Michigan is typically known as a very favorable climate for hydrangeas and hostas. They both like morning sun and afternoon shade.

At only 4’ deep, though, you’d need to chose one of the smaller hydrangeas, not a regular full-sized one.

Hostas would fit well. A large variety like Sum and Substance, Empress Wu, or Elegans would grow 4’ wide.

Clethra. It comes in white, too

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Do you have a deer problem?

I will look into smaller varieties of hydrangeas. I have hostas in the backyard but could add more. I am not familiar with Clethra so I willl look at my nursery. We do have deer but they generally stay away due to our dog. Do you think wood mulch is the best material?

I thought about hydrangeas but they like a moist soil so if yours is rocky that may not be suitable for them. You might look into weigela. They are pretty hardy and need only about 4 hrs of full sun.

Emily that looks sooo much better! I will add weigela to my list when visiting the garden center today.

The potting table will be similar to this and I will remove the odds and ends.

Potting table

Some inspro

Celery , I am blown away. You have given me something amazing to aspire towards , thank you!

Nice bench project!

A low-maintenance option is a metal raised bed between the potting bench and pails filled with dwarf bushes or herbs/vegetables or flowers. Consider adding a wood enclosure or screen for the pails.

I'd just use Geranium maccrorhizum as a ground cover. Virtually no maintenance, semi evergreen, deer resistant, attractive, about 8-12 inches tall, blooms in spring. Highly weed suppressing too.

Im in search of partial shade lovers too. Thinking about these.

Here's some info.

Yes, wood mulch is the best for several reasons. It improves soil as it decomposes. It attracts less heat than rocks, and it keeps area from drying out as quickly. Also, it is easy to move out of the way when you want to add plants. Just keep wood mulch away from the very base of the plants.

I have used it successfully for almost four decades, and it is the only mulch I use. However, I have read recently that leaf mulch is just as healthy...if you have a lot of leaves. Monty Don makes compost with his leaves, then uses it as mulch.

I use it along my foundation, and I haven't had splashing onto the siding.

Great idea for potting shed! Very nice.

Why don’t I catch my typos BEFORE I post😳

😂 I have the same problem. One reason I don't like using my phone app is that I can't make corrections once I notice them!

I should have specified that I use double-shredded hardwood mulch. I know from others that wood chips wash away easily in rainly areas. Here's a chart that you may find helpful.

That is from https://www.airtasker.com/us/comparisons/bark-mulch-vs-wood-chips/

and you can find more information there about choosing what's best for you,

A hydrangea paniculata like Groundbreaker is perfectly happy in full sun IME, and will bloom less and be less full in just 4 hours of sun. The hydrangeas that really appreciate afternoon shade are selections of Hydrangea arborescens like Annabelle, Hydrangea serrota selections and Hydrangea macrophylla selections.

Also, 4’ deep is fairly shallow for a bed. i try to make my beds at least 6’ deep because I try to leave at least 2’ between the plant at its largest and the building. It will allow you to do maintenance more easily and also keep wet plants away from the building so less maintenance is needed.

Today we dug out rocks and compacted soil from the area and then got one yard of plant bed soil from a local nursery. We repurposed a piece of nice plywood, which we cut down and I sanded and stained it for the potting shed work surface. I think I will start with a hydrangea like Annabelle that can tolerate shade and some hostas. This will be an area I develop over the next several years, but I feel we are now off to a good start thanks to your help. I think I can keep expanding the bed depth over time. I will be sure not to plant too close to the house. We are now exhausted and are probably having cereal for dinner!

Be prepared to give the Annabelle hydrangea a LOT of space when in bloom.

I assume you don't have deer. Every year, they eat the flowers off my Annabelle.

I saw a PJM rhododendron today. Fact sheet says it likes morning sun and afternoon shade with acidic well draining soil. Since we have dug up the area and added soil I think I can provide those conditions. I have never had a rhododendron plant before. I like that it keeps leaves in the winter.

Pine straw mulch or Pine needle mulch does not get blown away or washed away in the rain. But plants have to like acidic soil. We also use Cedar Bark mulch...has to be the bark, it's stringy not wood chips.

Please post photos of your progress, this is an interesting project.

I have several acres of pine trees so I will use their needles around the rhododendron.
Today I finished cutting sanding and staining two shelves for the potting station. I am excited to continue assembly tomorrow.

Don't bother.

Pine needles do nothing to acidify the soil. For sixty years, pine needle came down from my row of white pines. The effect on the soil pH was zero. What they are good for, is creating a moisture-proof barrier on top of the soil. So I'd collect them, and spread them under the eaves where I didn't want anything to grow.

Okay I just read that brown needles have lost their acidity...good to know.

I put the shelves on today, added lights and a metal sun I made. I will get some waterproof containers for soil and tools. I ended up buying an azalea as it had similar requirements to the rhododendron but grows taller than wider. I also purchased several hostas. Tomorrow I will get some shredded mulch and then plant

The potting table looks great. Azaleas typically like acidic soil so give them a boost of acidifier. Pine needles are also something you can use too

Will do, Thank you!

See above about the myth that pine needles acidify soil. And we don't know that your native soil is not already sufficiently acidic. What grows naturally in your area? Blueberries? Kalmia? Regarding the growth habit of azaleas many are broad and short. Unless you have researched the cultivar you have bought it's not safe to assume it'll be tall and narrow. Also I would plant that azalea further forward.

Given the above info, maybe you can use pine needles for everything instead of buying shredded mulch? How fortunate to have such an abundance of pines! Where do you live?