Ideas for this shady snail spot

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Author Message   Magic_monk  Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 10:32 am EST :    Hi everyone. I am new to this site. My gardening skills are virtually nil but I've decided this year I am going to make my front and back gardens pretty!The first spot on the hit list is a raised border (?) at the edge of the driveway. I have attached a picture. I think it is what you would describe as a north facing wall? It is mostly in the shade and it is home to lots of snails:( It currently has some kinda rose climber in the corner at the back which I don't particularly like. And I don't have the skills to harness it to the wall so it just hangs forward and attacks you as you try to get through the gate LOL). I am therefore thinking of replacing it with a climbing hydrangea (the one with the white flowers). I read somewhere this may be snail 'resistant'? However, I am worried the climbing hydrangea may be too big for the small corner space? I don't want to have to fight with it to get through the gate:) The other option is to plant something above the corner that trails down as there is another raised border (?) up there? The other plants you can see are some daffs and some kind of shrub (no idea what it is) which never flowers. Help! Magic_monk - Durham, Zone "9"   Garden_spider  Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 07:33 pm EST :    Rather than a climbing vine to replace the rose, you might consider a small tree or large, single trunked shrub, such as Oemelaria (Indian Plum). Good for part shade, north facing walls. It does spread wide, but can be limbed up so that you can walk under it. Both male and female plants are needed for the fruit, which is olive-sized purple and plum-like. For vines: Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) might also do well climbing on the wall. No need to fasten it, it grips with little suckers and supports itself. Extremely vigorous plant Parth. henryii is Silvervein Creeper, not quite as vigorous, but still plenty hardy and undemanding. It has dark green leaves marked with silver. Both have beautiful scarlet foliage in fall. Of course, they are deciduous, so will have bare branches all winter long. Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelain berry) is deciduous, but covered in berries of different colors all winter long (blue, blue & white, white, yellow, pinkish, purplish)--stunning! Akebia quinata is another good vine for shade. Other shrubs: Sarcococca, evergreen, blooms in winter with small, but heavenly, vanilla scented flowers. Daphne--D. odora blooms in winter with small, lemon-scented blossoms. Daphne x burkwoodii blooms in late spring and again in late summer--this Daph. may need more sun than your site has, however. Gaultheria shalon (Salal), evergreen broadleaf. Kinda coarse looking, but very hardy and undemanding. Needs acid soil, so you may have to add peat. For smaller plantings: Hostas for interesting foliage (slugs adore hostas, so I'm guessing snails will, too--you may have to work to get it under control). Hellebores. Cyclamen. Brunnera--I'm growing "Jack Frost" on the N side of my house, gorgeous silver and green leaves, and forget-me-not blue flowers in spring. Tiarella (Foam flower), Astilbe, wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens--another acid lover.) Think about variegated foliage. Green and White, Green and Yellow will catch your eye in shade. Avoid purple foliage or flowers--they disappear in shade. I planted Heuchera "Plum Passion" in shade, and never saw it again. It was there, I just never noticed it. Heuchera "Lime Rickey", though, with those bright chartreuse leaves, shows up wonderfully. The fall leaves of Silvervein creeper really light up that area, too. Bulbs: Erythronium species (Trout lily, Dog tooth Violet), Disporum species (Fairybells), some Fritillaries might work. All these plants (with the possible exception of the Daphne) are easy to grow, and don't require a lot of care. If you like the shrub that doesn't bloom, keep it. Otherwise, get rid of it. My guess is it's not blooming because it doesn't get enough sun. The other possibility is that the flowers are very inconspicuous. For myself, a plant has to earn its keep--flowers, interesting foliage, seedpods or bark, attractive to birds or butterflies, or preferably, all of the above. Garden_spider - Washington, Zone "USDA z7"

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