What can I grow in a dry and shady place?

[Sinkingfeeling]

We have a large fir tree in our garden and a weedy circle of soil below it. What can I grow there which will tolerate dry-ish soil and shade but provide some good ground cover? A geranium of some sort?

[Wailywailywaily]

I have been wondering the same thing for in the shade of a hedge.I grew foxgloves, ferns and a few anenomes (sp?) this year but thinking hostas maybe?

[CuttedUpPear]

I'm afraid that the conifer will be drying out the soil to the extent that not even plants that luke dry shady conditions would be able to thrive there.

However you could try Pachysandra terminalis there - it's a semi evergreen ground cover and is pretty tough.

[longtallsally2]

They dealt with this question on Gardener's Question time this last week - should be on iplayer still. (Not a listener, but it always seems to be on, when I am driving!)

The answers they gave were either to use tubs, or try planting clematis, variegated ground elder, or one of the euphorbias. There was one other ground cover plant they suggested They also suggested mulching first and/or an uplighter for the tree, a seat underneath or a whitish marble-like statue.

HTH

[mumma24]

We have hydrangea that's looking fab in dry shady area

[mumma24]

My hydrangea

[mumma24]

Massive laurel hedge behind it

[Sinkingfeeling]

Great - thank you for all the suggestions. I dug up all the weeds today and fear the ground is very dry and sapped of moisture and nutrients by the fir, as you say, Cutted. Would it be worth me digging in some compost before planting anything and trying to keep the area well watered? Or am I on a hiding to nothing?

[funnyperson]

My mother has a row of conifers along one boundary and what worked for her was to raise the lower canopy a bit and mulch with compost twice a year and underneath grows spring bulbs, pulmonaria, loosestrife, daylilies en masse, heleniums, asters.
She neglects it totally apart from weeding out bindweed and the gardeners hack back plants which are over giving room for the current seasons flowers to grow through.
I think the border is south facing so gets sun even though there are trees there.
Little thrives underneath the north facing shady border under my oak tree however.
Cyclamen, crocuses, tulips, anemone blanda snowdrops are planted for the spring and flower before the tree is in leaf, and rosa New Dawn Flowers if the canopy is kept trimmed back a bit. Otherwise the plants underneath such as clematis and choisya ternata and acanthus grow but don't flower.

[funnyperson]

Hepatica also flowers there

[CuttedUpPear]

To give us an idea of what might work there, what are the weeds that you are taking out?

[Sinkingfeeling]

That sounds lovely, Funny - maybe cutting back the lower canopy of branches could work on my conifer too. Cutted - the weeds are mostly tufts of grass, thistles, chickweed and a rampant weed with a red stem and pink flowers. Have tried googling to find an image but can't!

[CuttedUpPear]

Is the weed with red stem and pink flowers Himalayan Balsam?

[CuttedUpPear]

Or, more likely, Herb Robert?

[Sinkingfeeling]

Yes, Cutted - just googled images of Herb Robert and that's exactly what it is. Not too unsightly I guess but just very prolific and tangled.

[CuttedUpPear]

That's good news - Herb Robert is very easy to weed out. Just follow the stems back to the central rosette, get a good hold on them and tug. all the roots should come out together. They will have self seeded though so they will be popping back to hello for a while yet.

Euphorbia griffithii would grow well here. Spreads a little bit and looks good for several months.

[Sinkingfeeling]

Thank you so much, Cutted. I love Euphorbia so will definitely give it a try.