Hosta?

Hostas was my first thought too. Our last yard had quite a bit of shade, so even this black thumb had good luck with them. My husband mentioned something that lasts year round. But I feel most bushes would quickly consume that small space.

I would put in large square (or irregular) stepping stones, then add a ground cover. Go to your local, large nursery and ask for them help in selecting a ground cover that will do well in that lighting. If you want more 'color', you can set potted plants on the stones.

Check the link below for more ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ground covers

I admit my first thought was hostas as well. I was thinking a variety of different colors and heights.
If you just want a ground cover you could also put in pachysandra, regular or variegated. I think I ultimately would go with ajuga and creeping thyme, interspersed with some large stones for texture and a few splotches of some clumps and/or tufts, a hosta here, hakone grass there, maybe heuchera, and I'd probably throw in some astilbe(because I love it so).

I must have been typing when Annz posted. Great minds think alike, Annz!

Epimediums will bloom and fill in nicely...an alternative to pachysandra or hostas. I like the idea of day lilies. You could also do dwarf bushes that don't get too tall like butterfly bush. Maybe do a combo of some taller bushes at the back and some lower growing perennials nearer the front so the entire space is filled and visible.

I would do a combination of hosta, ferns, and heuchera. Astilbe would be nice, too, but they really do need a lot of water-more even than hosta which are almost impossible to kill and they aren't only for shade, although people always think of them in that context because they are so shade tolerant. I love the Japanese Painted ferns with hosta. Check out the hosta forum for ideas and pictures. Lots of experts there.

I would post it on the landscaping forum too, but I think I would try to layer a few things in for some interest. Not familiar with what grows in your zone, so no suggestions. You could also make it a combination rock garden/plants to still have access to maintenance on the fence or the garage. Without having to step on plants.

I think I'd want to put something with height at the end for a focal point.

IMO, most garages and driveways could really use some graceful screening and the special charm shade adds.

If so, how about a tough but pretty small tree, ideally an evergreen, arching gracefully from just in front of the garage corner, both to accomplish that and to block out the house beyond?

Then tough, tall, narrow shrubs, something recommended by a good nursery or landscaper, to fill the back of that narrow space with green and block out the house behind more? Then tough low shrubs or other groundcover in the unpaved area under the tree and stretching back to meet the tall shrubs?

Any shrubs alongside the garage also need to be able to be cropped to the ground and grow right back for when that area needs to be accessed to be worked on.

This post was edited by rosie on Sat, May 25, 13 at 15:18

I concur...large stepping stones, some liriope or mondo grass, and an abundance of mulch. If you want to dress up you can hang pots from the fence, add a trellis and vines, or just some fun outdoor wall décor. Keep it simple.

I agree with what Annz said and "Stepables" is a good place to see available low-growing plants and what might work in your area. Leave the area between the fence and garage accessible with only stepping stones and ground cover.

In front of the garage I'd plant something that went with the rest of the landscaping. It's a very narrow bed next to where you may be getting out of your vehicle so that is a restriction. Best to continue the ground cover and put in a few narrow, small, or short plants. Or put up 2 or 3 trellises and grow vines.

It doesn't look like this space leads anywhere - that it just dead ends into the back fence at the end of the garage. Is that right? Is this a place where garbage cans might need to be stored or anything like that (that would change everything)? Do you want low maintenance ground cover or something that adds maximum visual appeal? Do you like whimsy in your garden?

Personally, when I have a strange space to work with, I like to try to find a fun way to make it something more. ground cover and stepping stones may be functional in giving you something better than mud if you have to walk back there, but aren't that interesting to me I would start by thinking of something that would add interest, something you would enjoy looking at or that could add some kind of function.

If you have children, you could put a small table and chairs in the space, create a secret garden, make it a mini veggie garden, and herb garden with some edible flowers (nasturtiums for one), a butterfly garden, etc.

If you don't have small children, you can still take some of those ideas, consider a fountain, bird bath, large bush (something that takes pruning well and possibly trained as a small tree), a trellis or obelisk with a flowering vine. I'd If you want a more formal and structured look, you could espalier plantings along the length of the fence.

