
I will have sooooo much gravel to use once I've cleared the main garden so yes I could frame the edges of concrete and cover it....maybe it could be made to blend in with the rest of the garden that way.

We had camelia in a pot happily enough for some years, it is in the ground now, and I imagine will get a lot bigger.

But yes, if you have camelia already, perhaps a rethink. Daphne or Sarcococca for the winter scent. Chaenomeles or Viburnum? You could rotate, so whatever is looking good comes to the fore.

Good to have something of decent size, to fill the space.

Mmm three of those shrubs are on my list for the garden and I hadn't thought of having them in pots so that could be a good option. Hydrangea was another which might also fit.

Thank you.

If you have a nice big pot I would put a couple of japanese maples there, maybe a red and a sango kaku.

Also some ferns and lots of heucheras.

If you could stretch to some scaffolding planks you could build a lovely raised bed there. Put a decent layer of gravel in the base for drainage and you shouldn’t need to break up the concrete (although if you could drill a few holes through it that would be good).

More chickens?
Large pots?
Clean it up, string fairy lights up high and make a little secret shaded seating area for reading etc?

Until you have funds would you consider a wild life area, they are relatively easy to make, decaying wood, stones lumps of concrete, maybe a small tin bath for frogs and toads.

I would plant cheap plants some in pots and some in the ground. Do nt dead head them as the seeds will grow again. You need plants that have a shallow root system and a spreading habit lamium, dead nettle is perfect also periwinkle and forget me not.

A good tip for planting on stony ground is to take the bottom of a plastic container. Fill with soil, Then plant invasive plants which will make there way to rough ground underneath. Don’t use good quality soil for these. Japanese anenome , Astilbe, Cornus, Cocnurnianius, white stemmed bramble, forgetmenots,acqueligia, ladies bonnets, bleeding
heart and astilbe. They are tough as old boots..

To disguise the plastic place stones and wood around them for the insects. They will gobble up the falling leaves.

A excellent place for cheap plants is Wilko. They do ivy, heathers, low stealing cypress plants and ferns.

Hope this helps

I do not want chickens. Oh no.
Nor would I want to sit reading under the birds.

The use of normally invasive plants is one I have thought of and I really like mint which is one I am thinking of having again. The geraniums or cranesbill similarly do well although one seems to prefer dry shade and mint more wet conditions. I think I'm going to put gravel back around plants in the main ground areas and the concrete bit, covered with some pots and gravel might, hopefully blend in.
Been to Wilko today!

Mind your own business would grow over the concrete in my experience or a small leaved ivy. Not good for height though

Herb bed?
Compost bin area?
Raised bed with woodland plants?
Def no chickens or books 😂

I have a very pretty tiny leafed ivy in a huge pot that overflows it to the ground. There's also a Japanese maple in there but it's the ivy that is steals the show. It reminds of those Japanese gravel gardens that have moss coloured rocks artfully placed. Maybe you could something similar with different sized pots and not too vigorous ivy . Low maintenance as well.

Talking of ivy, might I suggest that you go all round the tree and sever the ivy as close to the ground as possible, before the ivy really takes hold in the tree. Although ivy is reasonably good for wildlife, there's a lot more of that about than there are oak trees. A heavy load of ivy in a mature deciduous tree causes so much wind resistance it can cause the tree to be brought down.

I wouldn't want compost bins there sadly as it's the main area in eye sight from the house so I'm aiming to make it attractive to look at in some way. Not that compost bins can't be attractive in a utilitarian way.

Mind your own business is so lovely.

The ivy in a pot sounds beautiful. Do you think acers would do well under the tree? I have two very small at the moment specimens that could go there.I really like the idea of the Japanese zen gravel garden.

The ivy on the oak tree has already been cut as soon as I moved in. I don't like ivy up trees anyway. It's taking a while to die off but I'm assured that it will.

Oaks are quite deep-rooted trees so they don't come with the problems that, for instance, Beeches do. In west coast gardens rhododendrons under oaks is a classic planting. Ferns would be great here and are fashionable. Go for some big statuesque less usual ones like Dropteris affines 'Cristata The king' or Polystichum setiferum 'Herrenhausen'. Easy to get hold of online. Solomon's seal (polygonatum hybrids) always looks good with them. Euphorbia amygdaloides will take dry shade. Lots and lots of things as well as bulbs like Erythronium (dogs tooth violet) and martagon lilies. Essentially you've got the makings of a small woodland garden.

Sorry, should have said, pots on the concrete and then use plantings further out to hide the pots. Camellias do well in pots but can be niggardly with flowers in too much shade. Hydrangeas do pots and shade, as do rhodos. Hostas are fantastic in pots and the leaves get huge and tropical looking.

Oh lord I've been browsing online plant suppliers and have filled baskets before abandoning them again. Lots to think about.
The woodland garden is what I'm going for. I think the pots on the concrete surrounded by gravel which blends into the rest of the garden is what I'm going to try and achieve. I have some big pots which at the moment contain plants that will go into the earth now that I have earth to plant them in. Pots will then be free to plant the shade loving stuff and place under the tree on the concrete. But maybe only 3 big ones, some smaller ones around them and then the gravel extending into gravel round permanent planting.

That sounds lovely! I think acers would probably be ok there too and fit in well. I think the red ones need sun, but they all seem- in my garden anyway- to prefer a sheltered, non windy spot.