My (very tiny, town-home sized) backyard is almost a blank canvas, and I would like to add some greenery and perhaps colour this year. After reading through these forums and several magazines, I would like to try to use native plants as much as possible, and to avoid plants that may be troublesome to me or my neighbours in the future. I have done some research and have a few ideas, but would love to hear from anyone who has comments about any of these plants, or who may have a suggestion for other plants to fit my space - I'm really not sure what is out there, and what may be available in my area (I don't know if I can even purchase my thoughts below anywhere). One consideration is that I would like to have a reasonably low-maintenance yard, as we often go out of town for a week or so at a time in the summer. My yard is about 20' x 9'. I live in Richmond, BC (near Vancouver), which I think is in Zone 7b (but I may have read the chart incorrectly). There is a shallow layer of reasonable soil over clay. Drainage is fairly good. One 20' side backs onto my patio; opposite is a row of cedar hedges that have had the lower limbs trimmed to about 4.5'. The first area I want to plant is the area under the hedge. The trees are not dense, so it is shady, but not too dark. I am currently thinking of two rows of plantings, Salal - Gaultheria shallon along the fence, and Bunchberry - Cornus canadensis in front, spilling onto the grass. Along one of the sides (part shade, due to a fence), I was thinking of putting in either Red Huckleberry - Vaccinium parvifolium (preferred) or Evergreen huckleberry - Vaccinium ovatum, but I am wondering if any of these berry-producing plants (all four, so far) could become problematic due to animals spreading seeds. On the other side (full sun), I would like something colourful, but that would look good for the full season (or a combination that fulfills that). The only thing I have seen so far is Harebell - campanula rotundifolia, but it seemed like it might be more of a BC interior plant? Alternatively, I could put another huckleberry, or I may just use some sweet peas or something similar. I'd appreciate any feedback or advice - I'm fairly new at this, but I tried to do my research before bothering everyone! Thanks!
You could have a look at Ribes sanquineum (red flowering currant) and some heather which is of course more of an alpine plant but a great gound cover if kept trimmed.
Hi Jen, You are definitely way ahead of the beginner gardener, both in research and maintenance. The seed spread should not be any issue or concern. These fruiting shrubs are not invasive and can easily be managed in a workable small area under your care. Vaccinums are easy to pluck from the ground when still a seedling. Blechnum spicant and Polystichum munitum, either one are well suited under the Thuja plicata(s).
1950Greg, I searched the Ribes Sanguineum, and it is a beautiful plant! Thank you for the suggestion. I think it would provide the colour I am looking for. The heather is an interesting suggestion, but I think the Ribes Sanguineum would fit my style better. K Baron, I'm definitely a beginner - just a cautious one that wants to make the right decision. Thank you for the assurances on the Vaccinums, I'm glad to hear that they should be easily managed. I had actually thought about Polystichum munitum (and Blechnum spicant is another good suggestion), but I was worried that they could get a bit wild on me. There were a lot of Polystichum munitums growing in a tight space between my house and the shed, and we had a very difficult time getting them out of the ground so that we could move the shed. Was that just a case of the last owner letting them run rampant too long? They also looked less-than-fantastic in the winter, but I wasn't sure if they just weren't cut back. Your thoughts on this would be very much appreciated. Again, thank you both so much! I appreciate your thoughts, and welcome any other advice. - Jen
Both Fern types, take years to establish into "giants" from spores.... however, once clumping into a hundred frond sphere,( Polystichum can be difficult to remove, however from my experience, a pick axe is the fastest and easiest manual method to extract the complete plant and rhyzomes...)we are truly looking at a few years of established root growth...those planted under a tree site would unlikely pose a threat to surrounding plants, such as Ribes s. which I have had grow to well over 3 metres tall with Polystichum thriving at the shrubs' base. The past winter truly decimated the visual wonder of our ferns, as they were woefully crushed by the relentless snow falls....
Thanks so much again! I really appreciate your expertise. I will have to add them to my list to consider - Polystichum is a really dramatic plant.
Vancouver Island is a great place to find huckleberry bushes. Two wild bushes found growing in my garden produced enough berries for two jars of jam. The jam is the most beautiful colour of red and the taste is fabulous. They appear to grow fairly slowly. Older plants can get woody. They grow well in the shade of cedars and other trees. I find them to be a very pretty small leaf shrub. I also have salal. I find it difficult to remove once established. It is woody and roots do go deep. However it doesn't grow into the trees the way some ivy ground covers do. Enjoy your garden!