It is a plan and straight space, so I would want to add something for some visual interest and relief, so I would add a trellis with a blooming vine, a birdbath, fountain or something taller -- perhaps a regular size bush that prunes well either to maintain control or the size or to train like a small tree. Plant lower flowers and ground cover to the front. Don't lay any stepping stones or path straight -- give it and eased curve and some flow.

There are lots of ways to approach a space like that -- anything from plain grass on. Decide whether you want something to simply green up the space and eliminate mud, something functional like an herb garden, something whimsical, something for show -- pick an idea, then develop it to fit the space.

Just be sure to watch how the sun hits it at different times over several days. Many suggestions are for things that really do need or do best in full sun which means more than six hours of sun. Looking at that space, I would be surprised if indeed you get that much there.

I love the idea of adding a bird bath as a focus. That would be great with the hosta, ferns, and astilbe. My astilbe do best near my bird baths because I dump it and refill daily, so they get tons of water.

Oh wow, you guys are the BEST. So many options. So, I watched how the sun hits it today and it gets direct sunlight for a few hours, so that may change up the plan a bit.

annz - I love the idea of the step stones and the ground cover with a couple other things interspersed in there. Ran it by the husband and he is loving that idea too.

localeater - thanks for the suggestions, a couple of those aren't familiar, so I am off to google to investigate, and make sure they will grow here!

daisyinga - I had forgotten about daylillies, I actually successfully grew them at my last house. I think they will get plenty of sun. I willl check out the mondo grass too as I agree that a groundcover may be the best option, and like that you steered me away from the "thuggish". If I had backed up about 5 feet you would see my neighbors ivy (between his house and my drive) that is threatening to take over. He said I could tear it out if I want, so just may do that. We have a couple of good nurseries around here so I am sure I can get some suggestions from the folks there as long as it isn't too busy.

Annie - thanks for the suggestions. We actually have a couple of bushes that are currently mismatched in the front of the house (yes, I am sure I will be hitting you guys up for some help there too) so were looking to relocate them somewhere in our teeny tiny little yard. They aren't showy, but perhaps they would fit in nicely here.

cyn247 - I think I misspoke about the shade. That sun beats down on that area for several hours, so I think I need to get something a bit more sun friendly!

lyfia - I have ventured over there and they sure know their stuff, so i will be sure to do that, thanks!

rosie - I would LOVE a tree, in an area known for its large trees, our yard is sadly lacking and we were thinking about planting something in the fall, but hadn't considered here as I didn't know that we would have room. Are you thinking in the back corner of the garage? It wouldn't really have to block the view of that house so wouldn't have to be terrible large. To give some perspective, this is an older house with a detached garage which sits is the back left corner of the lot. That roof you see belongs to the garage of that house beyond it, which is pretty much the set up for most of the houses around here

happyintexas - I think we are on the same path with the stepping stones - love that idea! Thanks!

luckygal - rest of the landscaping??? I dont comprehend! Haha, we moved in recently and let's just say that the previous homeowners were clearly not interested in the yard. The one area that had bushes, they are all mismatched. We are just looking it as a blank slate for us!

lascatx - yep, it leads nowhere. There is a power line beyond our fence back there, but that is about it. When we put the fence up we added a gate just in case anybody needed to get back there so we'll have to keep that open, but you could also just walk around the back side of the garage. There is maybe an additional few feet beyond the garage. So this area is strictly cosmetic, no need to ever really walk back there. I like your ideas, thanks! I think I will look for a nice birdbath, there is a statuary place here locally that we were going to look for the stones, so I am sure they will have lots of options for a bath too!

Kellienoelle, there is a difference between dwarf mondo grass and mondo grass. I have both in my yard. Mondo grass is taller, similar to liriope. Dwarf mondo grass is very low-growing.

