Hello! I've been given permission by my landlord to plant a very small garden bed in front of my balcony. I'm brand new to outdoor gardening (I'm not bad at keeping houseplants alive), and I'm facing some pretty rough starting conditions. - north facing - under conifers (established root system) - very small budget - barely any soil to start with - deep shade (20 minutes ish of direct sun every day) - pigeons in the immediate area So far what I've done is put down some landscaping fabric and build up some garden soil/potting soil on top. I would love some suggestions on the easiest approach from here. I've considered ferns, hostas, or some kind of groundcover... I don't know if anything else would really grow in that space. What can I do to give this little spot the best start?
There is an active thread on suggested plants for a shade garden - you could have a look at plants mentioned there. Suggestions for improving this Shade Bed ?
Some plants that handle these harsh conditions at UBC are the native sword fern and Trachystemon orientalis.
