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At some point in every gardener’s life, we find ourselves faced with a difficult garden space. It might be a spot that’s shady, hot, soggy, narrow, or sloped. All of these scenarios present a challenge, but it’s precisely these challenging spaces that teach us the most. They are opportunities to broaden our gardening skills, and the outcomes can be surprisingly satisfying.
Shady and low-light garden areas are often underutilized or completely ignored. It’s a shame because shade-lovers are perfectly lovely and often some of the easiest plants to grow.
Hot, full-sun areas can be one of the most challenging gardens, in my opinion. In this case, you should look for plants that thrive in the sun, or at least don't fry easily. On a positive note, heat-tolerant plant species (xeriscape plants) are not only environmentally friendly – they also save water and money and make for an easy-to-care-for landscape.
Even more good news is there’s a dazzling array of flowers that worship the sun, such as Mexican sage, lavender, sunflowers, penstemon, lamb's ears, succulents, blanket flower, African daisy, cosmos, dusty miller, lantana, phlox, portulaca, and zinnia.
Other ideas for your sun-soaked garden:
If you have a windy garden spot, the first thing you’re probably interested in is tempering the wind. You might have a fence or a wall, but still find that the wind rushed over the top and into the yard. Barriers that allow some of the wind to pass through them is actually more effective than a completely solid structure – plus, it has a better chance of remaining upright in prevailing winds. Screens, windbreak netting, trees, and shrubs can all work in your favor to keep gusts down to a dull roar.
As far as plants go, wind is extremely drying to plants and soil. You’ll have to make a conscious effort to keep them watered – even during the cold months.
Suburban developments are notorious for narrow garden spaces. Your skinny side yard might feel like wasted space and, in fact, is often destined to house trash cans and faded yard toys. Admittedly, this is a challenging space to plant. But it’s time to take another look. The first thing to do is remove the garbage cans from the area and reclaim your yard space. The garbage cans can be taken out of the yard and placed out front in their own three-sided cubby (so they remain hidden from view).
Consider these ideas when planting a narrow garden area:
There are some areas that almost never dry out. It might be due to poor drainage or heavy clay soil, etc. It might even become a natural pond as it seems to hold onto rainwater forever. A soggy or boggy area might feel like the most hopeless gardening spot of all. But nature has a plan for this spot, too, and it’s an opportunity to grow plant species that thrive in wet conditions.
Oh, sure, you could break out the equipment and alter the landscape to hold less water, add tons of compost, maybe create some drainage. Eventually the area would be transformed to your heart’s desire.
But what if you just gave it what it wanted and grew plants that actually enjoyed wet feet? With this train of thought, you might need to maintain a soggy environment by directing even more water in its direction and creating a bog garden. Plants that enjoy getting their roots into damp places are ferns, bee balm, Japanese iris, snake’s head fritillary, astible, ligularia, and filipenula.
Whether your garden space is hot, wet, windy, narrow, or unusual, you can meet the challenge with a little research and creativity. Remember that just like people, plants have adapted to survive in every nook and cranny on Earth.
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