Daylilies will live in the shade, but they will flower better with a good bit of sun. And mine do better with a good bit of water. I don't know if you want to plant anything along the side of the house there that needs to be watered a lot.

If you want to plant a tree you may want to take extra care to take this picture to a garden center with a landscape architect and get some good advice about which type of tree to plant. Different people have different opinions, but I personally do not like to plant trees too close to my driveway, my roof and my foundation. I don't want the branches from the trees to fall on my car during a storm, don't want any sticky sap on my car, don't want any roots to cause cracks to my driveway, don't want to have to trim a tree in a tight space, don't want any more leaves to clog my gutters. I have had all of these problem situations in my yard. I love trees, but living on the lot my home is on has made me a lot more picky about which kind of tree and where.

Have fun. You may find your thumb is a lot greener than you thought.

I should have also added - you may want to get more information about eradicating ivy. You might have trouble pulling it all up.

I would handle it as two separate areas. Between the garage and the fence looks like a plant-it-and-forget-it area. I would put pachysandra there. Between the driveway and the fence, I would use some of the ideas mentioned above.

A BIG vote for stepping stones and groundcover between the house and the garage ...and next to the driveway so that folks can use the area when they step out of their cars or trucks ...THEN if you want to add seasonal color -- just add a few large pots filled with colorful flowers .

Hi, Kellie. I'm imagining a tree a bit in FRONT of the garage but before the planting area narrows too much. I was thinking the roots would be able to spread under the earth to the left, but if there's a paved driveway on the other side of the fence, choices of small trees would be limited to the kinds used commercially and by municipalities for similar conditions. Fortunately, there are some nice ones. Some are actually large shrubs that are limbed up to tree form.

As for alongside the garage, I'm imagining low plantings under and behind the tree until you get to the back face, where a taller shrub could provide a prettier green background to the picture in front. BTW, just FYI, shrubs need to be about 3 feet tall before they reliably smother weed growth (not including oak tree seedlings, etc.).

So, a medium-size green shrub for the background, and the tree, then for the rest of the unplanted area any of the suggested lower ground covers and pretty things you might care to plant (like hostas in mostly shade, something much tougher along the pavement).

Since this is a rather challenging area, though, I'd choose all plants specificallly for their ability thrive under these conditions and for their ultimate sizes to be right for their positions so I could place and mostly just enjoy them.

Only a couple hours of direct sun is really part shade. Many so-called shade plants do fine with a couple of hours of direct sun. If you want shrubs, a couple of hydrangea would be lovely as well. I love the H. paniculata 'Tardiva' and H. arborescens Annabelle. If you take a picture from farther away, it would be easier to judge the space as far as a tree goes. Hard to tell how wide the space is without some reference point.

I think you should definitely wander around your local nursery and talk to people there who know what they are talking about-not the seasonal help. They will be able to point you in the right direction better than any of us! Just share the looks you love and the plants they have that appeal to you. Once they know a little about your space (light, soil type, etc.) they will get you started.

A row of white Periwinkles on the side that gets the most sun, and stepping stones on the other side.

Periwinkles are sooo easy to grow, all they need is water. White stands out the best.

And plant them about 6" apart to give the full, bushy look. A lot of people plant their flowers too far apart.

I am in KC too.
From the garage on back, I would suggest the orange lilies that are created specifically for this zone. Easy to grow and come back every year.

And a few everblooming roses at the corner of the garage area.

Along the driveway -Mondo grass.

These will thrive easily here and come back year after year.

Do you want to have it be mostly maintenance free? If so I suggest grass or a ground cover.

I'm with the stones-and ground cover crowd.

I'd use big squares of bluestone or a concrete paver you like, plant vinca minor (the dark green small-leaved periwinkle), put in tons of daffodil bulbs to come up through it in the spring and be gone by the time you have to do maintenance, and mulch heavily so you can be patient for the two or three seasons it takes for the periwinkle to make a dense, thick mat. Absolutely worth the wait.

And then, because the area doesn't go anywhere, I'd put an exterior grade full length mirror on the back skinny wall, surround it with natural trellising, plant a vine to cover it eventually (not ivy - a huge headache to control), and set a big birdbath just in front of the mirror.

