What would you grow here?

[MrsBertBibby]

I plan to put a trough at the end of this space, to improve the view, and conceal the rather ugly wall. The area gets zero direct sun, being surrounded on 3 sides by the house, the retaining wall and fence, and the planting to the right (camellia, geranium, and astilbe and fuchsia.)

I'm wary of hostas for reasons of slugs, could go ferns, I guess? Although something year-round would be nice. I'm a colour junkie, so ferns would be a new one for me. The window to the left of the pic is a sitting room we have recently reclaimed from being a pit of lego, so would be nice to have something looking good year round.

There’s a lot of variety in ferns. Some are evergreen, so give winter greenness. The deciduous ones have beauty of their own, in the golden brown as they die down, and the unfurling of the new fronds.

Well if it was me I'd plant herbs in it, plenty out there with pretty flowers that slugs aren't that keen on. Then you'd also have the lovely smells, but that's just me.

For colour, try Japanese Painted Fern.

Not many herbs that can cope with the complete lack of sun. Many of our herbs are Mediterranean, used to full sun. Of the UK natives, Sweet Cicely could cope, mint prefers sun. Basil is OK without sun but needs warmth.

Fuschias like the shade, and there are lots of varieties to choose from.

Or shrubs with variegated leaves often usually prefer the shade.

I have a raised bed in a similar position and grow hellebores in it. That means, in winter and early spring, they are close to the house so we can see their flowers from inside. They then have those lovey big green leaves for the summer and into autumn.

In our spot, we also get a little early morning sun and then anything taller than the fence gets some evening sun, so I grow climbing shade-tolerant roses through the hellebores and up onto the fence and above it.

But I also agree ferns can be truly lovely - though there are less evergreen ones than I'd like and, ime, the deciduous ones tend to be prettier, leaving bare soil for some months of the year.

@MereDintofPandiculation
www.gardenersworld.com/plants/shade-loving-herbs-to-grow/
A few more than that.
Chives are beautiful and slugs don't like it very much.
I've also grown comfrey in very shaded cold places and

Rule of thumb, silver variegated tend to keep the variegation in shade, gold variegated less so.

General tip, Mr Dahl and Mr Fuchs have both had plants named after them, hence Dahlia and Fuchsia

Some Heucheras tolerate shade and are beautifully coloured.

www.heucheraholics.co.uk/

Here's a list of shade-tolerant ones.

www.heucheraholics.co.uk/Shade_Tolerant/cat3666017_3411917.aspx

Thank you, some great suggestions! And links.

Hellebore is a great idea, not for that trough, but to replace the geraniums on the right. The colour of those clashes horrifically with the camellia, and it is swamping the astilbe and fuchsia next door it's raised enough so we will really get to enjoy the flowers! Thank you!

Can't resist showing off my outrageous chives, which are in a sunnier spot, and keeping the bees happy.

Heuchera I hadn't thought of, although my partner is not keen. Mind you, he said that about hellebore once, and now we have a whole bunch up the top of the garden, so he's not unpersuadable....

Thanks all!

mailfernatix.co.uk. I think that spot is screaming out for a dramatic fern. I am also not so fond of heucheras but what about epimediums? there are some quite dramatic ones now.

I wondered about chives (which aren’t a UK native). Mine are in full sun, and I wondered whether they’d flower in the shade. I know flowers aren’t essential to chives.

The trouble with that spot is that it is complete shade, so most plants of deciduous woodland won’t like it - they are usually geared up to grow and flower in the spring when there are no leaves on the trees, but this spot doesn’t have a “spring”.

I love ferns. You can get evergreen ferns but my favourite is still the deciduous ostrich fern. I have snowdrops, crocus and fritillary bulbs planted around mine for colour late Jan to April. The flowers died away before the fern got going again this year (I only planted it last year so wasn't 100% confident) and it's now covering some less than lovely foliage.

I''ve put an acer sango kaku in a similar dim space...it's happy so far and the stems are red in winter and I'm enjoying watching the leaves changes through the year. It's a bright green at the moment.

Also have a fatsia japonica spiderweb which is variegated and evergreen and is OK with deep shade.

I popped some bulbs in for the winter. And have just bought a callicarpa for a bit of winter colour too and I'll stick it somewhere sunnier for the summer when it's looking dull...

Oh I have a sango kaku too. It's beautiful! I spotted one in B&Q the other day for £35 and nearly bought it. It's the same price as our garden centre but was twice the size of theirs.

Lilly of the Valley, does well in the shade, also some Crainsbill geraniums don’t mind shade.

I also have a raised bed by the house in the shade and planted Fatsia in it a year ago with ferns underneath. It has grown loads and survived frosts and is evergreen.