Hi, I have an area at the back of the house that does not get any sun and feels quite cold and damp with moss thriving on the concrete. So I was looking for an alternative way of brightening it up with some container plants rather than digging it up. Though this could be the way forward dependant on replies.

Is there a good selection of plants available for containers that would do well in this type of environment or is the option to bleed some sweat and dig the concrete up for better plants? The area is approximately 8'x8'.

If I was to dig this area up, I would need plants that wouldn't have invasive rooting system to threaten the wall structure of the house.

I have only really started getting green fingers and just managed to fill most of the borders at the front with plants, so my knowledge is limited to choosing the right plants for the right environment.

Thanks in advance.

On 16/06/2013 20:34, Codster wrote:

Hi, I have an area at the back of the house that does not get any sun
and feels quite cold and damp with moss thriving on the concrete. So I
was looking for an alternative way of brightening it up with some
container plants rather than digging it up. Though this could be the
way forward dependant on replies.

Is there a good selection of plants available for containers that would
do well in this type of environment or is the option to bleed some sweat
and dig the concrete up for better plants? The area is approximately
8'x8'.

If I was to dig this area up, I would need plants that wouldn't have
invasive rooting system to threaten the wall structure of the house.

I have only really started getting green fingers and just managed to
fill most of the borders at the front with plants, so my knowledge is
limited to choosing the right plants for the right environment.

Thanks in advance.





It would help us to help you if we knew roughly where you live and what
is causing the coldness and dampness, in your opinion. Also, bearing in
mind that you have planted other areas, what kind of soil do you have
locally ... clayey, sandy, loamy, etc. Do you know that aspect of the
area you want to plant?

By the way, congratulations on the new green fingers. Hope you enjoy
gardening for many years to come.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 16/06/2013 22:55, Spider wrote:
On 16/06/2013 20:34, Codster wrote:

Hi, I have an area at the back of the house that does not get any sun
and feels quite cold and damp with moss thriving on the concrete. So I
was looking for an alternative way of brightening it up with some
container plants rather than digging it up. Though this could be the
way forward dependant on replies.

Is there a good selection of plants available for containers that would
do well in this type of environment or is the option to bleed some sweat
and dig the concrete up for better plants? The area is approximately
8'x8'.

If I was to dig this area up, I would need plants that wouldn't have
invasive rooting system to threaten the wall structure of the house.

I have only really started getting green fingers and just managed to
fill most of the borders at the front with plants, so my knowledge is
limited to choosing the right plants for the right environment.

Thanks in advance.





It would help us to help you if we knew roughly where you live and what
is causing the coldness and dampness, in your opinion. Also, bearing in
mind that you have planted other areas, what kind of soil do you have
locally ... clayey, sandy, loamy, etc. Do you know that aspect of the
area you want to plant?

By the way, congratulations on the new green fingers. Hope you enjoy
gardening for many years to come.


A lot of it is "suck it and see". I would plant a few shade tolerant
(rather than shade loving) plants in pots and see what thrives. Maybe
dig up the concrete in a year or two when you know what your options are.
There is a big difference between dense shade (e.g. under a tree) and
somewhere that just doesn't receive direct sunlight (light will bounce
off pale coloured buildings nearby).
As Spider says, more detail about location and soil would help. Probably
save you money in failed experiments too!

A lot of plants can be planted in containers if they don't grow too large. Conversely, a lot of plants sold for containers are tolerant of sunshine and drought because this is what they'll get on more people's patios. So "container plants" as such are probably not what you're looking for.

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

On 2013-06-17 15:42:37 +0100, kay said:

Codster;985254 Wrote:
Hi, I have an area at the back of the house that does not get any sun
and feels quite cold and damp with moss thriving on the concrete. So I
was looking for an alternative way of brightening it up with some
container plants rather than digging it up. Though this could be the
way forward dependant on replies.

Is there a good selection of plants available for containers that would
do well in this type of environment or is the option to bleed some sweat
and dig the concrete up for better plants? The area is approximately
8'x8'.

If I was to dig this area up, I would need plants that wouldn't have
invasive rooting system to threaten the wall structure of the house.