The mirror solves the dead-end problem and throws the light around a bit, the vine and trellis furnish and mask the wall, the birdbath gives you a focal point, the vinca is deep and soft, and the big stepping stones give the space some scale and a comfortable surface to walk down and to support the tasks of maintenance.

A large-scale edited scheme like this would give your skinny little alleyway some real presence. It's a perfect "go big or go home" situation!

I love it. There are a lot of gardeners here. I used to play with tiny scraps around a bungalow on a 4000 square foot lot carved out of the side of a mountain. I absolutely would have done this sort of thing--although, since periwinkle doesn't form luscious deep green carpets there, maybe having fun tucking in little plants picked up at Southern California Horticultural Society meetings--if two sides of our old garage weren't retaining walls holding up other properties. Every other inch, vertical and horizontal was covered.

Kellienoelle, if the gardening bug hits bad, the possibilities are endless. For normal people trying to add charm through landscaping, though, I suggest not directing attention back there at all. Unless, of course, it sounds like fun. Otherwise, I'd keep any decoratives right up front, at absolute most extending only a yard or so at most behind the corner of the garage with handsome greenery stopping the eye from continuing behind that, the intent being to create a pretty corner for the garage area, not to divert attention down this little alley.

After a brief hiatus and much needed vacation I am back and ready to tackle this with all of the great suggestions here. We are starting basic at first and may add something fancier if I find that I am more capable at this gardening thing than I had thought. We picked some stuff up today. We are starting with some flagstone stepping stones meandering along the area between the fence and garage. Got some sedum based on the recommendation of the garden center (Soil Service - who really have helpful people for juliekcmo, I am sure you've been there), and a couple of daylillies. I am thinking of adding some liriope along the foundation of the garage structure to hide the concrete. I think it will be a nice start. Planning on getting to planting tomorrow so ill post a pic of the finished product. Who knows, you guys could be creating a monster. Hopefully a green thumbed one!

Here is the after. An improvement over the dirt patch but room for improvement if I want. Thanks again for the ideas, some if which I may implement once my husband gets over the sticker shock of all that we've done and spent so far for our "move in ready" home. Isn't that just the way it goes though?

We hang a couple of impatiens pouches on a nail on the neighbor's fence. They add pops of color up high, and handle both sun and shade, depending on the time of day.

You could also try wall-hung troughs along the sunny driveway, for herbs or decoratives.

We recently leveled and seeded our entire yard, and laid a flagstone patio. We left one small spot (to the left of the steps, approx. 6'x5') blank because it would be a nuisance to mow/edge. We had grand plans to make a little 'scene' there with a hypertufa bird bath, river rock, and rock garden plants and some grasses all around it. Sounded great. The hypertufa we made was okay but with the retaining wall the last thing we need there is more gray concrete.
Now we are at a loss how to fill this spot. I'd LOVE to have a basalt bird bath rock, but we have a steep driveway and there is no way we could get one of those heavy rocks into the back yard.

Ideas? Our neighbors hedge (in the pic) is on the north side of our house. While it's a sunny spot, we are in western Oregon so we only get hot sun a few months out of the year.

We want it to be a DIY project....we're pretty capable and willing to try most things.

Thanks for any input you may have! :)

What a pretty garden, Shaknzmom, and what great opportunity. To get answers, you need to start a new thread. Just go to the bottom of the first page and copy this over there. There is also a garden design forum, where you might get answers from even more enthusiasts.

Kellienoelle, bet your lilies were lovely in bloom--or are about to be.

I came back, Shak, to add the link below to the design forum since what you really need is design suggestions for people who love that stuff. And there are lots of them there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscape design forum

This post was edited by rosie on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 20:29

kellienoelle, that looks really good- and once those plants fill out it will look great. The flagstones are perfect!

Thanks Rosie - I haven't been on this site for quite a while. I have reposted...thanks for the info and the link. :)