How far is it from the house to the patio in both directions and what are the conifers behind the rake and out in front of the kidney shaped bed?

tj

frankly .... im wondering if that area wouldnt qualify as bright shade.. which wouldn't be all that limiting as to plant choice ...

conifers usually need full sun ... especially yellows .. to color properly ... but some smaller JMaps might work in there ... the only impact on them.. might be that they are a bit wispier in the next decade.. than they would be otherwise ...'

i would want some height.. to break up the wall.. while sitting on the patio

you might also consider trellises at the corner ... with something like clematis to soften the edge ...

i would also plant something to hide what i presume is the a/c ...

is every thing else around the house freshly planted??? ... you might want to move some of those into this area ... should you decide that it is perfect for the new spot ... and get something else to replace it .... in the sense you dont need 2 of anything ...

im curious where the french drain behind the wall drains to????

ken

Except at the very closest end (where the bed extends out beyond the house) there is not enough room for a Japanese maple so skip that suggestion.

If you want to include a conifer, I'd consider Cryptomeria japonica 'Knaptonensis' (which will burn in full sun) or Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost', neither of which are likely to outgrow that siting any time soon.

Hello Tsuga,

Dimensions attached and also some of the plants that are planted in the vicinity. Before anyone mentions that they are packed in or close, I want to make it known that I know that there are a lot of plants in the area. I have 8 acres and I routinely move plants around whent they are too big or i get rid of them. I often times throw little starts from Stanley and Sons into beds and deal with them later.

KenA - The drain is shown in the last picture (green arrow). I just had that put in due to some water issues 3 years ago.

You are correct that there is about a 4x8 section that is in full sun. Even a couple feet inside of the house is full sun. I guess after that I would consider it part shade. It gets shaded sunlight until 1/2pm and then is shaded for the remainder of the day.

GardenGal - Thanks for the comment. With the recent picture you will see that there is actually room for something about 6/7 ft wide back there if I move it towards the sitting wall. Still think a japanese maple wouldn't fit? I would really like to cover or block that window with something as that is a bathroom that requires drapes/blinds currently and would offer a little more privacy.

I wanted something to occupy the corner of the house that was vertical and over time would start to cover the air conditioner. I was thinking of a fastigiate conifer (Picea abies 'Weeping Blue' staked for height?

After that and I have a stretch of 10 feet, that I was thinking of Oakleaf Hyndrangeas or something like that to take up some space but I'm not sure if those are showy or interesting enough.

What is the depth of the bed from the window to the seating wall? You might be able to squeeze in a very narrow or tightly vase shaped JM.

Oakleaf hydrangeas are terrific plants..... wouldn't be without one. Only hydrangea species I know that has a full 4 seasons of interest! By all means include one.

gardengal - any other plants come to mind that you would recommend?

The area in the corner measures almost 8 feet wide x 6 ft. At 6 feet from the house it transitions to 4 feet wide for the remainder of the length.

So it looks like you have 3.5-4 feet of space in any direction off that corner? If so, I’d be tempted to try Picea engelmannii ‘Bush’s Lace’ there. Although they can get to 10 feet in diameter most of what I see in the upper Midwest are only 5-6 feet in diameter when 15 or 20 feet tall.

tj

I like the fothergilla - good for shade

how about Taxus baccata - also good for shade

ron

matt keep us photo updated ..I want to watch these grow

Something I just noticed...keep the soil off your siding

ron

Gardengal - thanks for the comments. I have 5-6 Fothergilla 'Blue Shadows' in various parts of my other landscaping. I like them and and especially like the needed blueish color in the landscaping. I didn't realize they did well in part shade or even shaded situations. Unfortunately, I have that darn collector mentality that always wants to get something new or different than other stuff that I have. I wonder if that is a good thing or bad thing? On one hand, we just want our stuff to look good. On the other hand, I want to show off different things to my friends that come over. I suppose as long as I don't have rows and rows of boxwoods and daylillies I am good, but I guess I have higher standards.

Ron - Thanks for the comments also. I have some Taxus, but not much. I think i have . Are you thinking of Taxus in the back corner or showier sunny corner of the house?

I like the idea of a Crypto.Ja for the sunny corner. I have had mixed success with them, but i suspect it is due to my planting time. I finally have a Crypto 'Black Dragon' that is doing well elsewhere. It could be a candidate to be moved to this location.

Another one that i think could be of interest is Picea abies 'Rothenhausii'. It is graceful, tall, but farily compact. I think it could soften the edge of the house. I am strongly leaning towards this one with some pruning and selective maintenance I think I could make it work.

Picture not mine. Taken from the internet.

If you want a fothergilla look for 'Mount Airy'

baby 'Rothen

Taxus along back wall

I just happen to be rereading Bob Fincham's book Small plants For Small Gardens

and am at the back at Taxus ,, there are some nice plants of this species

ron

It being Bob the book is called Small Conifers for Small Gardens of course.

ot course,, I know , I was going to edit

it is amazing how much additional info you get on a third read