I have only really started getting green fingers and just managed to
fill most of the borders at the front with plants, so my knowledge is
limited to choosing the right plants for the right environment.


A lot of plants can be planted in containers if they don't grow too
large. Conversely, a lot of plants sold for containers are tolerant of
sunshine and drought because this is what they'll get on more people's
patios. So "container plants" as such are probably not what you're
looking for.

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to
start with! ;-)
--

Sacha
South Devon

But you're in the tropical SW! (Assuming you meant that literally) Ours started flowering only 2-3 weeks ago.

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.

On 2013-06-18 08:41:18 +0100, David Hill said:


If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.

Sitting here and NOT sticking my tongue out! ;-)
--

Sacha
South Devon

What - the common yellow welsh poppy? Agreed the blue ones are difficult, but I didn't think there was anywhere that the yellow one wouldn't grow.

On 18/06/2013 08:41, David Hill wrote:

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.




It takes best from *really* fresh seed. Can you beg some from a neighbour?

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 19/06/2013 12:01, Spider wrote:
On 18/06/2013 08:41, David Hill wrote:

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.




It takes best from *really* fresh seed. Can you beg some from a neighbour?


I would if I could, but I cant as there is no one in this part of Wales
growing it that I have found.

On 2013-06-19 13:22:55 +0100, David Hill said:

On 19/06/2013 12:01, Spider wrote:
On 18/06/2013 08:41, David Hill wrote:

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.




It takes best from *really* fresh seed. Can you beg some from a neighbour?


I would if I could, but I cant as there is no one in this part of Wales
growing it that I have found.

Plants really do have a will of their own. Ours has seeded itself in a
large patch and in precisely the right place, too, in the border under
the office window, in a container with other plants and on the very
pointy edge of that same border, right beside some Nepeta, with which
it looks wonderful. That's just for starters, too! Obviously there's
something about David's soil and that of his area that it just doesn't
like. ;-(
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

Is it not growing wild anywhere near you? Its range covers the whole of Wales (with the possible exception of Haverfordwest ;-) ), and it's more abundant in the W of the UK than the E

On 19/06/2013 13:22, David Hill wrote:
On 19/06/2013 12:01, Spider wrote:
On 18/06/2013 08:41, David Hill wrote:

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica
tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.




It takes best from *really* fresh seed. Can you beg some from a
neighbour?


I would if I could, but I cant as there is no one in this part of Wales
growing it that I have found.




Right. That can be remedied. I have collected a fair bit of seed from
my garden this week. I only need a bit for my garden, and I've got
shedloads:~). I'll pop some in an envelope for you later this evening,
once dinner is out of the way.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 19/06/2013 16:42, Spider wrote:
On 19/06/2013 13:22, David Hill wrote:
On 19/06/2013 12:01, Spider wrote:
On 18/06/2013 08:41, David Hill wrote:

If nothing else, the yellow welsh poppy Mecanopsis cambrica
tolerates a
good deal of shade - I have it growing in the join between tarmac and
wall in the narrow lane alongside my house.

In our experience - a happy one - M cambrica tolerates just about
everything but deep sea immersion! It has seeded itself all over the
place in our garden. We have it in beds facing east, south weat and
north, in pots and slightly posher containers, in wide borders and in
something closely resembling a gravel path and it seems to be having a
particularly good year this year. It's a fabulous plant and if it
wasn't so generous with its favours, people would be fighting over
obtaining seeds, imo. It's probably Ray's favourite plant AND to cap
its virtues, it's a rare day in the year when you can't find one in
flower somewhere in the garden. Every garden should have one - to
start
with! ;-)


That is IF you can get it to start, it doesn't seem to like me as I've
failed every time I have tried to grow it.




It takes best from *really* fresh seed. Can you beg some from a
neighbour?


I would if I could, but I cant as there is no one in this part of Wales
growing it that I have found.




Right. That can be remedied. I have collected a fair bit of seed from
my garden this week. I only need a bit for my garden, and I've got
shedloads:~). I'll pop some in an envelope for you later this evening,
once dinner is out of the way.


Sounds as if I should try it on rough ground like the car park, and not
be to kind to it.