It’s easy to brighten up a corner of your yard

By Bev Johnson | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, July 7, 2007

Have you ever met a gardener who was happy with his garden?

Never happen. The gardener's mantra is "It will look better or different next year.”

They can always find a corner that need improving or redoing. The biggest problem for many gardeners is shade. Now, if you have heavy shade, that is, it gets no sun, ever, forget growing anything there.

Instead, how about an oriental garden? Use different colors and types of mulch, some interesting rocks or driftwood, or maybe a birdbath.

Birds are attracted to water if there is shelter close by where they can get away from that darn cat. Maybe you have an old piece of interesting machinery. Use your imagination.

If you have full shade, say under a mature tree, you can add 2 to 3 inches of soil on top of the roots and plant some shallow rooted shade plants in the hollows between the roots.

Be sure there is some sun during the day, morning sun is best.

You can tuck violets in the plant pockets, some variegated ground cover, or, for spring, scillia or crocus bulbs. There are some miniature hostas that might do very well here.

The best shade is filtered shade, found under many small leaved trees. Here you can let your inner artist run wild.

Look at the colored leaved coral bells. They not only will add color but also texture to a shady spot.

Japanese painted fern comes in several colors, silvery white,

green with a red stem and some with red on the leaves.

Variegate Solomon's seal has white edged green leaves on elegant arched stems.

Of course, the old standby, hosta comes in many shades of green with yellow, white, or multiple shades of green in their leaves.

Add some impatients, say, 1/4 light pink, 1/4 dark pink and 1/2 medium pink — to give the border some depth.

For height, there is astilbe. They come in shades of pink and look like feathery exclamation points.

To keep the planting from looking like it was planted in the dark by a drunk, stay with one main color, and accents of white and green.

If there are just too many roots to plant anything, go with planters. Use several heights to add interest.

Throw in an odd rock or statue and you have brightened up another corner in your yard.

Bev Johnson is a master gardener in West Otter Tail County.